2018 Lincoln MKZ: misfire or rough idle

Filed Oct 22, 2026 · Engine · WV

Around end of May or beginning of June 2026 a check engine light came on in our 2018 MKZ. The code showed cylinder 3 misfire. We called our local Ford dealership for diagnosis. We almost didn't get there as it started to overheat on the way. Once at Ford they diagnosed it with coolant intrusion in cylinder 3. They said this was a known issue and needed a new block. $11,500 for replacement. They said driving it could cause catastrophic problems to the vehicle and possibly the passengers in it. The vehicle had 65,873 miles on it at time and once home it has stayed in the garage since. They said warranty was over and to call Lincoln for assistance programs as it was a known safety defect. I did call and Lincoln denied any help with repairs.

Filed Jun 24, 2026 · Engine · FL

My 2018 Lincoln MKZ began misfiring on startups. Eventually the check engine light came on with a code of P0302. About a week later while driving, the engine temp gauge reached the hottest temp reading on the gauge. I had to immediately pull over. Upon pulling over I immediately checked the coolant level in the overflow reservoir and it was empty. After refilling with coolant I was able to drive the car home. Over the next few days I monitored the coolant level but at the same time the car was experiencing rough startups and smoke coming out of the exhaust upon startup. Sometimes turning the engine off and restarting it would stop the smoke, but sometimes it wouldn't. I began doing some research and discovered, Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 19-2346, which explains my exact experience with my 2018 Lincoln MKZ. I have yet to take my car to the dealership for repairs due to the costs that are expected to have this issue resolved. Documents in the legal case, Miller, et al. v. Ford Motor Company (Case No. 2:20-cv-01796) claim that Ford was aware of this defect in their vehicles dating back to 2010. I purchased my 2018 Lincoln MKZ back in 2019.

Filed Jun 14, 2026 · Engine · CA

My Check Engine Light came on, I took my car to the dealership that I have using for eight years with less than 38k miles on it and I was told by the service technician who gave the diagnose as, there was coolant in the cylinder where the spark plug #3 is housed. He stated that the car is misfiring and I was told I needed to get an new engine replace to correct the problem. I was given a Service Bulletin stating the manufacturer knew of the problem with this model. I talk to the dealership service manager and questioned why no indication, clue, or suggestion was told to me of the problem with that type of engine. I have not contact my insurance company and I don't if they have information on the problem of the engine problem. I did tell the service technician on routine maintenance for the car that is running "rich" in using gas. In May of this year is when the engine problem started, 3 weeks before actually being eight years officially, no other indication lights came. I drive to work on the streets and freeway everyday.

Filed May 30, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · PA

My 2018 Lincoln MKZ with the 2.0 Ecoboost Engine incurred premature engine failure at ONLY 40k miles. My safety as well as other drivers' safety at risk due to EcoBoost Engine in certain model year 2013-2019 Ford and Lincoln vehicles have an inherent design defect which makes them predisposed to leak coolant, including allowing the coolant to seep into the engine cylinder, which causes overheating and cylinder head cracking, and can cause the engine to misfire, suddenly stall, or even catch fire while driving. In April the car began to "shake" at start up. The shaking was intermittent. After a few days of this, the check engine light came on. I took it to the mechanic (T&H) to have it looked at. They said the "shaking" is the car misfiring at start up. They were not able to locate any leaks or identify the cause of the misfire. They code on the check engine light was Code P0301-Cylinder #1. During April and May the misfires have continued and got worse. I was going back and forth to T&H trying to diagnose the issue. On May 12th, while taking the kids to school, I went to pull out into traffic and the car would not accelerate. The dashboard lights said the engine was overheating. The car would not go above 10mph. Luckily my mechanic is down the street. They were concerned about excessive use of coolant and not seeing a leak anywhere. They filled the coolant, and I made a follow up appt in one week to do a borescope inspection. On May 19th, T&H did a Borescope inspection and visually confirmed coolant in cylinder #1. They provided me a copy of a TSB 22-2229 that states the engine block needs to be replaced. The cost of the engine block replacement was estimated at $8k. Engine failure at 40k miles is unacceptable. An engine block replacement due to a manufacturing/design flaw should be covered by Lincoln Motor Co as a goodwill repair regardless of warranty status.

Filed Jan 7, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · PA

Initially when buying the vehicle in 2021, it had 30k miles. Car continued to give me a "cylinder 2 misfire code" after numerous trips to different garages and then the car beginning to start up rough and anti freeze missing i came across a "service bulletin" regarding it being a faulty ring in the engine. I took the vehicle to Ford and they replaced the engine. My car just hit 100k miles All of the sudden one day when trying to stop at a red light the car was shaking . There was no codes and only happened while in drive and at a red light or stop sigh:( complete stop) I took the card to Ford, who diagnosed it and open up my tranny and found out there was no fluid ,was burnt and had metal in it. There is still no code on my dash board and i need to pay 7k to replace a transmission. The fluid is housed internally , there was no leaks, and no codes was thrown on the dash. How was i to know transmission fluid was leaking and wher was it going?

Filed Jan 30, 2024 · Engine · MI

I own a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. Starting the second week in January I started to notice a strange smell in the cabin of my car and outside of my car. I told my husband that I was smelling something strange, and he noticed that the exhaust was a billowy white smoke. My husband noticed that this was not a good sign. We also noticed that my Lincoln app was saying there was a misfire in cylinder 2. My husband checked my coolant and saw that my coolant reservoir was completely empty. My husband added coolant and informed me that we would need to take the car to the shop. By the following week ([XXX]) my husband checked my coolant again and saw that my reservoir was empty again and my app was saying cylinder 2 was misfiring again. On Tuesday [XXX], we took the car to the Suburban Ford of Waterford to have my car looked at. On Wednesday [XXX], the dealership called my husband and informed him that I would need a new engine in my car because the coolant is leaking into cylinder and mixing with the oil which is causing the misfire in cylinder 2. The dealership informed us that this was a problem that Ford and Lincoln had with the 2.0 and 1.5 engines for the MKZ and Fusion. The 2018 MKZ was affected by this problem. The dealership informed us that Ford/Lincoln replaced the engines after they noticed the problem, but they said my car must have had the older engine that had the problem. As you can imagine I was very upset to hear that my car, which is only six years old, would need a new engine. Not only was I upset to hear this, but I am also upset about possibly shouldering the financial burden of a new engine when this is a manufacturing problem that is no fault of my own. Also, since Ford/Lincoln knew about this issue why did they not send out a recall notice about this issue? I have found out that the oil mixing with the coolant causes corrosion in the cylinders. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)