Powertrain, engine and electrical system issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2019 Lincoln MKC was hailed as a luxury compact SUV that was guaranteed to impress. So, why does the company say, “The Lincoln MKC is not available as part of our 2020 lineup?” What was so bad about this 2019 model that the company felt it was better to get rid of it rather than fixing it? Let’s look at the faulty electrical system, powertrain and engine.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2018
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The electrical system runs just about everything in a vehicle and is even more important with a luxury vehicle. Yet, Lincoln completely fails on this front.
One Edmunds review reads, “My truck has been at the dealership twice already in 5 months for the same issue the USB port is going to go on fire. Flashes, gets super hot & smells smoke & burnt. I have 4,000 miles on it & had it in there at 2,000 miles.”
It turns out that there are multiple other issues. In fact, the electrical system is the most talked about part in the communications. Service Bulletin #SSM 48908 talks about one issue that can become quite annoying. The SYNC 3 touchscreen starts to malfunction and fails to allow volume control when using Apple CarPlay. Basically, anyone using this smartphone integration must be prepared to listen to music at whatever volume is given, because you aren’t allowed to have any control. Maybe you should just switch to Android instead.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Interior Lighting | |
| Latches/locks/linkages:trunk Lid:lock | |
| Power Train | |
| Structure:body | |
| Suspension | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Visibility/wiper |
In a luxury automobile, the driver expects to have a smooth-shifting car that gets from Point A to Point B in style. Yet, that’s not the strong suit of the MKC.
Another Edmunds review says, “When its cold it shifts very hard, goes away after it warms up! It is now at the dealership and they are rebuilding the transmission! Very disappointing!”
In addition, Service Bulletin 20B27 points out that the transmission torque converter might overheat. When this happens, customers have to deal with more noise, more vibration, a harsh ride, low performance and a rough idle. It’s like sitting on a bucking bronco that makes a lot of noise. The only difference is that it would likely cost far less to ride a bronco instead.
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Finally, a look at the engine reveals that the company took very little care in manufacturing the engine. Maybe Lincoln already knew the model was being discontinued and simply didn’t care.
One NHTSA complaint states, “While driving my vehicle on a highway, smoke started to come from the hood. This is approximately 10-15 minutes after I had been driving the vehicle. The smoke became worse and luckily I was able to pull over to turn the vehicle off. The smoke continued to intensify and started to come through the vents. I exited the vehicle and saw fire underneath the car. No too long after the entire hood of the vehicle was engulfed in flames, which caused the windshield to bust. The fire department was called and able to put the fire out. The fire report deemed this as accidental and believed a mechanical fire.”
Aside from car fires, Lincoln also appears to be in the business of manufacturing engines that don’t run right. Service Bulletin #SSM 47937 says that the auto start/stop might stop working. If there is an issue with this system, the vehicle might not be able to use auto restart at all. To correct the problem, a new crankshaft position sensor is required. After the MKC took up so much room in the service departments at dealerships, Lincoln must have felt it was time to retire the model. It’s a good thing that happened, or there could be substantially more car fires occurring right now.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Lincoln pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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I don’t know what I am rating. The article and information or the actual car? I rated my car experience. I don’t know what the certain amount of time would be however my 2019 Lincoln MKC leased and then purchased in 2022 needed an engine replacement at 26000 miles. Now I have a recall for a possible engine fire, that asks you do not park near buildings or other cars. I live in a condo association and there is no safe place for me to park. I got this new notice while the engine was being replaced at the dealership. Do I qualify?