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2018 Lincoln Navigator Recalls, Complaints & Specs

12 safety recalls list the 2018 Lincoln Navigator, and owners have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

12
safety recalls
52
owner complaints to NHTSA
0 / 3
complaints citing a crash / fire
18–19
MPG combined (EPA)

12 safety recalls for the 2018 Lincoln Navigator

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Automatic transmission (power train)

    NHTSA 26V402000 Reported 741,195 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.

    Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed…

  2. Pretensioner (seat belts)

    NHTSA 26V344000 Reported 419,967 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is…

  3. Pretensioner (seat belts)

    NHTSA 25V197000 Reported 112,951 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this…

  4. Master cylinder (service brakes) and power assist (service brakes)

    NHTSA 25V236000 Reported 123,611 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 25,…

  5. Labels (equipment)

    NHTSA 24V852000 Reported 27,678 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard…

    Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.

  6. Pretensioner (seat belts)

    NHTSA 24V099000 Reported 77,574 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors, as necessary. Additionally, dealers will install an HVAC drain tube elbow if it is missing. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were…

  7. Camera (back over prevention)

    NHTSA 23V598000 Reported 177,402 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    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.

    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 vehicle owners notification…

  8. Owners/service/other manual (equipment)

    NHTSA 23V420000 Reported 691,133 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    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…

    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…

  9. Mid/rear assembly (seats)

    NHTSA 18V805000 Reported 34,946 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Expedition vehicles. The second row center seat track assemblies may be missing one or both of the J-Channel reinforcement brackets, possibly allowing the seat to move in the event of a crash.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the second row center seat for any missing J-channel reinforcement brackets, replacing the center seat frame assembly as necessary, free of charge. An interim owner…

  10. Fuel pump (fuel system)

    NHTSA 18V392000 Reported 5,645 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition, F-150, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines. These vehicles have high pressure fuel pump assemblies with welds that can fracture, which may cause an oil or fuel leak.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump and associated components, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.…

  11. Automatic transmission (power train)

    NHTSA 18V213000 Reported 142 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer…

  12. Power window devices and controls (visibility)

    NHTSA 18V058000 Reported 361 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The second row window control modules may intermittently stop the movement of the power window. If something, such as a finger, is pinched by the window glass, the stopped window control module may prevent the window from automatically…

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the second row window electronic control modules, and replace them as necessary based on their build date codes, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2018.…

52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA; 3 describe a fire. Reports cite 1 injury and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 56,814 miles. Complaints peaked in 2025 with 13 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“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”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 20, 2026 · Power train

“I have experienced harsh shifting from gear 1 to 2 and as well from 2nd to 3rd gear. This results in delayed acceleration at expressway onramps and when turning into forward traffic. This is a known r”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 19, 2026 · Power train

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2018 Lincoln Navigator (Navigator 2WD, Navigator 4WD, Navigator L 2WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Combined18–19 mpg
City / Highway16 / 21–23
FuelRegular
EPA classStandard Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD, Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
Engine6 cyl, 3.5 L
TransmissionAutomatic (S10)

Compare Lincoln Navigator model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Lincoln Navigator model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1997 Lincoln Navigator20
1998 Lincoln Navigator5192
1999 Lincoln Navigator5132
2000 Lincoln Navigator4109
2001 Lincoln Navigator381
2002 Lincoln Navigator132
2003 Lincoln Navigator0127
2004 Lincoln Navigator086
2005 Lincoln Navigator048
2006 Lincoln Navigator360
2007 Lincoln Navigator245
2008 Lincoln Navigator230
2009 Lincoln Navigator110
2010 Lincoln Navigator016
2011 Lincoln Navigator09
2012 Lincoln Navigator312
2013 Lincoln Navigator014
2014 Lincoln Navigator017
2015 Lincoln Navigator421
2016 Lincoln Navigator425
2017 Lincoln Navigator531
2018 Lincoln Navigator1252
2019 Lincoln Navigator1083
2020 Lincoln Navigator1332
2021 Lincoln Navigator1233
2022 Lincoln Navigator1421
2023 Lincoln Navigator87
2024 Lincoln Navigator716
2025 Lincoln Navigator612
2026 Lincoln Navigator20
2027 Lincoln Navigator10

Checking a specific 2018 Lincoln Navigator

How do I know if my 2018 Lincoln Navigator has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 12 campaigns currently list the 2018 Lincoln Navigator; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Lincoln dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 18V058000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Lincoln models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.