Sign inCreate free garage
Research · Midsize Cars

2009 Lincoln MKZRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 114 owner complaints for the 2009 Lincoln MKZ. Most complaints involve air bags (66) and service brakes (18). The EPA rates it 19–21 mpg combined.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
19–21mpg
EPA · 2 versions
NHTSA overall
—
Not rated by NCAP
Safety recalls
7campaigns
Latest Mar 2021
Owner complaints
114
Top: air bags
Fuel cost / yr
$2,950est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

7 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveFree remedy

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jan 11, 2018NHTSA 18V046000

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveRemedy pending

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jan 10, 2017NHTSA 17V024000

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveRemedy pending

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported May 31, 2016NHTSA 16V384000
See all 7 recalls with remedies
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 9, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

114 complaints filed with NHTSA · Oct 2010 – Aug 2025
  1. Air bags66
  2. Service brakes18
  3. Service brakes, hydraulic7
  4. Wheels5
  5. Power train5
  6. Engine4
  7. Vehicle speed control4
  8. Electrical system3
  9. Steering3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each MKZ model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2007259
2008281
2009114
2010170
2011185
2012146
2013109
201498
201584
201664
2017140
201836
201921
20202
Crashes reported
8
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
7
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Air bags

66 reports4 crashes
“2 years ago air bags were replaced on a recall notice. Last week dash board is showing a warning notice with the air bag(s) again. Is there another recall for the air bags? Do I have to pay for replacement?”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 18, 2025Air bagsODI 11667676

Service brakes

18 reports3 crashes
“The contact owns a 2009 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while parked in a semi-truck parking lot, another driver was reversing where she was blocking, and the contact then attempted to avoid the collision and drive forward. The accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle accelerated excessively, and the brake pedal was then depressed but failed to respond. Upon a second attempt, the brake pedal went to the floorboard, accompanied by an abnormal vibration. Consequently, the vehicle crashed into a tree. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the incident. The driver mentioned a previous incident where the vehicle reversed into a gate. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The brakes had been checked previously and were reportedly functioning properly. During the crash, the air bags deployed, and the driver sustained a head injury but did not seek medical attention. No fire or police report was filed as the incident occurred on private property. The local dealer was contacted and mentioned an extended warranty. The dealer suggested towing the vehicle, but it was not diagnosed or repaired. The…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 6, 2025Service brakesCrash reportedODI 11678711

Service brakes, hydraulic

7 reports
“The contact owns a 2009 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 7, 2022Service brakes, hydraulic, Air bagsODI 11455543
All 2009 MKZ problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

2 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Midsize Cars
Engines
3.5L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic 6-spd
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 9, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
MKZ FWD
Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182821$2,950423
MKZ AWD
Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
172419$3,300468
  • MKZ FWD
    Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L
    18 city · 28 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • MKZ AWD
    Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L
    17 city · 24 hwy · $3,300/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 9, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

1 tested variant
NHTSA has not published 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2009 Lincoln MKZ as of Nov 9, 2026.
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 9, 2026Vehicle 5124
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2009 MKZ questions

How many recalls does the 2009 Lincoln MKZ have?

7 safety recalls as of Nov 9, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2009 Lincoln MKZ problems?

Owners filed 114 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (66), service brakes (18), service brakes, hydraulic (7). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2009 Lincoln MKZ get?

The EPA rates the 2009 Lincoln MKZ at 19–21 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (2 versions rated).

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 9, 2026