2018 Lincoln Navigator Transmission Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  117%
• 25k–50k
  00%
• 50k–75k
  233%
• 75k–100k
  117%
• 100k–150k
  117%
• 150k+
  117%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Lincoln Navigator owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V598000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) and 25E070000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair on the Power Train was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel vibrated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact exited the freeway and when the vehicle stopped at a traffic light the vehicle stalled. After several attempts the vehicle failed to restart. The transmission warning light and the service indicator light were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission had failed. The transmission was replaced. After three weeks, the failure reoccurred. The transmission warning light and the service indicator light were illuminated. …

The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while the vehicle was in park and the key was not in the ignition while opening the front driver side door the vehicle started moving forward independently and down a hill. The contact jumped into the seat and depressed the brake pedal in order for the vehicle to come to a stop. After the incident, the vehicle was able to be driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V213000 ( power train) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle lunged forward. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was shifting roughly. The contact stated that the vehicle would redline. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that a transmission flush was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the transmission seized, and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated during the failure. Additionally, the brake warning light was illuminated, and the message "Loss of Power" was displayed. The failure was a recurring failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train). The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

The contact's wife owns a 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the gear shifter independently shifted to park and other gears while driving over a railroad track. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and operated as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

Connector for cooling hoses blew out causing engine to overheat and stand my family on the highway. This appears to be a common problem that someone did a YouTube video on it. I have put the video link below. Please have them recall before someone gets hurt. Ford Lincoln does not respond. [redacted]

While driving at a speed of 55-60mph, I tried to pass slower vehicles on three different occasions during the same trip on a two lane road. I pushed the accelerator to the floor and pulled the car into the lane to my left. I felt and heard a very loud clunk, revving up of the engine, and total loss of power at the wheels. I quickly moved backinto my original lane and let up on the accelerator. After a 5-10 seconds, power returned to the wheels and I was able to reaccelerate. I was able to pass the aforementioned vehicles, albeit using a more gradual acceleration. I have previously had the vehicle inspected for two identical episodes at a Lincoln dealer. Unfortunately, they reported that the service techs were unable to duplicate the problem. If this were a standard transmission vehicle, I would say the clutch was slipping. …

The same problem that is currently being reported by the NHTSA for the Ford F-150 has been happening to my Lincoln Navigator for the past few years. During higher-speeds (50 mpg and over) the auto will lurch forward as if trying to shift gears and has, on more than one occasion, actually downshifted into a lower gear while driving on expressways, forcing me to pull-over, stop the engine and restart in order to get the auto back into normal operation. When this downshifting occurs, a graphic appears on the dashboard. This graphic shows a stick-shift icon and also includes the words "Manual Shifting". However, the exact words cannot be verified since the graphic only stays visible for a split-second. Since I'm a bit shocked when this happens, my concentration is on safety and not on the specifics of a dashboard graphic. …

The transmission doesn't respond several times and could not picking up speed up hill. There were twice the transmission stopped working, the car could not move and stopped in intersection at traffic light. The problem was first reported to Lincoln during 6 years/70,000 miles powertrain warranty Lincoln did the reprogramming but didn't solve the problem and then refused to repair when the problem recur at 6 year and one month, even my car has extended warranty. Lincoln issued several TSBs and knows the CDF drum failure but reluctant to fix the issue. It is not safe to drive when the transmission could not work after a stop at red light or pickup speed at ramp.

1. transmission shifts hard and/or seems to shift to neutral and losing forward propulsion 2. or loud clunk followed by shuddering and no control 3. no control means unsafe driving conditions particularly if closer to other vehicles 4. dealer quoted some mumbo/jumbo about jumping into park 5. dealer quoted $10,000 figure for new transmission 6. after clunk event and pulling over wrench light came up with reference to differential 7. super hard shifting or no shift life-threatening lunging and hesitation is unacceptable0

Related recalls

Transmission complaints in other Navigator years