"How reliable is the 2008 Lincoln Mkz?"

"Based on 328 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Lincoln Mkz has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Lincoln Mkz?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Lincoln Mkz is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 328 total complaints filed."

2008 Lincoln Mkz: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 328 complaints

328

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

47,000 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

121,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

164

SERVICE BRAKES

WHEELS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING THE SUNLIGHT REFLECTION COMBINED WITH THE CONTRAST FROM THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL IMPAIRED HIS VISIBILITY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND A TECHNICIAN ADDED A BLACK COVERING FOR THE INSTRUMENT PANELS SURFACE. THE ..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH ON ICY ROAD CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE LOSS CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO A BRICK WALL. THE FRONTAIR BAG SYSTEM FAILED TO DEPLOY WITH THE MASSIVE IMPACT. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MAJOR INJURIES. THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

AIR BAGS 164 complaints

25th: 48,000 mi Median: 70,000 mi 75th: 109,086 mi

SERVICE BRAKES 52 complaints

25th: 82,350 mi Median: 100,400 mi 75th: 130,000 mi

WHEELS 30 complaints

25th: 40,000 mi Median: 43,000 mi 75th: 57,500 mi

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 22 complaints

25th: 43,300 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 94,152 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 complaints

25th: 50,799 mi Median: 70,098 mi 75th: 117,509 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 34 MI: 21 OH: 19 PA: 17 NJ: 17 NY: 16 GA: 16 AZ: 15 TX: 15 CA: 14

Who Files Complaints?

0.6%

Original Owners

99.4%

Second+ Owners

Lincoln Mkz — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2007	301	80,000	AIR BAGS	21
2009	129	77,000	AIR BAGS	11
2010	196	66,000	AIR BAGS	22
2011	180	68,000	AIR BAGS	23
2012	176	53,500	AIR BAGS	17
2013	146	40,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	9
2014	128	63,000	STEERING	9
2015	97	45,500	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	5
2016	73	32,400	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	10
2017	166	50,000	ENGINE	13
2018	33	33,000	POWER TRAIN	1

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28