2020 Lincoln Aviator problems & reliability
108 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Lincoln Aviator, alongside 30 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2020 Lincoln Aviator vehicles were involved in 9 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 39 | 36% |
| Unknown / Other | 24 | 22% |
| Power Train → | 22 | 20% |
| Back Over Prevention → | 16 | 15% |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 8% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 8 | 7% |
| Structure | 8 | 7% |
| Engine | 7 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 4% |
| Steering | 4 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 25 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 23 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 15,000 miles (middle 50% between 3,250 and 80,500 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Transmission started shifting hard when going from 1-2, up and down shifting. Sometimes there is a grinding sound and then a very hard shift into 2nd gear. 1 time it would not shift at all after coming to a stop. Diagnosed by Ford as bad A clutch and needing to be replaced.”
Power Train · filed Sep 4, 2026
“My car slammed into park while I was driving on the highway and now is in limp mode only going into neutral and I am stranded without a vehicle. The Lincoln dealership wants to charge me 1500 to diagnose it but that’s the problem.”
Power Train · filed Aug 31, 2026
“I am filing this complaint regarding the recurring infotainment screen failure on my 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The center display repeatedly goes completely black while driving or when using Apple CarPlay. When this occurs, I lose the backup camera, navigation, audio, climate controls, and other vehicle functions. The…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 27, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
313 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The 10 most recent:
This article supersedes 26-2287. Reason for update: update the labor operation numbers to add MT to operations C, F, G, H, J, K, L and M, and correct the part number LIMZ-4A015-B to L1MZ-4A015-B. Some of the vehicles…
TSB 26-2395 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2026
Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine, 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine, and 2020-2023 Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost hybrid engine…
SSM55059 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 3, 2026
This article supersedes 25-2302. Reason for update: update the labor time allowance for F-150 vehicles, update the Parts list to replace the part number W716979-S439 with W721084-S439, and add a note for LV fluids…
TSB 26-2287 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 18, 2026
Customer Satisfaction Program 26N09 Certain 2020 Model Year Escape, 2020-2021 Corsair, 2020-2021 Aviator, and 2020- 2021 and 2023 Explorer Vehicles Front Windshield Wiper Motor Replacement, if Required After Dealer…
26N09 · Other · issued Jun 11, 2026
For 2020 2026 vehicles equipped with the 10R60 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). This test utilizes the pressure and vacuum…
SSM 54902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 5, 2026
Some 2020-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility/Aviator vehicles may require replacement of the front drive halfshaft inner/outer CV joint boot for various reasons. If Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 205-04 >…
SSM 54827 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 15, 2026
Some 2020-2023 Aviator and 2025-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit a "Refuel Error See Manual" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) after installing a replacement fuel filler…
SSM 54787 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 29, 2026
Customer Satisfaction Program 23B64 Certain 2020-2024 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Equipped with High Voltage Batteries Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) Software Update
23B64 · Other · issued Apr 8, 2026
Various 2020-2026 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with blind spot information system (BLIS) may experience an inoperative blind spot monitoring with a "Blind Spot System Fault" message displayed in the instrument…
SSM 54720 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2026
Some 2020-2023 Aviator and 2020-2024 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit a "Refuel Error See Manual" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) after installing a replacement fuel filler…
SSM 54702 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 30, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2020 Lincoln Aviator has 30 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2020 Lincoln Aviator?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 15,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.