Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Lincoln MKX owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
MKX has 75000 miles on it and the tss and oss sensors have gone out. Car goes into limp mode and will barely move, it shifts very hard, speed odometer quits and all the warning lights come on. If you stop let it sit and restart car it resets issue but you never know when it will happen again. It can happen at cruising speed or at start of car. VERY unsafe
I just purchased a 2008 Lincoln MKX in March. The car ran great until I went on a road trip in the beginning of July. I drove about a couple 1000 miles. My last day of my trip on July 12 my car started acting up. It had a hard time shifting between gears. I would push down on the gas peddle and it took it a long time to accelerate. I finally made it to my destination. I turned off the car. When I went to start it back up it started. But when I out it in drive it wouldn't move, nor in reverse and could not get it in to neutral. Had it towed to a shop. Where after further examination to transfer case went out int turn ruined the transmission. Never a sign that anything was wrong until that July 13. I talk to the shop that says he has fixed 3 other lincolns with the same problem. If you look online there are tons of complaints about this same problem. …
Driving down the highway and transmission shift to low by itself. It almost caused me to get it. The ptu is leaking transmission fluid. Youneverknow when it is low. This car had this problem since it was manufactured and they never fixed the problem. It needs to be fixed and needs a heat shield between the ptu and the engine to keep it from leaking and causing dangerous situations on the road. The car smokes so bad that it looks like it is on fire. Scared to drive because I never know what will happen if the fluid is low. You can see the leak from the ptu under the car. Not many people complained about it because they don't know about this website. This is really dangerous if it doesn't get recalled soon. When the car was manufactured it was under warranty. So they fixed it then but when the warranty was up. It was up to the customer to dishup 2500.00 to fix it. …
I recently filed a complaint about this truck not accelerating in traffic and replaced the turbo speed sensor aprox 1 month prior to this. This trip engine light flashed on and car struggled to accelerate, I assumed same issue, put it in cruise control, car stabilized for about 3 miles then started jerking forward, I took cruise off, and whole truck stopped accel, then engine light came on and then entire truck shut down! No power steering, no heat, no nothing! I pulled into on ramp v section to get out of slow lane (i95s) it was 6:20 am so still dark. Very dangerous! Known issue with this truck. Had to get tow. He changed price from $75 $4 amile to $175 $4 a mile as soon as my truck was on his carrier. Dealership said if truck had caught fire it'd be a recall. …
This has actually happened to me once before about two months ago, but after it happened again yesterday I decided to take my car in to the shop. I got in and started my car. When I put it in reverse there was a pause then a very loud 'bang' as I thought it settled into gear. Because I was backing out of a driveway that is on a hill, I didn't realize the car really wasn't functioning. But when I went to put it in drive, there was a pause again and then a very loud 'bang'. The car then proceeded to inch down the street even though I was applying gas. I took it to aamco and they told me after running the computer diagnostics there was nothing they could find that was wrong with the car and that they wanted to run some more tests. Good thing I happened upon this site. …
Without warning or driver action, vehicle shifts into high gear and remains there for some period of time while warning lights come on including, engine, airbags and others, odometer and speedometer go blank or display error. This condition has lasted from 4 min to 20 min and has happened approximately 20 times since first incident. Sometimes shutting off vehicle and restarting after several minutes seems to help but until the problem corrects itself, putting it in gear results in a bang and jolts the vehicle as it goes into high gear. When in high gear, the vehicle has no power until it reaches higher speeds. At speeds below 55, the vehicle does not respond well to pressing the accelerator. It becomes dangerous when entering or crossing an intersection and it goes into high gear on its own. The internet has many posts of this problem with this vehicle.
The vehicle will initially have the speed odometer drop to 0 MPH while still moving. A "wrench" light will illuminate along with the airbag light. The vehicle will lose power and not shift properly. Once the vehicle comes to a stop, the driver must push the accelerator down until the tach reads approx. 3000 rpms before the vehicle will start moving again. When it is moving it shifts erratically and "bang" the gears. If the driver, after stopping, takes the vehicle out of drive and puts in reverse, it bangs the transmission so hard it feels it going to drop out of the vehicle. This happened to me a number of times. The image I attached I was going 55 MPH.
The ptu leaks transmission fluid. I was told this was a problem since the car was manufactured. I wanted to know why there wasn't a recall on it. It can damage other seals on car and cause a safety hazard. I just brought my car a month ago and was never told about it. I was told not to drive it that often till I get it fixed. My car was not shifting right, smoking, and I have to add transmission fluid to it. There is no way to tell if it has too much, which will cause it to have other problems in the long run. You see the smoke when driving. It looks like the car is on fire
My 2008 Lincoln MKX starts cutting out and chugging at the speed of 45 MPH you have to give it gas to get it up over 50ish to come out of it. It will do again at time out on the interstate around the speed of 60 MPH but at this time the ABS and skid light come on. I'm afraid with having my granddaughters in the car that something bad will happen when I'm out on the road with them. I have taken it to the Ford dealership and they want an arm and a leg and will not just give a suggestion or advice, the transmission shop put a machine on it but can't detect any certain cause.
Transmission complaints in other MKX years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2008 Lincoln MKX?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2008 Lincoln MKX, 12% of the model year's 253 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Lincoln MKX transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2008 Lincoln MKX, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Lincoln MKX transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 93,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.