Model year record
2026 Lincoln Nautilus recalls & problems
The 2026 Lincoln Nautilus has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 9 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is unknown or other (5 complaints).

Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2026 Lincoln Nautilus.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2026 LINCOLN NAUTILUS SUV N/A AWD
| Frontal crash | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Side crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover risk | 16.9% |
2026 LINCOLN NAUTILUS FHEV SUV HEV AWD
| Frontal crash | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Side crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover risk | 16.9% |


NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Nautilus HEV AWD Hybrid
| City / highway | 29 / 31 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
2 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Part-time 4-Wheel Drive · about $2,250/year to fuel
Nautilus AWD
| City / highway | 21 / 29 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
2 L · 4 cyl · Automatic 8-spd · All-Wheel Drive · about $2,800/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 5 | — |
| Lane departureAssist; Warning | 3 | — |
| Service brakes | 1 | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | — |
| Power train | 1 | — |
| Electrical system | 1 | — |
| Engine | 1 | — |
| Back over preventionRearview system braking | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Electrical system
Vehicle infotainment screen locks up/freezes constantly while operating the vehicle . This includes the back-up camera as well, making it unreliable and/or unusable. There are no warning lamps or messages, just a hard freeze that only gets resolved once vehicle is shut off and restarted. That fix is only temporary and has not resolved the issue long-term. The other issue is excessive hesitation when pressing the gas pedal. The car is reluctant to drive forward. Both of these issues are severe safety problems that should get resolved immediately. The dealer service department does not see this as urgent, so the car has not been evaluated by a certified technician yet, due to extensive wait…
- Power train
The Lane keeping assistance has failed multiple times when the car enters an intersection and the lines on the road are broken by a gap due to a turn. To situations occurred where the car aggressively entered oncoming traffic lane and I quickly directed the car back to the correct lane. Lane keeping assistance seems to be very touchy. Howâs youâre going down the road you can fill the car moving from side to side if the lanes happen to have lines painted in and out the car almost seems to follow them exactly. The car does not allow for minor changes in the painted lines. Thereâs a shuttering when accelerating at all times I believe this is a torque converter issue. Ford service the…
- Unknown or other
This was the first long trip for the new Nautilus. I was using cruise control, along with adaptive cruise control, and hands free driving. A prompt came up to resume control. The road was not twisty, so it was somewhat unusual for this to happen from my experience. I put my hands on the steering wheel to resume control. The engine began stuttering and the flashers came on. The car then began decreasing speed. Please, something is clearly not right with this car. This was a dangerous situation on a highway at 65 mph. The car was rapidly decreasing speed and the highway was busy with holiday traffic, campers, etc. going to Mt. Hood. Yes, this car is available for inspection upon request. This…
- Lane departure › Assist
This is the third Lincoln Nautilus that the facial recognition sensor does not operate as it should and creates a significant distraction while driving. The system constantly will go into the "Watch the Road" warning and then proceed to the "Resume Control" which also activates the four way flashers and pulses the brakes despite taking action such as moving the steering wheel or pressing the "OK" on the steering wheel touch pad to acknowledge the warning which does not clear out. If the vehicle is being tailgated which happens frequently this could lead to a collision either from the tailgater that hits you or the tailgater making a sudden move to avoid a collision and cause a different…
- Unknown or other
When I went to change lanes on the highway, I went to look in the passenger side mirror to check for traffic. What I saw was my shirt. The mirrors have auto open and close. They malfunctioned and did not open,. This was a safety risk. I have an appointment with the service center at the dealership.
- Visibility/wiper
I was driving on M 53 south bound approximately 11:30 am when I heard two consecutive soft âtickâ tickâ sounds and immediately noticed the stress cracks appearing on my windshield top drivers side. I will be taking it for inspection as there was not any type of object to cause these cracks.
- Service brakes
The brake pedal is designed in such a manner that the shaft/arm gets in the way of the pedal as you start pressing the pedal. As the pedal is pressed away from the driver, the shaft is setup in such a way that the driver's foot then hits the shaft and loses the ability to press the actual pedal. Given the shaft is a small metal bar rather than a flat grippy surface like the pedal, this creates unstable footing. It is very difficult to use and is quite unsafe. It is an issue in all cases when pressing the brake (i.e., it is not only for aggressive braking; it is always persistent). I have found in many cases my foot slipping on the shaft and it causing real danger to myself, my family, and…
- Unknown or other
I purchased a new 2026 Lincoln Nautilus only 3 days ago. While driving on a public road, both side mirrors suddenly auto-folded on their own without any driver input. This created a serious safety hazard because I immediately lost side visibility while operating the vehicle. I had to pull over in the middle of traffic and manually restore the mirrors before continuing to drive. This malfunction is extremely dangerous and unacceptable in a brand-new vehicle. Side mirrors are critical safety equipment, and unexpected folding while driving could easily lead to an accident. I request that this issue be investigated as a potential safety defect affecting the Lincoln Nautilus.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.