2013 Lincoln MKZ — Should You Buy One?

Sixteen steering complaints and they are one sentence: 'Service Power Steering Now' or 'power steering assist failure' on the dash, then a wheel that goes stiff or seizes — leaving a driveway, slowing for a turn, on the highway at speed. Two recalls sit behind part of it. 15V250 and 19V632 cover 2013 Fusions and MKZs sold or registered in the salt-belt states, where the bolts holding the electric steering motor to the gear housing corrode until the motor separates and assist is lost; the fix is new bolts and a wax sealer, or a new gear if a bolt has already failed. Cars from outside those states are not covered, and owners from anywhere describe the same failure, which points at the gear or its control module rather than the bolts alone. A dealer reset clears it for a while; a replacement gear is a four-figure job. Check both campaigns on the VIN, look under the car for rust on the steering motor bolts, and do a slow full-lock turn each way with the engine warm.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $1,500–$2,500 for a steering gear outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (16); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Fifteen powertrain complaints and one crash. The gas cars use Ford's 6F35 six-speed, and owners describe a hard clunk from Park into Drive, a bang between 35 and 55 mph, hesitation, and a car that drops into its manual S modes on its own; one had a mechanic add fluid and was back the next day. A 6F35 doing that wants a fluid level check first, then a valve body or torque converter, and a full rebuild is above $3,000. One complaint is a Hybrid that stalled and showed 'run power active' — the hybrid drive quitting, not the six-speed. Recall 13V594 covers 2013–2014 MKZ Hybrids built April 26, 2012 to September 24, 2013: the transmission range sensor can let the car be shifted out of Park with no foot on the brake, so it can roll. A software update, free. On the drive: ten minutes of city stop-and-go feeling for a hard 1–2 or 2–3 shift, and on a Hybrid try moving the shifter out of Park with your foot off the brake — it should refuse.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$800 for a fluid service or a solenoid, $1,200–$2,500 for a valve body or torque converter, $3,000–$4,500 for a rebuilt six-speed — about 43% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (15); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Recall 13V227 covers certain 2013 MKZs alongside the Fusion, Taurus, Flex and Explorer: the fuel delivery module — the pump assembly inside the tank — may develop a crack and let fuel out, and a fuel leak with an ignition source is a fire. The remedy was a new module, free, from July 2013, so most cars had it done in the first year; the eight fuel-system complaints on this record carry one fire and one crash, which is reason enough to confirm rather than assume. Check the VIN, then smell around the rear of the car and under the rear seat after a drive, and look at the top of the tank for a fuel stain or a wet patch.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (8); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Recall 23V162 covers every 2013–2018 Fusion and MKZ: the front brake hoses can rupture and leak fluid, so the pedal travels further and the car needs more road to stop. Letters went out in June 2023 and dealers replace both hoses, free. Because the campaign is recent, a seller who says 'the recalls were all done years ago' has probably not had this one. The eight brake complaints for the year describe a soft pedal and warning lights and do not add a second fault. Check the VIN; then turn the wheels to full lock and look at the rubber hose behind each front wheel for cracks, bulges or a wet patch, and hold the pedal hard at idle for thirty seconds.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $150–$400 for a pair of hoses outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (8); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Six of the thirteen campaigns are body and restraint recalls a buyer cannot inspect for. 14V597: the restraints control module can short and leave the front airbags, curtain airbags and belt pretensioners silent in a crash — parts were unavailable for a year after it was announced, and one owner here was still waiting in 2015. 16V875 (cars built November 14, 2012 to July 31, 2014): heat from a firing pretensioner can burn through the belt cable, remedied with a coating. 14V164 (built August 15, 2012 to September 10, 2013): front seatbacks that can loosen and lean while driving. Then the door latches — 15V246, widened to every 2013–2014 MKZ by 17V210, and 20V331, which sent cars back to have the replacement latches' date codes checked because some earlier fixes used parts from the same bad batch. That failure is a door that reads closed and opens on a bump. Twelve seat-belt complaints and one crash sit on the record. At the car: rock each front seatback, close each door and listen for a clean double click, push each door outward from inside. Everything else is the VIN lookup.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under seat belts (12); 13 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.