Selling a junk Lincoln MKZ
Any MKZ sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Lincoln MKZ
NHTSA has 2,041 owner complaints on file for the Lincoln MKZ, model years 2007 to 2020, the 188th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (675, 33%), brakes (284, 14%), engine (163, 8%). 165 complaints involved a crash, 30 a fire, and 100 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 63,972 miles. The 2008 model year has the most complaints (328). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is air bags, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car after an accident: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Lincoln MKZ by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 305 | Air bags | 21 | 3 | 5 | 82,000 |
| 2008 | 328 | Air bags | 20 | 0 | 5 | 80,200 |
| 2009 | 129 | Air bags | 11 | 0 | 7 | 77,000 |
| 2010 | 197 | Air bags | 22 | 0 | 9 | 66,000 |
| 2011 | 181 | Air bags | 23 | 8 | 7 | 69,500 |
| 2012 | 176 | Air bags | 17 | 5 | 6 | 55,777 |
| 2013 | 147 | Electrical system | 9 | 3 | 13 | 40,000 |
| 2014 | 130 | Steering | 10 | 0 | 14 | 65,000 |
| 2015 | 110 | Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 11 | 48,994 |
| 2016 | 79 | Brakes | 10 | 0 | 7 | 32,700 |
| 2017 | 190 | Engine | 13 | 11 | 4 | 52,000 |
| 2018 | 43 | Engine | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2019 | 24 | Engine | 3 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2020 | 2 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Lincoln MKZ recalls
NHTSA lists 35 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (9), latches and locks (5), steering (4). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2015 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V695000, Oct 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles.…
- 2019 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V442000, Jun 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Es…
- 2016 model year, latches and locks (campaign 23V775000, Nov 2023): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Fiesta, 2016 Fusion, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
- 2013 model year, brakes (campaign 23V162000, Mar 2023): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.
- 2014 model year, brakes (campaign 22V011000, Jan 2022): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 Mustang vehicles originally sold or ever registered, in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Nor…
What a Lincoln MKZ is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk MKZ on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car after an accident 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Lincoln models
- Lincoln Town Car 2,662
- Lincoln MKX 1,772
- Lincoln Navigator 1,764
- Lincoln LS 1,366
- Lincoln Continental 766
- Lincoln MKC 755
- Lincoln Aviator 661
- Lincoln Mark Viii 506
All Lincoln models · All makes · Cash for junk cars by state
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Lincoln MKZ worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same MKZ gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Lincoln MKZ that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Lincoln MKZ?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Lincoln MKZ numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.