What are the common problems with the 2018 Lincoln MKX?
Owners of the 2018 Lincoln MKX have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (5) and the brakes (4). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 8 of its 31 complaints list a mileage (800 to 75,000 miles), too few to say when problems were reported; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 31 owner complaints on the 2018 Lincoln MKX. Owners named the electrical system most often: 5 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 31 complaints, 2 report a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2018 MKX
NHTSA's file holds 31 owner complaints on the 2018 Lincoln MKX. Owners named the electrical system most often: 5 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 5 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine | 3 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 31 complaints, 2 report a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2018 MKX
Too few complaints on the 2018 MKX list a mileage to say when owners reported problems: 8 of its 31 complaints list a mileage (800 to 75,000 miles), and a median is given here only with 10 or more.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2018 MKX wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Every model year together: Half of the 732 NHTSA owner complaints on the Lincoln MKX that list mileage came after 69,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Lincoln MKX last? →
Is the 2018 MKX a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2018 is a good or a bad MKX: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2018 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 31 complaints, the 2018 ranks 11th of the 12 Lincoln MKX model years from 2007 to 2018 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2007 (298). The fewest: the 2015 (19).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 MKX | 298 | 142 | 90,000 |
| 2008 MKX | 253 | 97 | 89,000 |
| 2009 MKX | 66 | 26 | 86,000 |
| 2010 MKX | 111 | 55 | 89,000 |
| 2011 MKX | 149 | 104 | 80,000 |
| 2012 MKX | 84 | 61 | 65,000 |
| 2013 MKX | 164 | 103 | 59,000 |
| 2014 MKX | 35 | 17 | 28,000 |
| 2015 MKX | 19 | 10 | 27,000 |
| 2016 MKX | 156 | 87 | 20,000 |
| 2017 MKX | 52 | 22 | 29,426 |
| 2018 (this page) | 31 | 8 | Under 10 mileages |
2018 Lincoln MKX recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2018 Lincoln MKX. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 25V544000 | Aug 22, 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS |
| 20V469000 | Aug 10, 2020 | SERVICE BRAKES |
| 20V414000 | Jul 17, 2020 | SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST |
| 18V612000 | Sep 11, 2018 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH |
| 18V548000 | Aug 20, 2018 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2018 MKX lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2018 MKX.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 23 of the 31 complaints on the 2018 Lincoln MKX give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: MKX. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: MKX.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2018 Lincoln MKX questions
What are the most common 2018 Lincoln MKX problems?
NHTSA's file holds 31 owner complaints on the 2018 Lincoln MKX. Owners named the electrical system most often: 5 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 31 complaints, 2 report a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2018 Lincoln MKX?
NHTSA's file gives no mileage figure for the 2018 Lincoln MKX: 8 of its 31 complaints list a mileage (800 to 75,000 miles), and this page gives a median only with 10 or more. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2018 MKX can cover.
Is the 2018 Lincoln MKX a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2018 is a good or a bad MKX: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2018 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 31 complaints, the 2018 ranks 11th of the 12 Lincoln MKX model years from 2007 to 2018 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2007 (298). The fewest: the 2015 (19).
How many recalls does the 2018 Lincoln MKX have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2018 Lincoln MKX. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2018 Lincoln MKX before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2018 Lincoln MKX.