2019 Lincoln Nautilus Transmission Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  9100%
• 25k–50k
  00%
• 50k–75k
  00%
• 75k–100k
  00%
• 100k–150k
  00%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Lincoln Nautilus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I brought my Lincoln Nautilus to an authorized Lincoln dealership due to a serious transmission issue. The dealer kept the vehicle for four days, diagnosed a potential transmission failure, and told me that the transmission could "blow." However, they returned the car to me unrepaired and admitted they could not fix it anytime soon. The reason: the dealership has only one transmission technician, and that person is currently working through a backlog of transmission jobs from March. My vehicle - with a known safety risk - was effectively placed at the back of a months-long line, with no estimated repair date. I contacted Lincoln Concierge, who opened a case but informed me there was "nothing they could do." I now have a car that is unsafe to drive due to a transmission issue that the manufacturer and dealership both acknowledge but are unable to address in a timely or safe manner. …

I know there is a bulletin out from Ford about the PCM , where it says recall on the bottom, yet unannounce. This mimics the issues with the torque converter, the ones that I have in my 2019 lincoln nautilus. About two months ago, I felt a kick. where It thought I had been hit by another car, it was so hard. From that point on, the smoothness of the transmission below 35 miles/hr, was jerky and hesitant, kicking and not accelerating properly. The dealer said that it was the torque converter and that it was very bad. The car is too new to have these types of catastrophic issues. It was $9000 to resolve the issue according to the dealer. I had to go somewhere else. Also the screen has problems where it turns blue, and stops working, where the music playing will also stop and you cannot skip to another song. A hard reboot is the solution, but on a daily basis? …

Component: Power Train / Transmission Vehicle: 2019 Lincoln Nautilus - 8F35 transmission Mileage first noticed: At Test drive and purchase (~61,405 miles) Status: Ongoing defect My 2019 Lincoln Nautilus has exhibited persistent hesitation, jerking, and harsh engagement during acceleration from a stopped position since the time of purchase at approximately 61,000 miles. The condition occurs repeatedly during normal driving and was reported to a Lincoln dealership service department, which stated the concern could not be duplicated and later described the behavior as "normal for that model." The drivability problem has never been repaired and continues to occur. Ford has issued multiple Technical Service Bulletins relating to harsh shifting, shudder, and drivability concerns in vehicles equipped with the 8F35 transmission, indicating manufacturer awareness of the condition. …

My 2019 Lincoln Nautilus (equipped with the 8F35 8-speed automatic transmission) has developed a severe, hazardous low-speed transmission shudder and hesitating vibration, primarily occurring under 35 mph. This vehicle has 85,000 miles on it. A certified dealership has diagnosed the vehicle with a failing torque converter, which is a known engineering defect heavily documented under manufacturer Technical Service Bulletin TSB 25-2154. This condition creates an immediate safety hazard. The vehicle intermittently hesitates and suffers from a sudden loss of power/acceleration when trying to accelerate from a stop or merge into low-speed traffic, risking a rear-end collision. Furthermore, the violent shuddering poses a risk of sudden powertrain lock-up or engine stalling while driving in active traffic. …

On Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, I was backing out of garage to head to grocery store and my car was in reverse but would not move when I turned it. I thought I had hit it in neutral by mistake. So I put it in forward and then reversed it again. It seem fine so I went to grocery store and when I turned to go into a parking space it would not move as almost it was in neutral. Then my AWD Malfunction light came on so I called my husband and we were 5 minutes from dealer ship so we took it there and dropped it off. Monday, I called dealer ship to have them look at it and they told me that my rear differential motor had to be replaced at a cost of $1800 and it was not covered under power train warranty because the part did pop up when it was entered. Car only has 44K miles on it...Waiting on someone from Ford to call back to see why it is not covered.

Okay let me first start by saying I have had problem after problem with this car in less than a year. I've had to replace my purge valve. The transmission on this car is horrible. I had my car less than a year and at not even 70k miles I had to get my transmission replaced because the car would stutter between 25-45mph thankfully my warranty covered everything. Now let's get to my current issues which is with the adaptive steering malfunction. I got a steering wheel warning light 3 days before my new transmission. As I'm looking into this more this will cost $2000+ to replace and I don't have money to constantly keep putting into a car especially with everything going on currently.

The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus. While the contact's father was driving approximately 25-40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission shifted hard, and the vehicle shuddered and jerked abnormally while driving. The contact stated the failure had occurred while her father was driving at a slow speed. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

2019 Lincoln Nautilus shudders between 20 to 45 MPH. We've had everything done from oil change, tire rotation, to Front end alignment to tune up. Only one mechanic suggested that there's a bulletin about a torque. I don't remember the bulletin #. He expressed that Ford knows about it but won't service its customers. I called Planet Lincoln and the service guy acknowledged the bulletin and mentioned others who have had the same issue. They would diagnose for 135.00. When asked about estimates. He said without knowing the problem he really couldn't but did say that having to replace torque/ transmission can run anywhere from 2800 to over 8-10,000.

Transmission causes the car to jerk and shudder at speeds below 50 MPH. Lincoln dealer says it is the Torque Converter that is causing the issue. Issue could cause the car to stall or not start. There are no check engine lights lit at this time. This is a known issue by Ford/Lincoln with Technical Service Bulletins describing this issue. The initial incident happened in 2023 with the dealer telling me this was normal for the vehicle. It has become worse with increasing jerking and shuddering at higher speeds. My last trip to the dealer on 8/19/25 resulted in them telling me I need a new torque converter and now the car is out of warranty.

The acceleration of the car became difficult and was followed by noise and switch to high gears. Was about to enter an expressway. Did a U-turn last moment. Turned back home and was barely able to park it on the driveway. Was driving with the [redacted] toddler in my car during a thunderstorm. Was lucky the car didn't stop on expressway. Noticed that the driveway is covered in fluid with rainbow coloring. That trip was about 10 minutes long, that it took me to drive and come back. The shifting of the gears are now impossible.

Related recalls

Transmission complaints in other Nautilus years