Historically speaking, Consumer Reports has churned out many studies revolving around new vehicle reliability, all using data derived from its membership of actual owners. However, the consumer organization recently decided to figure out which used vehicles are the most reliable via its first-ever brand ranking for those types of cars. This study revolves around vehicles that are 5-10 years old right now, and for Lincoln, it produced some middling results.
This new study focused on 150,000 vehicles from the 2014 to 2019 model years, and found that certain brands tend to offer a huge advantage in terms of reliability over others – though there are also some individual models that are outliers. To come up with this list, Consumer Reports looked at 20 potential trouble areas reported by owners of those models ranging from squeaky brakes to broken interior trim to more major problems like engine and transmission woes.
When that data was tabulated, Lexus came out on top among all automotive brands with an average reliability score of 75 out of 100 possible points, followed by Toyota (72), both of which dominated this list – in fact, third-place Mazda scored a mere 59. As for Lincoln, it ranked 13th out of 26 total automotive brands with a score of 42 – tying it with Cadillac and Mini. The news wasn’t as good for Ford, as the mainstream brand ranked below average in 20th place with a score of 36 – tying GMC and beating out only Ram, Jeep, Tesla, Dodge, and Chrysler.
Previously, Consumer Reports lavished praise upon the Lincoln MKZ, specifically, as one of its recommended used luxury vehicles. To make the cut as a recommended vehicle, a model must have received good road test scores, exhibit solid reliability, perform well in crash testing, and come with an array of standard or optional safety equipment such as automatic emergency braking and blind spot warning systems. In that regard, the 2020 Lincoln MKZ was rated as an “under the radar” alternative to some more popular luxury sedans for these very reasons.
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Do not buy a 2017 Lincoln MKZ …I had one and the 2.0 litre Ecoboost had to be replaced at 95,000km (55,000m). 6yr Powertrain warranty had just expired. Issue was antifreeze leak at 3rd cylinder which is common for 2017-2019 engines. Lincoln took no ownership of issue and I was out $8200.00…avoid any Ford product with 2.0 eco boost engines ..spread the word.. very disenfranchised with Lincoln brand