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My wife owns a 2018 Lincoln MKX with virtually every available premium option, including the 18-way adjustable massage seats. When we purchased the vehicle, we also invested in every warranty and protection package that was offered—the top-tier extended warranty, key fob and wheel protection, and the interior leather protection system. We spared no expense because we believed we were buying into a premium ownership experience that Lincoln prides itself on.
My wife is the only driver of this vehicle, and she weighs 150 lbs. Recently, she brought the car to the Lincoln/Ford dealership in Richmond, VA because the upper right shoulder area of the driver’s seat began making a loud and persistent noise while driving. It is immediately obvious that something inside the seat is broken: if you take hold of that section, the entire upper shoulder portion moves back and forth as if an internal component has come loose or failed.
The dealership inspected the seat and confirmed that something was wrong, yet—they were unable to tell us whether the seat or its internal components are covered under our warranty. In fact, despite telling us we had purchased the highest-level warranty available, they said they still couldn’t tell us whether the seat mechanism falls under warranty coverage.
Instead, we were told we would need to pay $300 just for them to disassemble the seat—simply to confirm what is already obvious: that the seat is broken internally. On top of that, if the broken components are somehow not covered under warranty, we would then be responsible for additional parts and labor, which they estimated could easily reach $500–$600 or more.
What left us absolutely flabbergasted is the fact that they could not answer a very basic question: Is the driver’s seat—or its internal mechanical components—typically covered under the warranty we purchased? We weren’t asking for special treatment, nor were we asking for them to fix it for free on the spot. We only wanted to know whether the repair would be covered before spending $300 just to have someone open the seat.
Instead, they insisted that they “had never seen something like this before,” and therefore could not tell us anything about warranty coverage until after the diagnostic teardown—at our expense. This makes no sense. Lincoln’s warranties should have clear guidelines. The dealership should be able to reference a parts schematic, contact Lincoln’s warranty authorization department, or review the warranty coverage they themselves sold us. Instead, we were offered no transparency whatsoever.
My wife even asked to speak to a manager, but was told it wouldn’t make a difference. That response, in particular, was extremely disappointing.
This was such an easily resolvable situation. A simple, honest answer about whether the seat’s structure or internal mechanisms are normally included under warranty would have avoided all of this. Instead, we left feeling completely let down by the service we received—so much so that we will not purchase another Lincoln again, nor will we recommend the brand to others. In today’s competitive market, customer trust is everything. It’s astonishing to us that a dealership representing a luxury brand would jeopardize long-term loyalty over something as straightforward as answering a warranty question.
Lincoln’s advertising consistently promotes an elevated ownership experience—refined, customer-centric, and premium. Unfortunately, what we experienced was the exact opposite. And because of how poorly this situation was handled, we will absolutely share our honest experience whenever someone asks about the Lincoln brand.
This was an incredibly simple issue that should never have escalated the way it did. We walked in with a question that could have and should have been answered transparently. Instead, we were asked to pay $300 just to be told what we already know: that the seat is clearly broken. Frankly, we are shocked and deeply disappointed.
My wife is the only driver of this vehicle, and she weighs 150 lbs. Recently, she brought the car to the Lincoln/Ford dealership in Richmond, VA because the upper right shoulder area of the driver’s seat began making a loud and persistent noise while driving. It is immediately obvious that something inside the seat is broken: if you take hold of that section, the entire upper shoulder portion moves back and forth as if an internal component has come loose or failed.
The dealership inspected the seat and confirmed that something was wrong, yet—they were unable to tell us whether the seat or its internal components are covered under our warranty. In fact, despite telling us we had purchased the highest-level warranty available, they said they still couldn’t tell us whether the seat mechanism falls under warranty coverage.
Instead, we were told we would need to pay $300 just for them to disassemble the seat—simply to confirm what is already obvious: that the seat is broken internally. On top of that, if the broken components are somehow not covered under warranty, we would then be responsible for additional parts and labor, which they estimated could easily reach $500–$600 or more.
What left us absolutely flabbergasted is the fact that they could not answer a very basic question: Is the driver’s seat—or its internal mechanical components—typically covered under the warranty we purchased? We weren’t asking for special treatment, nor were we asking for them to fix it for free on the spot. We only wanted to know whether the repair would be covered before spending $300 just to have someone open the seat.
Instead, they insisted that they “had never seen something like this before,” and therefore could not tell us anything about warranty coverage until after the diagnostic teardown—at our expense. This makes no sense. Lincoln’s warranties should have clear guidelines. The dealership should be able to reference a parts schematic, contact Lincoln’s warranty authorization department, or review the warranty coverage they themselves sold us. Instead, we were offered no transparency whatsoever.
My wife even asked to speak to a manager, but was told it wouldn’t make a difference. That response, in particular, was extremely disappointing.
This was such an easily resolvable situation. A simple, honest answer about whether the seat’s structure or internal mechanisms are normally included under warranty would have avoided all of this. Instead, we left feeling completely let down by the service we received—so much so that we will not purchase another Lincoln again, nor will we recommend the brand to others. In today’s competitive market, customer trust is everything. It’s astonishing to us that a dealership representing a luxury brand would jeopardize long-term loyalty over something as straightforward as answering a warranty question.
Lincoln’s advertising consistently promotes an elevated ownership experience—refined, customer-centric, and premium. Unfortunately, what we experienced was the exact opposite. And because of how poorly this situation was handled, we will absolutely share our honest experience whenever someone asks about the Lincoln brand.
This was an incredibly simple issue that should never have escalated the way it did. We walked in with a question that could have and should have been answered transparently. Instead, we were asked to pay $300 just to be told what we already know: that the seat is clearly broken. Frankly, we are shocked and deeply disappointed.
