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Lincoln MKS loss of power problems

24 of the 376 owner complaints about the Lincoln MKS describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 2013 model year.

owner complaints
24
worst model year
2013
typical mileage
104,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

Often reported together

Power steering loss 10Stalling 1

Trouble codes mentioned

P2111 1P0722 1

What owners say

Filed Dec 10, 2025 · Steering · 212,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while reversing into a parking space, the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was later restarted, and the traction control and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle then experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the steering gear had failed and that the steering rack needed to be replaced; however, the steering rack was no longer manufactured so the vehicle required an aftermarket steering rack. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 212,000.

Filed Jul 2, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 112,000 miles · NM

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while reversing, there was a huge blast of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for routine maintenance and was diagnosed and determined that the water pump was leaking, the turbo charger was losing power, the power transfer unit was overheating, and the water pump was overheating. The water pump was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

Filed Oct 9, 2024 · Steering · 158,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while attempting to drive out of a parking space, the message "Power Assist Failure" was displayed, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) needed to be reprogrammed, and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The mechanic related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 15N01. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the same assessment was made. The dealer ordered the part for the repair; however, the manufacturer's warranty department denied the claim for the repair after several attempts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

Filed May 2, 2023 · Steering · 105,707 miles · OH

The contact’s daughter owned a 2014 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The failure recurred several times and the steering wheel became locked completely. The contact had spoken to the dealer and was informed that the steering gear assembly and the spindle rods connecting end failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,707.

Filed Mar 29, 2023 · Steering · 104,000 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle jerked and lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after several minutes the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the lower control arms and bushing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the lower control arms and bushing did not need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) and referred the contact to the federal safety agency to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 104,000.

Filed Aug 23, 2022 · Steering · 30,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving approximately at 55 MPH, the contact lost power steering. The contact stated that the "loss of power steering" warning light was illuminated. The contact managed to steer the vehicle off the side of the road, however, the vehicle steering remained locked. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that he had experienced a loss of power steering before, but had managed to return the functionality by turning the vehicle off and on. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Filed Apr 7, 2022 · Steering · 140,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist fault warning message was displayed and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact restarted the vehicle while attempting to correct the failure however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Filed Nov 11, 2021 · Transmission · FL

While driving the vehicle at normal speed with my wife and baby, car suddenly made a weird noise and started to smoke, the car lost power. I had to pull over right away , as car was smoking we smelled a propane like smell, and we noticed black grease leaking from the bottom. Soon as I got the car towed home , I looked under and notice the transfer box or PTO was busted with grease pouring out. I looked online and it’s a common issue with these cars. The transfer case is so close to the cat converter that it over heats the grease.

Filed Oct 5, 2021 · Engine · TN

Sudden loss of power and deceleration. This happens intermittently and sets a code P2111 every time. Can drive for days between incidents and never know when it will happen. Gives no warning just shuts down immediately. This is very dangerous and my wife almost got hit yesterday in traffic due to malfunction

Filed Jan 5, 2021 · Steering · 97,212 miles · OH

Loss of power assist steering, could not control vehicle on the road. Steering was sticky, not smooth rotation of steering wheel, hard to maintain a straight line it started while driving on the highway with a warning to service steering now and when I turned off the car to look at it, when I started it back up, I lost all power steering assist

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Lincoln MKS loss of power

Which Lincoln MKS years have sudden loss of power problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2013 (11 complaints), 2010 (5 complaints) and 2011 (3 complaints).

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