First Small Problem

[ctrcbob]

Since we purchased this 2011 MKZ (used) for my wife, we had not driven it often at night. Well, two days ago, we used it at night, and when she parked it in the garage, I noticed that there was something wrong with the left side outer tail light. This is the tail lamp that gets bright when the stop lamps come on. The right side tail lamp has three rows of LED's that are on, but get bright (stop light) when you put your foot on the brake. The left side tail lamp only has the center row light up for tail light, but all three rows get bright when the stop light comes on. (Note this is NOT the LED's in the trunk, but the LED's at the outer edges on each rear fender).

 

To my uneducated eye, it looks like a connection problem, not a lamp problem, but I will be taking it to my Lincoln Dealer tomorrow morning.

[ctrcbob]

OK, first off, CHECK YOUR TAIL LAMPS guys.

 

Visited my Lincoln Dealer this morning, (BTW, great dealer) but stopped at McDonalds for my Mocha takeout. When I returned to car, pushed the unlock button on my key, I noticed that the RIGHT tail lamp, that had all three rows of LED's lighted, now had the top and bottom rows flickering. (Left tail lamp still had just the center row lighted). Hmmmmm. Drove to dealer and talked with the Service Writer. (This guy is good). He not only knew the problem, but he said it is a common problem with the 2010-2012 MKZ's. .

 

The problem was the RIGHT side tail lamp assembly, not the left side assembly. The two end assemblys are designed so that only the center row of LED's are lighted when the tail lamp lights. (All three rows light up BRIGHT when the brakes come on). No such thing as changing bulbs. They changed out the whole right side assembly. Said that there is some kind of circuit board within the assembly that goes bad, and the whole assemble has to be changed. BTW, he took photos of the assembly all lighted up, probably to show FoMoCo that the assembly was bad.

 

What surprised me the most was that the Parts Department has them in stock. Service Writer said that it is a common problem and they have changed a lot of them. From the time I drove in, to the time I left, was less than an hour, and that includes the time I drank their coffee and ate their donuts.

 

As I've said before, I have a great Lincoln Service and Parts Department and a great Ford Service and Parts Department, and I always have to fight myself over which dealership to use. <grin>.

 

Again, because it is a common tail light problem, check your tail lights. :worship: :happy feet:

[drolds1]

OK, first off, CHECK YOUR TAIL LAMPS guys.

 

Visited my Lincoln Dealer this morning, (BTW, great dealer) but stopped at McDonalds for my Mocha takeout. When I returned to car, pushed the unlock button on my key, I noticed that the RIGHT tail lamp, that had all three rows of LED's lighted, now had the top and bottom rows flickering. (Left tail lamp still had just the center row lighted). Hmmmmm. Drove to dealer and talked with the Service Writer. (This guy is good). He not only knew the problem, but he said it is a common problem with the 2010-2012 MKZ's. .

 

The problem was the RIGHT side tail lamp assembly, not the left side assembly. The two end assemblys are designed so that only the center row of LED's are lighted when the tail lamp lights. (All three rows light up BRIGHT when the brakes come on). No such thing as changing bulbs. They changed out the whole right side assembly. Said that there is some kind of circuit board within the assembly that goes bad, and the whole assemble has to be changed. BTW, he took photos of the assembly all lighted up, probably to show FoMoCo that the assembly was bad.

 

What surprised me the most was that the Parts Department has them in stock. Service Writer said that it is a common problem and they have changed a lot of them. From the time I drove in, to the time I left, was less than an hour, and that includes the time I drank their coffee and ate their donuts.

 

As I've said before, I have a great Lincoln Service and Parts Department and a great Ford Service and Parts Department, and I always have to fight myself over which dealership to use. <grin>.

 

Again, because it is a common tail light problem, check your tail lights. :worship: :happy feet:

 

 

They can't change individual LEDs in the lamp assembly. The whole assembly is changed. It's the same for any LED assembly used on cars.

 

LEDs are far more reliable and long-lived than incandescent bulbs. They will easily outlast the car itself. You just happened to get a bad one. It happens.

 

Why would you be surprised that a Lincoln dealer has parts for Lincolns in stock? I don't know about your service writer but my son is a certified Ford parts specialist and works at the highest grossing Ford-Lincoln parts distributing dealer in this area. He's their top selling guy. He said he stocks them to sell for collision repair and has never needed one for the service department. If there's any frequent failure rate for a part, he'll know about it. This isn't even on the radar.

[Lmknopf]

OK, first off, CHECK YOUR TAIL LAMPS guys.

 

Visited my Lincoln Dealer this morning, (BTW, great dealer) but stopped at McDonalds for my Mocha takeout. When I returned to car, pushed the unlock button on my key, I noticed that the RIGHT tail lamp, that had all three rows of LED's lighted, now had the top and bottom rows flickering. (Left tail lamp still had just the center row lighted). Hmmmmm. Drove to dealer and talked with the Service Writer. (This guy is good). He not only knew the problem, but he said it is a common problem with the 2010-2012 MKZ's. .

 

The problem was the RIGHT side tail lamp assembly, not the left side assembly. The two end assemblys are designed so that only the center row of LED's are lighted when the tail lamp lights. (All three rows light up BRIGHT when the brakes come on). No such thing as changing bulbs. They changed out the whole right side assembly. Said that there is some kind of circuit board within the assembly that goes bad, and the whole assemble has to be changed. BTW, he took photos of the assembly all lighted up, probably to show FoMoCo that the assembly was bad.

 

What surprised me the most was that the Parts Department has them in stock. Service Writer said that it is a common problem and they have changed a lot of them. From the time I drove in, to the time I left, was less than an hour, and that includes the time I drank their coffee and ate their donuts.

 

As I've said before, I have a great Lincoln Service and Parts Department and a great Ford Service and Parts Department, and I always have to fight myself over which dealership to use. <grin>.

 

Again, because it is a common tail light problem, check your tail lights. :worship: :happy feet:

[Lmknopf]

We have been told by Ford and Lincoln dealerships that it will cost over $400 to replace the right rear led brake lights for the 2010 MKZ.

This LED flickers and is not completly dead.  Do the LED typically have a life span of two years ?  Are there other options for taking care of this issue other than replacing at such a high cost? 

[Edward]

Our 2011 MKZ is currently at the dealer for the right side LED brake\tail light assembly replacement. And yes it does seem to be an issue more common than some think when you speak with techs. Also the dealer was out of the assembly and was heading to another dealer in Phoenix to get one.

 

Agree with above poster – check your tail lights – especially right side brake light.

 

It is covered under warranty as long as you are under 50K miles.

[mrmike]

  Unfortunately I have encountered this problem with my 2010 MKZ (14,700miles). More unfortunately, I took the light assembly apart thinking I could just replace a bulb. Once I discovered no bulbs, I went online and found this forum. After reading this post, I went to the dealer to get the light replaced. They told me because I had "tampered"  with the light, they could not warranty it. I paid $453.00 for a new light and now I'm trying to work with a Lincoln customer service representative to get some money back. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 Update!      Just heard from the factory rep and Lincoln is going to refund me $300.00.

Edited May 21, 2013 by mrmike

[robertlane]

  Unfortunately I have encountered this problem with my 2010 MKZ (14,700miles). More unfortunately, I took the light assembly apart thinking I could just replace a bulb. Once I discovered no bulbs, I went online and found this forum. After reading this post, I went to the dealer to get the light replaced. They told me because I had "tampered"  with the light, they could not warranty it. I paid $453.00 for a new light and now I'm trying to work with a Lincoln customer service representative to get some money back. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 Update!      Just heard from the factory rep and Lincoln is going to refund me $300.00.

 

It's excellent that Lincoln's going to kick some cash back your way.  Apple Computer did the same thing to me a few years back :)

[barryt]

I think these taillights are of poor design. Having to change the tail light assemble is ridiculous. My 2011 MKZ spent 2 days in dealer shop because of tail light LED problems. Dealer in Columbia SC did not have the unit in stock and had to get FoMoCo approval to replace the tail light assembly. What up with that??? A known problem on two-year-old cars has to get approval from Ford and not in Stock!!!! And I wonder why it is that a problem in one assemble causes the other assemble to malfunction also????? My car also had a control arm bushing go bad. On a two year old car!?!?!?!? Thinking I’ll be going back to Buick for my next car.

 

Signed Unhappy MKZ owner. Not happy with Ford/Lincoln and local dealership.

I grew up with Ford products and own an F150 and F250 Super Duty. No silly problems like this out of them!!!

 

 

update - one year later and Lincoln/Fords tail light replacement has failed yet again. 10/21/2014 headed back to dealer with this problem. Hope they make me happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! over this problem

Edited October 22, 2014 by barryt

[Gaffer]

Same issue here.  I'm still under 50K miles so I'm taking mine in for replacement under warranty.  Glad I found this forum.

 

Gary

[malcolmd]

I just discovered my 2011 MKZ has this tail light problem and I am not a happy owner. I just recently went out of warranty 52000 miles and I am taking it in tomorrow morning. I already mentioned to my service writer that I am not going to be too happy spending $400.00 plus on what should be a bulb replacement. He said complain to Ford but I am hoping they will work with me since they do ALL my service including tires right down to wiper blades. Let's see how far they will go to keep a happy customer.

Update to follow.

[malcolmd]

$512.00 parts and labor to replace the light with circuit board. Wow, out of warranty by 2000 miles. Good news is the dealer felt sorry for me and we split it, so $257.00 a little easier to swallow but still an outrage for what should have been a $2.00 light bulb.

I would love to hear why we need a $400.00 circuit board to light a tail light.

I still love the car but that's a rip off and a half.

[Joe]

My MKZ has 52,000 miles and I discovered the tail light was out, same thing, the bottom and top row. I took my car in to the local Ford dealer for service, and guess what... $400.  I talked to the service manager who gave me the customer relations number to call. I'm still waiting to hear back from them. Maybe the tail light went out before the 50000 mile mark. Who knows. Who checks the tail light everytime they drive?

 

Followup: Ford has notified me that they will pay $345 of the $445 repair bill. I guess $100 out of pocket is better than $445; however, what can you expect from Lincoln. Wouldn't they want to make good on a defective tail light that only lasts 50,000 miles and costs $400? Or is that the least we can expect? I'm disappointed in Ford.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Joe

[alyse]

Thanks for the heads up on the issue.  I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

[kam]

Ya, me too.  First I've heard of it.

[Joseph Park]

Just picked up a CPO 2011 MKZ AWD last weekend.  Got home last night and went to go get something out of my car and hit the unlock on the key fob and noticed two of the center right LED lights were out.

 

Called today and my dealer said they don't replace individual lights but the whole board (pricey)

 

not wanting to pay the $400 some off dollars people have been listing on the forum I quickly told them I just bought the car and asked if it was under warranty

 

They said it was and to bring it in to be evaluated and then they will order the parts and call me when they come in

 

Sounds good, but I live 40 minutes away in NY and the dealer is in NJ, just a waste of time, gas, and tolls for something that should have been noticed during the extensive 200 point inspection.

 

 

Other than that the car so far is great.  

[drolds1]

Just picked up a CPO 2011 MKZ AWD last weekend.  Got home last night and went to go get something out of my car and hit the unlock on the key fob and noticed two of the center right LED lights were out.

 

Called today and my dealer said they don't replace individual lights but the whole board (pricey)

 

not wanting to pay the $400 some off dollars people have been listing on the forum I quickly told them I just bought the car and asked if it was under warranty

 

They said it was and to bring it in to be evaluated and then they will order the parts and call me when they come in

 

Sounds good, but I live 40 minutes away in NY and the dealer is in NJ, just a waste of time, gas, and tolls for something that should have been noticed during the extensive 200 point inspection.

 

 

Other than that the car so far is great.  

 

If your car is still under the 4/50 B2B warranty you can got to any Lincoln dealer for warranty repairs.  WRT to CPO, this is from the Lincoln CPO website:

 

 

Buying a carefully selected Lincoln Certified Pre-Owned vehicle entitles you to the same superior service as enjoyed by those buying a brand-new Lincoln. For your convenience, our comprehensive limited warranty coverage is backed by Ford Motor Company and honored at any Lincoln or Ford Dealership in the United States and Canada.

[alyse]

What ever came of it all?

[mhellman]

I noticed the same problem last week on my 2011 MKZ Hybrid – the right brake lights were full on (not flickering like the second post on this thread) whenever the tail lights were on. I took it in and the dealer replaced it under warranty today. I then mentioned it to my father-in-law, who has the same car (a total coincidence) and he just noticed that problem on his a few days ago. Unfortunately, he's out of warranty by a small amount.

 

This sounds like it's something on which Lincoln should issue a recall. Unless we were just unbelievably unlucky to have it happen to both of us, it looks like a much more frequent problem than the Takata air bag recall which is getting so much news. And it is a safety issue since putting on the brakes makes it look like you are turning left. That's because putting on the brakes causes only the left brake lights to come on, which looks like a left turn signal instead.

 

I've included a picture taken before the defective tail light assembly was replaced. No one is in the car, and the headlights are on. You can see how the right brake lights are also on. (Click on the photo to see it larger.)

 

Thanks very much to the original posters here. You helped me understand what was going on.

 

Edited December 5, 2014 by mhellman

[qisdname]

I have 2011 MKZ and just noticed the same problem.  The left tail light assembly is flickering and the right tail light assembly is full on.  Stepping on the brake does not make any difference, no brighter lights on either one.

[dadslincoln]

Beauty of a thread boys! Saved me a huge pain in the ass!

[mhellman]

Since my last post on this topic, I believe Lincoln has issued a recall on the tail lights. So, before you pay $400 or more, ask about that. Even if there isn't a recall, if you call Lincoln Customer Service (not the dealer), they may make an adjustment. This is clearly a manufacturing defect based on my data.

[drolds1]

It's not a recall. It's a customer satisfaction program.  Ten years/150K unless that's exceeded.  Then it's through 10/15.

 

14M03

[Smokestone10]

Old thread, but I'd just like to let everyone know I recently had my LED units replaced by the dealer on my 8-year-old/112k MKZ. If you're within the 10 year/150 k period of the extended warranty on the tail light units, you should be good to go. The service manager at my dealer says the internals are of an improved design over the originals so they should hold up much, much better than the original 2010/2011 units. 

[Checkerboard]

Very unhappy to to report that my wife's 2012 MKZ hybrid's right rear brake LED light stopped working. We bought the car in July 2011 as a 2012 vehicle, and it only has 77,200 miles on it.

 I called Lincoln's customer help line, and she confirmed Ford/Lincoln will help 2010 and 2011 MKZ owners with the same problem - but NOT my 2012 (it's the same tail lights!).  She called my local dealer, and they quoted $320 just for the damned part (it's an assembly with several LEDs for brake, turn, and parking lights).

I hate to buy some beat up used assembly on eBay on an as-is basis, only to find it's either defective or very hard to install. Equally, I hate to have to pay the dealer close to $500 to replace it,  including labor. The Lincoln rep did offer me 10 free dealer oil change/multipoint inspections, which was kind of her.

This is a very old thread but I suspect as time goes on, more and more MKZ owners will find their RR tail light assemblies malfunctioning. I wish Ford would do the right thing and fix this!