Electric & airbag issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The Lincoln Corsair, manufactured by Ford Motor Company, is a compact luxury crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV). Launched in 2019 for the 2020 model year, it is available in gasoline and plug-in hybrid versions.
Ford recently changed its strategy and now focuses on SUVs and trucks. This, they say in a December 2021 media release is “reaping benefits.” According to the release, the Corsair is Lincoln’s best-selling SUV. And in December, sales increased 28.4% over November. But sales figures for the 2021 Corsair vs the original 2020 model decreased from 26,227 to 22,790.
Lemberg Law published an article, 2020 Lincoln Corsair Problems and Top Complaint. This highlighted problems with defective powertrains, suspension, visibility, as well as the structure of the SUV.
There are 18 complaints about the 2020 model lodged with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These cover a total of 26 problems. There are also 4 recalls, 2 of which relate to the rearview camera. The rearview camera is also the subject of an open investigation initiated by NHTSA in August 2021.
Additionally, there are 101 manufacturer communications sent to dealers about failures, flaws, defects, and other issues. Federal regulations require them to submit copies of these to NHTSA. Nearly half of these (48) relate to the electrical system.
An important role the NHTSA plays is to undertake tests on vehicles to rate their safety. While both the 2020 and 2021 Lincoln Corsair have a 5-star rating for frontal and side crashes, both have a 4-star rating for rollover. This test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle in a “loss-of-control scenario.” The 2020 model has a 16.90% rollover risk and the 2021 model has a slightly higher 17.40% risk.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2020 2022
So far, there are 7 complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 Corsair model. There are 3 recalls, one that relates to the rearview camera. The problem is that it may not display images, in this way increasing the risk of a crash. This may affect as many as 228,297 vehicles.
There are also 61 manufacturer communications already on file, 29 of which relate to the electrical system.
The complaints about the 2021 Lincoln Corsair are varied across 7 components. These are airbags, back-over prevention, the electrical system, engine, exterior lighting, forward-collision avoidance, and suspension. There are also 3 complaints in the Unknown or Other category.
We are going to look at a few of these.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera | |
| Engine | |
| Air Bags | |
| Back Over Prevention | |
| Electrical System:propulsion System:charging:port | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Power Train |
Electrical system problems can cause all kinds of problems. For example, a North Carolina Corsair owner was horrified to discover that his locked car wasn’t locked. Then he tried to start it, “there was nothing in the car that worked, interior lights, dashboard monitors, all computer functions were out and (I) could not open the rear hatch.”
Lincoln Assist sent AAA to help. They tested the battery, which was good. But when they tried to jump-start it, nothing happened. The owner had seen a tip on a Lincoln forum that said by disconnecting the battery and then reconnecting it, the system would return to normal. It did.
But after another 2 hours on the road, the same thing happened. His message to NHTSA is:
“Again, (I) had to disconnect (the) battery and reconnect – and it returned to normal. Please find out what is causing this before it shuts down while driving.”
Another issue that might be electrical is filed in the Unknown or Other category. It relates to the heating system. The complaint states that “the main cabin heating system does not reach and maintain (the) desired temperature settings whether in auto mode or in a manual selection.”
The Corsair was new and only had 600 miles on the clock. The owner guesses there is a problem in the computer module not controlling the functions.
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The complaint filed under airbags is clearly more than just an airbag problem. When this 2021 Lincoln Corsair crashed, the airbags didn’t deploy. It was a front-end crash (5-star safety rating) and the vehicle is “a total loss.”
There isn’t a full description of the crash on the complaint, but the complainant offers more information if needed.
What the complaint does say is that the Corsair was only 2 months old and it had 5,031 miles on the clock. There were no warning lights or anything else that indicated there was a fault with the vehicle before the crash.
What is interesting is that Lincoln told the owner to take the vehicle to a dealer to “check it out.” But “they said that is not something they do either.”
The Lincoln Corsair has a camera problem, so we can’t ignore this one complaint. Filed as a back-over prevention problem it says: “My backup camera still turns blue. I have had the recall done to fix the issue but it still happens occasionally. Seems to be just random when it happens and no direct cause when it does happen.”
When any vehicle has persistent problems that adversely affect its safety, use, and/or value, it’s worth assessing whether it can be defined as a lemon. This is especially so when the problems are related to the transmission, engine, or brakes.
Lemberg Law specializes in lemon law. We have many years of experience helping consumers who have bought vehicles and found themselves with lemons.
So, if you think you’ve got yourself a lemon, contact our Helpline and we’ll assess your case. Instead of you stressing about the problems you are faced with, we can step in and negotiate a deal on your behalf. These may include buybacks, refunds, and replacement vehicles.
And remember, you don’t pay our legal fees in a lemon case. The law says the manufacturer, in the case Ford must pay.
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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My 2021 Lincoln has so much road and wind noise that it is hard to hear the radio. I asked my dealer why this was so and he had no reply. It is crazy that you pay so much for a car and the noise is so that the ride is uncomfortable. Why can’t this road noise be addressed by the dealer or Lincoln corporation.