2006 Lincoln Navigator problems & reliability
60 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2006 Lincoln Navigator, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2006 Lincoln Navigator vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 16 | 27% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 13 | 22% |
| Engine | 9 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 12% |
| Air Bags | 6 | 10% |
| Power Train | 6 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 79,000 miles (middle 50% between 42,597 and 100,660 miles), based on 51 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Fuel gauge says zero miles to empty and will not take any gas more than a few gallons before kicking pump off. Gauge shows it's over heating but if you turn ignition off and turn right back on it resets and is fine. Codes come back saying nothing about fuel or cooling, but only something about speed control in the…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Sep 3, 2022
“Tl* the contact owns a 2006 lincoln navigator. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop sign and attempting to move forward, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle hesitated. The check engine warning light then illuminated. The contact also stated that while attempting to park the vehicle on…”
Engine · filed Jan 31, 2020
“The suspension on this suv is extremely dangerous I have replaced the suspension airbags oh rings compressors multiple times and each time it turns cold and I live in arizona the car drops and on able to drive it due to extreme violent shaking to wear the car seems like it's going to roll over something needs to be…”
Suspension · filed Dec 9, 2018
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
34 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2006 Lincoln Navigator. The 10 most recent:
This article supersedes TSB 22-2219 to update the Parts List and Service Procedure to clarify applicable steps by vehicle application. Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles…
TSB 24-2188 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2024
When performing any transmission fluid changes or topoffs involving MERCON SP, MERCON LV has replaced all versions of MERCON SP and can be used going forward. Mixing MERCON LV and MERCON SP in the same transmission is…
SSM 51909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2023
For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle…
SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2023
Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles equipped with 4WD may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may be due to partial engagement of the…
TSB 22-2219 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 21, 2022
Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 vehicles equipped with TOD transfer cases may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may be due to partial engagement of the…
TSB 20-2307 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 16, 2020
This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled…
TSB 20-2233 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 13, 2020
Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel…
TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel…
TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
Various vehicles equipped with a 4.6L, 5.4L, 6.8L modular 3 valve engine built on or before 8-Jan-2016 may exhibit symptoms that may include upper end engine noise, rough running, misfire and/or engine damage. If…
SSM 47331 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2018
When ordering a 2005 to 2008 remanufactured 5.4L 3v or 6.8L 3v engine, spark plug boots may be provided in the packaging. Replace all black spark plug boots from the original engine with the 'brown' spark plug boots, as…
SSM 46542 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2017
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 2006 Lincoln Navigator has 3 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 2006 Lincoln Navigator?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 79,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.