Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the lane keeping, backup camera, and automatic emergency braking. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2025 Lincoln Nautilus: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
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 2025's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Lane keeping, lane departure, and automatic braking shut off when the driver-facing camera above the steering column fails to see the driver's face. Dash messages read "Driver Facing Camera Blocked" or "Cannot Detect Face" even when nothing blocks the camera. The system can then jump straight to Resume Control, pulsing the brakes at highway speed and turning on the flashers. Drivers report turning off cruise control to get control back. Separately, the blind spot warning is the same yellow as the turn signal marker in the mirror, which makes the two hard to tell apart.
Rear alerts and automatic braking fail to react when pedestrians walk behind the car as it backs out of a parking space. No audible warning sounds and the car does not brake on its own. Drivers stop only after spotting people on the camera screen. In at least one case the car was running in electric mode. Both complaints describe near misses in store parking lots, so a driver who relies on the system risks hitting a pedestrian.
Adaptive cruise control shuts off at highway speed when the driver-facing camera reports it cannot detect the driver's face. In worse cases the car enters Resume Control mode, pulses the brakes, and turns on the hazard flashers while the driver is looking straight ahead. Pressing the accelerator or the OK button on the steering wheel does not cancel it, and drivers have to turn cruise control off completely. Sudden braking in highway traffic raises the risk of a rear-end crash.
Two separate problems show up here. In the first, the front right brakes grind when stopping and the car loses traction on wet roads. A dealer inspected one car at 7,500 miles, found no warning lights, and said Lincoln knows about the issue but has no fix yet. The second involves hands-on lane centering, which will not work without the eye-tracking camera. That camera nags the driver constantly, and turning off hands-free mode leaves no lane centering at all. Reduced control on wet roads is the more serious risk.
The front brakes scrape, grunt, or squeal loudly, often on the first stops after the car has been sitting. Owners say the pedal needs more pressure to stop the car, and the problem gets worse in rain, so quick stops on wet roads are harder. The noise has started as early as about 1,000 miles, with no warning lights. One dealer confirmed the problem and cited a special service message saying Lincoln is investigating similar 2024 and 2025 Nautilus cases. Another dealer could not diagnose or repair it.
Excerpts from complaints Nautilus owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Backing out of a parking stall at the store and as I was moving, two pedestrians walked behind the vehicle and no alert sounded in the vehicle while backing up, nor did the vehicle brake as it should to avoid hitting them. Vehicle was in electric mode and I did not notice if the rear beeper was operating at the time or not.
Filed with NHTSA, April 2026
Backing out of a parking spot at Lowe's in Jacksonville, vehicle was in motion and a pedestrian walked behind the vehicle and no warning or braking occurred inside the vehicle, I manually stopped when I saw the person appear in the camera as they walked behind the vehicle.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2026
Driving on Interstate Highway 10 just west of Jacksonville Fl the Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure systems were on and functioning and then suddenly the system shut itself off and a warning that the Driver Facing Camera cannot detect face, see manual appeared on the dash.
Filed with NHTSA, April 2026
Front right brakes make grinding sounds when stopping and lose traction when roads are wet. Vehicle causes safety issues when roads are wet. Due to lack of control. Issue was reported to the dealer and I was told Lincoln is aware of the issue but there’s no fix at the time. Vehicle was inspected by dealer at 7,500 miles No warning lights present
Filed with NHTSA, February 2026
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 ranks third 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 2025 is the second model year of the Nautilus's second generation (2024 on).
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 2025 Ranger, Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang, Maverick, Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport, and Bronco vehicles. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve may fail, resulting in an unexpected loss of drive power.
Risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the EGR valves, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 20, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 4, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang Mach E, and Mustang vehicles. The LED Driver Modules may contain a burnt diode, which can cause the low-beam and high-beam headlights, daytime running lights, front position lights, and front turn signals to fail in the affected headlight. On Nautilus vehicles only, this condition may also cause the rear tail light, rear turn signal, and rear position light to fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment.".
Risk: Exterior lighting failure can reduce visibility for the driver and other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the LED Driver Modules, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C39.
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 2024-2025 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.
Cars shoppers compare with the Lincoln Nautilus, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
