Owners have filed 19 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, brakes, and body and structure. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2024Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2024 Lincoln Nautilus: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/2
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/5
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2024's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
NHTSA complaints for the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Electrical faults show up in several unrelated places. Reports describe the rear hatch opening by itself while parked, the shifter refusing to engage drive or reverse until several restarts, and false Forward Collision and Reverse Brake Assist warnings with alarms. Also reported: a rear window that reverses and won't stay closed, a panoramic display that goes black while driving, and a loss of power with an abnormal sound. Repeat dealer visits often fail. One owner reports at least seven visits, and another reports a 7-week dealer stay for a repair that was never completed.
Brakes grind soon after delivery, sometimes at very low mileage. Dealers replace rotors and pads, but the grinding comes back, sometimes louder. Owners are told new parts are on back order or that no fix exists. One report describes the vehicle sliding with the pedal pressed to the floor, which is a loss-of-control risk. A separate complaint says the brake pedal arm sticks out past the pedal, so the driver's foot can catch the arm or miss the pedal.
Door and hatch seals let dust and exhaust fumes into the cabin. Seats get dusty on dirt roads, and fumes are noticeable while idling in traffic. Dealers say the seals are installed correctly, and running the cabin fan on high does not help. In a separate report, a rear side window shatters at highway speed with a loud boom and no warning, blowing glass into the cabin.
The windshield cracks from the bottom edge without any impact, and the crack spreads until the glass has to be replaced. The failure recurs after replacement. One household reports four cracks and three replacements in a little over a year. The second complaint in this category gives no details beyond an attached document.
Excerpts from complaints Nautilus owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The Brake Pedal arm sticks out further than the brake pedal causing you press on the bar before the brake pedal or causing you to miss the brake pedal all together.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2024
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2024 ranks fourth for owner complaints among 8 Nautilus years, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2024 is the first model year of the Nautilus's second generation (2024 on). First years of a redesign often carry teething problems that Lincoln fixes in later years, so the checks above matter more than usual.
Should you avoid the first year of a redesign? See the 45-car study.
Recall repairs are free at any Lincoln dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Lincoln Navigator, 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2025 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer vehicles. The Image Processing Module A (IPMA) may experience multiple unexpected resets, resulting in loss of the rearview camera image and advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features, including pre-collision assist, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring.
Risk: Loss of the rearview camera image and certain driver assistance features, can reduce the driver’s ability to detect hazards, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: The Image Processing Module A software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. This is a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2025 Aviator, 2025 Explorer, 2025 Nautilus notified owners on 4/13/2026. Phase 2 will include 2025 Navigator will notify owners on or about 4/20/2026. Phase 3 will include 2022-2024 Navigator will notify owners on or about 6/8/2026. Phase 4 will include 2024 Nautilus will notify owners on or about 6/22/2026. Owner notification letters were mailed April 13, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S21. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 25, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus vehicles that were repaired incorrectly under recall 24V953. The window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems.".
Risk: A closing window may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the driver door module (DDM) and the passenger door module (PDM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 23, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C36.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2023-2025 Escape, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2025 Lincoln Corsair, Maverick, and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L or 2.0L MPC engine and an engine block heater. The engine block heater may overheat when the vehicle is parked with the block heater plugged in.
Risk: An overheated engine block heater can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the block heater element and inspect the electrical cord, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug coupled, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024 Nautilus vehicles. The multimedia module software may cause the panoramic and center displays to reboot, resulting in a blank screen. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 111, "Rear Visibility," and 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect," as well as FMVSS numbers 126, 108, 135, 138, 208, 101, and 305.
Risk: A blank instrument display can result in a loss of critical safety information, such as the speedometer and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, a missing rearview camera display image can reduce visibility of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: The multimedia module system software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C21.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024 Ranger and 2024 Lincoln Nautilus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 24V-597. When closing the windows with the global closing feature, the windows may not automatically reverse after detecting an object. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems.".
Risk: A closing window may exert excessive force and pinch a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the driver door module (DDM) and the passenger door module (PDM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C10.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus vehicles. The window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction, and the window reversal distance does not meet the minimum requirement. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems.".
Risk: A closing window may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will recalibrate the driver door module (DDM) and the passenger door module (PDM), free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 28, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C43.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024 Ranger and 2024 Lincoln Nautilus vehicles. When closing the windows with the global closing feature, the windows may not automatically reverse after detecting an object. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems.".
Risk: A closing window may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the driver door module (DDM) and the passenger door module (PDM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 13, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C24.
Cars shoppers compare with the Lincoln Nautilus, with their own 2024 checklists.
2024 owner complaints, side by side
