2005 Lincoln Aviator

Typical pattern

4.8% of complaints about the 2005 Lincoln Aviator came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2005 vehicle — around the middle of the 245 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is structure (31 complaints), typically at 5.7 yr or about 71,500 miles.

Complaints: 62
Median age at failure: 5.8 yr
Median mileage: 70,453 n=48
Crash / fire / tow: 8.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Structure 39,500 mi 4.3 yr in service

OWNER OF 2005 LINCOLN AVIATOR (ACQUIRED LATE 2006)KEPT EXCLUSIVELY IN GARAGE. CURRENTLY HAS 39,500 MILES. A VERTICAL CRACK HAS RECENTLY APPEARED NEAR THE EMBLEM (RIGHT SIDE) ON THE REAR LIFTGATE PANEL BELOW THE REAR WINDOW. THE ENTIRE LIFTGATE PORTION WHICH CONTAINS THE WINDOW AND THE EMBLEM HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, AND AS PREVIOUSLY STATED THE DEALERSHIP STATES THAT FORD/LINCOLN WILL NOT STAND BEHIND ITS VEHICLE. ALSO, IT SEEMS THE CRACK MAY PREVENT THE FROM CLOSING SECURELY. *TR

Structure 39,500 mi 4.3 yr in service

OWNER OF 2005 LINCOLN AVIATOR (ACQUIRED LATE 2006)KEPT EXCLUSIVELY IN GARAGE. CURRENTLY HAS 39,500 MILES. A VERTICAL CRACK HAS RECENTLY APPEARED NEAR THE EMBLEM (RIGHT SIDE) ON THE REAR LIFTGATE PANEL BELOW THE REAR WINDOW. THE ENTIRE LIFTGATE PORTION WHICH CONTAINS THE WINDOW AND THE EMBLEM HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, AND AS PREVIOUSLY STATED THE DEALERSHIP STATES THAT FORD/LINCOLN WILL NOT STAND BEHIND ITS VEHICLE. ALSO, IT SEEMS THE CRACK MAY PREVENT THE FROM CLOSING SECURELY. *TR

Structure 100,000 mi 4.4 yr in service

REAR LIFTGATE ON 2005 AVIATOR DEVELOPED A CRACK NEXT TO LINCOLN EMBLEM. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED BY LINCOLN DEALER. THIS DEFECT WAS SEEN ON NUMEROUS OTHER AVIATORS AND APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT. *TR

Other Aviator model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2005 Lincoln Aviator

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other Aviator model years

How to read this