1996 Lincoln Mark Viii problems
Owners have filed 120 complaints about the 1996 Lincoln Mark Viii with NHTSA. Exterior lighting accounts for 69.2% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of vehicle speed control at 5.8%.
Complaints120
Crashes5
Fires2
Injuries4
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Exterior lighting 69.2% · 83
Vehicle speed control 5.8% · 7
Power train 4.2% · 5
Electrical system 4.2% · 5
Service brakes, hydraulic 1.7% · 2
Wheels 1.7% · 2
Engine and engine cooling 1.7% · 2
Unknown or other 1.7% · 2
Severity
Of those complaints, 5 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 4 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 6 model years of the Lincoln Mark Viii in this data, 1996 draws comparatively few complaints; 1993 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 3 in the last three years against 7 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 57,365 miles.
In owners' own words
This is a 1996 mrk viii Lincoln. The headlites have lost the reflective material off of the inside of them and are now so dim that I don't dare drive this car at night. I can't see the road! If I can't get where I'm going by dark I have to stop and stay at a motel, it's just to dangerous..A 4 year old car shouldn't be like this. I have a 50 year old gmc that has brighter lites and is far safer to drive at night. Exterior lighting
The design of the headlight lenses on the 1996 Lincoln Mark Viii provides poor night visibility due to sever degradation of oem headlamp system. The reflective lens on the inside of the housing has melted away to the point that this makes night driving dangerous if not impossible with out some sort of aftermarket lighting system or oem replacements which will soon fail and cause the issue all over again. Exterior lighting · reported at 40,000 miles
The chrome reflective material on the inside of the headlight assemblies flakes off with age. This vehicle is a 1996 model, and although just over 5 years old, the reflective material has flaked off the inside of the headlights, meaning the bulb only has the base plastic to reflect off, which means output is virtuall nothing. I can send you one of these defective assemblies if you would like to inspect it. Exterior lighting
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…