2021 Lincoln Navigator problems
The Lincoln Navigator is a full-size luxury SUV marketed and sold by the Lincoln Motor Company brand of Ford Motor Company since the 1998 model year. Sold primarily in North America, the Navigator is the Lincoln counterpart of the Ford Expedition. It is the heaviest production Lincoln ever built, and is also the Lincoln with the greatest cargo capacity and the first non-limousine Lincoln to offer seating for more than six people.
Lincoln Navigator production was sourced from 1997 to 2009 at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. Since 2009, production has also been sourced from the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky.
Background
At the end of the 1980s, in the United States, sport-utility vehicles gradually began to transition from dedicated off-road vehicles towards dedicated family vehicles, similar to station wagons. In 1991, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer (SJ) ended its almost unchanged 28-year production run. The vehicle had gained a famous reputation for its high content, featuring the same content as a luxury sedan. A smaller, unibody Grand Cherokee (ZJ) was induced during 1992 that offered new luxury equipment and class-exclusive features. General Motors introduced the Oldsmobile Bravada in 1990 and Ford later introduced the Mercury Mountaineer in 1996, convincing several other manufacturers to introduce mid-size luxury SUVs. As full-size SUVs such as the Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Expedition are highly profitable vehicles, the Lincoln Navigator was positioned by Ford as a full-sized, luxury SUV.
Social links
Common 2021 Lincoln Navigator problems
The 2021 Lincoln Navigator has been reported to have several transmission problems. Some owners have experienced jerky or rough shifting, where the vehicle's transmission shifts roughly or feels like it's jerking when they change gears. This can be a frustrating and potentially dangerous issue, as it can make it difficult to control the vehicle.
Another common problem with the 2021 Lincoln Navigator's transmission is slipping, where the transmission slips and causes the vehicle to lose power or fail to accelerate properly. This can be a serious issue, as it can make it difficult to merge onto highways or pass other vehicles.
Delayed engagement is another problem that has been reported by some owners of the 2021 Lincoln Navigator. This occurs when there is a delay when they shift the vehicle into drive, which can be frustrating and dangerous.
Transmission overheating is also a problem that has been reported by some owners of the 2021 Lincoln Navigator. This can occur when the transmission is working too hard, and can cause damage to the transmission and other components of the vehicle.
In some cases, the transmission may fail completely, which can be a costly repair. This is a serious issue that can leave owners stranded and in need of expensive repairs.
It's important for owners of the 2021 Lincoln Navigator to be aware of these potential transmission problems and to take action as soon as possible if they experience any issues. If the vehicle is still under warranty, they should contact their dealership to see if they can help with the repairs. If the vehicle is not under warranty, they should take it to a mechanic who is familiar with the 2021 Lincoln Navigator and its transmission. They may also want to consider legal action if the repairs are going to be costly.
In addition to transmission problems, the 2021 Lincoln Navigator has also been reported to have engine problems, with the most-reported problem being with the 2004 Lincoln Navigator for air suspension not working. This can be a serious issue, as it can affect the vehicle's handling and safety.
It's important for owners of the 2021 Lincoln Navigator to be aware of these potential problems and to take action as soon as possible if they experience any issues. By being proactive, they can avoid further damage and costly repairs.
2021 Lincoln Navigator car problems categorized by type of issue
After analyzing all complaints sent to the NHTSA and researching popular Lincoln Navigator problems, we found that the most common problems with these 2023 model year vehicles are:
- Engine problems
- Unknown or other problems
- Visibility/wiper problems
- Steering problems
- Back over prevention problems
The graph below shows statistics for all 2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicle components and the number of complaints received.
2021 Lincoln Navigator complaints
The NHTSA has received 16 complaints about various vehicle components related to the 2021 Lincoln Navigator.
ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-08-28
- VIN: 5LMJJ2LT9ME
- Components: ENGINE
- Summary: [XXX] Wednesday we were traveling from Charlotte NC headed westbound on [XXX], a 6 or 8 lane highway, speed limit 70+ mph, when our 2021 Lincoln Navigator suddenly lurched and the engine completely failed. There weren't any warnings by the vehicle prior to the incident. There were two of us in the vehicle at the time, and we suddenly found ourselves in a situation of extreme risk. It was 4 - 5 pm during rush hour traffic. The driver was able to maintain composure and our tires continued rotating long enough to coast and cross over 3 fast moving lanes to get us slightly off the side of the highway. It was a very frightening and unsafe situation, not only during but after the engine failure, as we were on a very busy, noisy highway not knowing where we were or what to do. We live in Ohio and our plans were scheduled only for 8/25/24 (leave Ohio)-8/29/24 (return to Ohio). Our Lincoln was towed the night of the engine failure to Classic Ford Lincoln in Shelby NC, and it's been there for 7 days. The tow driver could not start the engine. He had difficulty (20 minutes trying) getting it into neutral so he could put it on the flatbed. The total engine failure problem isn't yet diagnosed. Classic is the only one to examine it. We had to extend our NC hotel stay for two days waiting for the vehicle to be repaired. On 8/31 we couldn't wait any longer and had to rent a vehicle from Enterprise to return home; leaving our Navigator in NC. Lincoln Roadside Assistance has been very difficult and inattentive to our dire circumstances. We're now faced with a situation of not having our vehicle, not having a diagnosis, and concerns about whether the vehicle will be dependable when/if it's returned to us. We have to travel often and fear Lincoln could leave us in bad circumstances again even if they can find the current problem and repair it. It seems to be something extraordinary or uncommon or a diagnosis would have happened by now. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
STEERING PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-04-26
- VIN: 5LMJJ2LT2ME
- Components: STEERING
- Summary: A grinding noise was noticed during the driver memory function or when manually adjusting the power tilt or telescoping steering column. I took the car to Ford for service and was very surprised to hear that the entire steering column needs to be replaced at the cost of $1700.00. This defect is ONLY covered under the limited warranty. This is obviously a safety hazard if it requires a new motor in the steering column. Upon a quick investigation of the defect, it was learned that this is a KNOWN problem on all Navigators from 2018-2021. Ford KNOWS that this defect exists on certain vehicles and has not issued a recall to correct this. This is not a normal "wear and tear" item that should have anything to do with your warranty. Very dangerous to need a new steering column motor for something that was known by FORD and LINCOLN to have problems in certain production years. Plus $1700.00 is a huge cost for the consumer.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-06-05
- VIN: 5LMJJ2TT9ME
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: Panoramic sunroof exploded without anything striking it. Sound like a gun shot. No vehicles in front of us to have thrown any objects at it to strike it.
BACK OVER PREVENTION PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-01-27
- Crash: 1
- VIN: 5LMJJ3LTXME
- Components: BACK OVER PREVENTION
- Summary: The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V598000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The contact was in reverse (R) and backing up at approximately 2 MPH into her garage when the camera failed she crashed into the side of the garage entrance with the outer edge of the left rear bumper. The contact stated that the damage was minor and there were scratches on the left rear bumper edge only. The failure mileage was approximately 19,700. VIN tool confirms parts not yet available.
BACK OVER PREVENTION PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-07-04
- VIN: 5LMJJ2KT6ME
- Components: BACK OVER PREVENTION
- Summary: When first first entering a hot cabin, the backup camera will not work until the cabin cools down for just a few minutes. Vehicle not moving. ⁸
VISIBILITY/WIPER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-05-16
- VIN: 5LMJJ2LT8ME
- Components: VISIBILITY/WIPER
- Summary: Passenger windshield wiper arm flew off while driving vehicle in moderate rainy weather.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-03-23
- VIN: 5LMJJ2TT7ME
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: I was driving about 40 miles per hour on an open road when I heard a very loud popping/explosion sound and falling glass. I immediately pulled over and found my panoramic sunroof had exploded and the glass was dropping into the cabin, most of it being caught by the interior sunroof screen. I immediately drove it to the Lincoln dealer where I bought it. They said they have never heard of such a thing as an exploding sunroof, and said it must have been a projectile hitting the top of my car; I find this highly improbable. Also, the pictures they took (attached to this report) are consistent with other pictures found online related to exploding sunroofs. The dealer also said that all glass is not warrantable, therefore, there was nothing they could do. I also called Ford Motor Company who originally said there might be something they can do to cover the cost. After discussing with the local Lincoln dealer, and internally, they wrote back that there was nothing they could do. They also declined to answer if this has been a recurring issue and our request to make a formal incident report to Ford. Although no one was hurt in this incident, had I been driving my children with the sunroof screen open (which we often to) at the time of this incident, they would have have tempered glass fall down on them, and potentially in their eyes.
VISIBILITY/WIPER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-07-01
- VIN: 5LMJJ3LT0ME
- Components: VISIBILITY/WIPER
- Summary: Passenger whipper arm is loose especially when you lift the arm to clear snow from the windshield it will not align it its original location without multiple attempts.
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-11-23
- Components: STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Summary: The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned causing the steering wheel to become very difficult the turn in either direction. Additionally, the instrument panel display became distorted and unreadable, the brake light remained illuminated, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,000.
ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-05-17
- VIN: 5LMJJ2LT4ME
- Components: ENGINE
- Summary: The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V346000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-05-01
- VIN: 5LMJJ2LT2ME
- Components: ENGINE
- Summary: The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V346000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted after receiving the recall notification and the contact was informed that parts were not available because the cause of the defect was not yet determined. The contact was then notified that the recall had been divided into two separate recalls requiring two different repairs to fix the vehicle. The contact scheduled an appointment with the dealer for a routine maintenance check; while at the dealer, she was informed that there was still no resolution to the recall. Once the contact picked up her vehicle, she was informed that the recall was serviced. The contact was informed that the ground wires connected to the battery and cooling systems were shrink wrapped which she would prevent the under-hood fire failure. The contact expressed concerns with the dealer, noting that the plastic shrink wrapping would melt under a hot engine and would not resolve the recall. The contact made multiple attempts to reach the manufacturer but had no success. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-05-17
- VIN: 5lmjj2tt5me
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: Urgent safety recall. Informed of this urgent safety recall of fires on May 17 and there still has been no resolution by Lincoln to fix this urgent safety issue.
VISIBILITY,ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-06-01
- VIN: 5LMJJ2LT3ME
- Components: VISIBILITY,ENGINE
- Summary: The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V346000 (Engine) and 22V250000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repairs was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
VISIBILITY/WIPER,ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-03-25
- VIN: 5LMJJ3LT2ME
- Components: VISIBILITY/WIPER,ENGINE
- Summary: The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 22V250000 (Visibility) and 22V346000 (Engine) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the driver’s side windshield wiper experienced the failure listed in 22V250000 (Visibility). The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-05-28
- VIN: 5LMJJ2LT1ME
- Components: ENGINE
- Summary: The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V346000 (Engine) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
POWER TRAIN PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2021-07-08
- VIN: 5LMJJ2TT0ME
- Components: POWER TRAIN
- Summary: Within one week of delivery of this new vehicle, the transmission began slipping out of gear and the car loses power for 30-40 seconds in the middle of driving. Shift System Fault, Transmission failure, and PowerTrain Malfunction are the errors coming up on the screen- even after the vehicle was in Service for 2 weeks and they replaced the transmission valve system. Very dangerous to completely lose power on the highway.
2021 Lincoln Navigator recalls
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued 5 recalls for different components of the 2021 Lincoln Navigator.
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Components: BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Lincoln Aviator, 2018-2021 Lincoln Navigator, 2022-2023 Ford Transit, and 2021 Ford Bronco vehicles. The rearview camera, or 360-degree view camera if equipped, may not display a rearview image when the vehicle is placed in reverse.
- Consequence: Loss of the rearview camera image can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, and update the software and wiring as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023 to Lincoln owners. Ford remedy parts are anticipated 2nd Quarter 2024. Ford's number for this recall is 23S48.
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Components: EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 202, "Head Restraints."
- Consequence: Without instructions, the head restraints may be improperly adjusted, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy: Ford will mail the Owner's Manual addendums that describe how to adjust and remove the head restraints for the center seating positions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C20.
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Park Out Side: 1
- Park Out Side: 1
- Components: ENGINE
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. An engine compartment fire may occur while driving or parked, even with the ignition in the "Off" position.
- Consequence: A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery junction box, as necessary, and remove a ground wire. On models equipped with standard-duty radiator fan motors, dealers will also install an auxiliary electrical box with a wire jumper. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed May 25, 2022. Owners will receive a second letter once the remedy is available. Currently the remedy is available for vehicles equipped with heavy-duty radiator fan motors, and those letters were mailed July 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S36.
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Components: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-150, Expedition, 2020-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.
- Consequence: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy: Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 24, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available 3rd Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S26.
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Components: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:SIDE IMPACT
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, 2021 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The front-door side impact pressure sensor modules may have been damaged during supplier assembly, which can cause the side impact air bags to not deploy properly in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
- Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy properly during a crash increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and passenger front door side impact sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 3, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C26.
Other years of Lincoln Navigator
Are you having problems with your 2021 Lincoln Navigator?
Leave your review of 2021 Lincoln Navigator