Complaints about the 2019 Lincoln Navigator peaked in 2025, with 22 filed
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
SUV, flex fuel, 4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4, built in United States. Owner complaints on file from Aug 6, 2019 to Sep 22, 2026.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.
| Campaign | Filed | Subject | Component | Vehicles | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26V-402 | Jun 24, 2026 | Transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage | Powertrain | 741,195 | Software update |
| 26V-372 | Jun 9, 2026 | At vehicle start-up, the Instrument Panel Cluster Assembly (IPC) may not function, showing a blank display | Electrical system | 2,349 | Software update |
| 26V-344 | May 27, 2026 | Seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or… | Seat belts | 419,967 | Part replacement |
| 25V-197 | May 23, 2025 | Seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or… | Seat belts | 112,951 | Part replacement |
| 24V-852 | Nov 8, 2024 | Air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard | Equipment | 27,678 | Label or owner notice |
| 24V-099 | Feb 9, 2024 | Seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to… | Seat belts | 77,574 | Part replacement |
| 23V-598 | Aug 25, 2023 | Rearview camera, or 360-degree view camera if equipped, may not display a rearview image when the vehicle is placed in reverse | Back-over prevention | 177,402 | Software update |
| 23V-420 | Jun 9, 2023 | Owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints | Equipment | 691,133 | Repair or modification |
| 19V-773 | Oct 28, 2019 | Rear suspension toe link fasteners may not have been properly tightened to the frame, possibly allowing separation from the frame | Suspension | 18 | Part replacement |
| 19V-076 | Feb 11, 2019 | At vehicle start-up, the Instrument Panel Cluster Assembly (IPC) may not function, showing a blank display | Electrical system | 4,212 | Software update |
The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
81 complaints on file, page 1 of 5.
My vehicle was moving slowly in a pickup line for my child. Randomly, the seat belt retractor went off and pulled me back into the seat. Initially, I thought it was a gunshot. Smoke was all in the car. My neck/shoulder has some bruising and cuts from the seat belt. There was a seatbelt light on the dash. It has been there for some time, but the recall's hasn't been issued and it's not realistic to not have a car until FoMoCo issues the fix.
NHTSA complaint 11766237On XXX, around 7:00–8:00 PM, I was driving a 2019 Lincoln Navigator normally when the driver's seat-belt pretensioner suddenly deployed without any crash, collision, or impact. The seat belt tightened forcefully against my chest, causing an injury, and I noticed a strong chemical/fume smell immediately afterward. A [XXX] infant was in the rear seat at the time. I was evaluated by a doctor the following day and diagnosed with a contusion of the unspecified front wall of the thorax. X-rays were performed, and I am currently awaiting the results to determine whether there is any additional injury. I was prescribed pain medication. The vehicle has not yet been inspected or repaired, and the seat-belt assembly is available for inspection. There were no warning lights or messages before the deployment. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11765894The dealership said the Cam Phasers were bad, and I saw that there was a NHTSA report on it. The manufacturer paid a percentage of the cost to fix, but not the entire thing. This is a vehicle that an elderly woman purchased before her husband passed and now runs her grand kids around in. Although the problem was fixed it was bothersome to not have this known issue addressed and risk stranding the occupants. NO warning lights no messages, just a rattling noise at start up. The vehicle had 59000 miles on it.
NHTSA complaint 11762156The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the front driver’s side seat belt pretensioner inadvertently deployed and released smoke. The vehicle was towed to the residence and could not be repaired by a mobile technician. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, where it was determined that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The contact later received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V344000 (Seat Belts); however, the dealer informed the contact that the seat belt would be replaced out-of-pocket because the remedy was not yet available. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
NHTSA complaint 11761712The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH with his wife inside the vehicle, seated in the front passenger seat, there was an explosion like a gunshot coming from the front passenger seat. The restraint warning light illuminated after the explosion. There was a sulfur odor inside the vehicle after the explosion. The contact's wife sustained injuries to the left hip and lower spine, and was treated at the ER, where a CT scan, X-rays, and bloodwork were taken, pending a checkup of the spinal and nerve symptoms. The failure mileage was approximately 110,157.
NHTSA complaint 11761624COMPONENT FAILURE: The driver-side front seat belt retractor & pyrotechnic pretensioner assembly spontaneously & violently deployed while the vehicle was in motion. Immediately following the explosion, the vehicle's dashboard SRS/Airbag warning light illuminated & remains locked on. The component is currently intact & remains inside the vehicle; it is fully available for physical inspection upon request. SAFETY RISK: The component fired with a gunshot-like sound inside the enclosed cabin, forcefully locking & pinning the [XXX] driver against the seat. This sudden explosion & physical restraint severely startled the young driver, nearly causing a loss of vehicle control. Had this occurred seconds later as we exited the subdivision & turned onto CR 346 heading toward Whitehouse—which is a narrow, fast-moving two-lane county road with no shoulder—a severe head-on collision with oncoming traffic or a road-departure rollover would have been unavoidable. The incident caused ongoing shoulder/chest soreness to the [XXX] driver & extreme distress to an autistic passenger in the vehicle. Furthermore, the driver's safety belt is now completely flaccid & inoperable, leaving the driver with zero crash protection. DEALER CONFIRMATION: Not yet confirmed by tech. Dealer did not provide/offer an emergency drop-off or inspection stating a 4-day delay (Wednesday) would be likely- leaving 1-car family stranded. 3rd-PARTY INSPECTION: None. Vehicle remains parked at residence awaiting safe transport. WARNINGS/SYMPTOMS: Zero symptoms, alerts, or warnings prior to failure. SRS light triggered immediately at moment of deployment due to system fault. ADDITIONAL DATA: This incident is a direct failure under NHTSA Campaign Number 26V344 (Lincoln Service Action Code 26S34) regarding the spontaneous, unprovoked deployment of front seat belt retractor pretensioners. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11760633Hard shifting while maintaining 30-50 MPH. If there is a slight incline it slams into 9th gear. It also shifts hard when decelerating.
NHTSA complaint 11760428My 2019 Lincoln Navigator was parked sitting for 2 hours before a fire under the belly of the vehicle became a blaze. Neighbors had to use a fire extinguisher to get the fire out. I was at work (Ford Motor Company) while my wife and kids just made it home and was out of the vehicle. Jack Demmer Lincoln service the vehicle due to it shutting down completely with no warnings. (The vehicle would shut completely down WHILE DRIVING for 5 to 8 seconds every time it goes over ANY BUMB OR UNEVEN SURFACE OR PATCHE in the road. It would come back on in neutral mode. I have to put it back in drive mode ALL WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING AT ANY SPEED IT WILL DO THIS.) They return the vehicle back to me as if everything was fixed. 4 weeks later it's a blaze of fire under the body.
NHTSA complaint 11759948While a passenger was riding in the company-owned Lincoln Navigator, the front passenger seat belt suddenly tightened with significant force without a collision or other apparent triggering event. The seat belt remained extremely tight against the passenger and caused visible bruising. We later became aware that Ford has issued safety recalls involving inadvertent deployment of the seat belt retractor pretensioners on certain Lincoln Navigator vehicles. We are reporting this incident as a suspected seat belt pretensioner/retractor malfunction and are requesting that it be documented and investigated.
NHTSA complaint 11758530The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side seat belt retractor pretensioner deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V197000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired. 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 failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
NHTSA complaint 11755045Yesterday while driving on I-65 my car all of a sudden seemed to by hydroplaning even thought no water on the water and steering was super unstable and not able to control the vehicle. I had to pull off the side and drive with flashers all the way while driving at a slow speed. The interior lights also kept coming on by themselves.
NHTSA complaint 11754279The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. Additionally, while slowing down and driving under 40 MPH, the transmission experienced a rough downshift, causing the passengers inside the vehicle to lunge forward from their seats. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who flushed the transmission, but the failure persisted. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
NHTSA complaint 11750065I was driving my car about 30 miles an hour when my driver’s side seat belt suddenly locked down on me painfully. Also when that happened it sounded like a gunshot went off and it smelled like smoke. I did not hit anything or apply my brakes suddenly to cause the seat belt to engage.
NHTSA complaint 11748856On Saturday, June 13th, 2026, while merging on to the I-10 freeway heading east, completly without warning, my transmission dropped completely out of gear cancelling acceleration and acted like I had put the transmission in neutral (I had NOT). This caused my vehicle to slow down abruptly with a large vehicle bearing down on me in my lane at freeway speeds (55+). The other vehicle was able to avoid me (just barely) so no accident occurred. I moved towards the side of the road but before I could bring my vehicle to a stop the transmission re-engaged with a violent "BANG" and I was able to accelerate once again. This is not the first time this has happened (transmission dropping out of gear). I have had the vehicle checked out by mechanics at a local Lincoln dealer who could not duplicate the occurrence. Until recently, I was not aware this problem was not unique to just my vehicle. I had thought it was a conflict with my speed control but at the time of this incident the speed control was not engaged. Apparently, this issue has been experienced by many 2019 Lincoln Navigator owners. It would appear a safety recall is in order so as to prevent an injury /deadly accident which could have easily happened to me and my family in this incident.
NHTSA complaint 11744182Around mid XXX got into my vehicle I started it up my navigation screen was black and no music would play did not know why it was not working anymore so when I got home I reached out to Ford by email was texting back and forth they had me perform some steps said would bring the system back up that did not work so he wanted me to take it to dealer I did not because they want to charge around $200.00 to look at your vehicle I called Ford by phone as well as Lincoln inquired about recalls on 4-13-26 they also tried to troubleshoot the problem still nothing I spoke with Sandra, Tylor I even asked to speak with upper management about my issue Tylor said he would submit request but went on to say he do not think they would call me back and I also spoke with Dan from Lincoln Apps department they all directed me to the dealer no one offered to waive the for them to look at my vehicle to see what’s wrong and why the system just stopped working like that so have never had a vehicle where the radio just stopped working never happened and my navigation screen is black screen my husband did go and talk with a Ford dealer last week about my vehicle he did not have the vehicle with him put the person did say it what he was stating it seems that it may be a modular it it would run over $2,000 to fix it I’m not sure if my vehicle is involved in this recall 26C27 or 26V372 I feel I should not have to pay for the dealer to inspect my vehicle to see if it’s something wrong on their end thanks for the help in this matter [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11743645The contact owns a 2019 Licoln Navigator. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the front driver and passengers seat belts retactators seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed front drivers and passenger seat belts retractor. The contact was informed that the front driver's and passenger's seat belt retractors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of an open recall assoicated with the contact's VIN, NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V344000 (Seat Belts) however the parts were unavailable. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately
NHTSA complaint 11741543Our vehicle is part of a recall of the seatbelts and there is no remedy from the Ford motor company for this yet. Due to safety issues, I feel this needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
NHTSA complaint 11738060The transmissions down shifts extremely hard, causing an abrupt wheel speed reduction. It starts doing this after you have driven the vehicle about 15 minutes....before that it operates correctly but once you hit 15 minutes of drive time, it is neck jolting! Driver and Passenger Mirrors have a mind of their own. They will be in position, you start backing out of a spot and they start moving until they get so out of place they start popping. This is dangerous due to possibility of running over someone or possibly hitting another vehicle. You have to put the vehicle in park, reset the mirrors, then start backing out again.
NHTSA complaint 11736388Backup camera works intermittently. Only works ~20% of the time
NHTSA complaint 11734572The vehicle is a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The component that failed is the transmission. The vehicle experienced a sudden transmission failure resulting in loss of normal drivability. The issue is currently available for inspection at the repair facility upon request. This failure created a safety concern due to loss of power, hesitation, and unreliable shifting, which can increase the risk of collision, particularly in traffic or during acceleration. The problem has been confirmed by the dealership and independent repair facilities. Multiple repair professionals indicated that this failure is consistent with a known issue addressed by a Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB), suggesting this is not an isolated incident. The vehicle has been inspected by the repair facility. The manufacturer has not directly inspected the vehicle to my knowledge. There were no significant prior warning indicators that would suggest imminent failure. Any symptoms prior to failure were minimal or not clearly indicative of a major transmission issue. Based on information from repair facilities, this appears to be a known defect pattern rather than normal wear or maintenance-related failure. The use of a TSB instead of a recall raises concerns that a broader safety-related defect may not be adequately addressed. This failure occurred after proper maintenance and outside any initial waiting period for warranty coverage. The issue appears systemic and warrants further investigation.
NHTSA complaint 11734261Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall; the 60 most recent are listed.