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1996 Lincoln Mark Viii

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1996 Lincoln Mark Viii do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 86.5.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Compare all Mark Viii years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 26 of 106 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 77 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports2 fire reports4 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

77 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jul 10, 2002
Exterior Lighting

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS DO NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH VISIBILITY AT NIGHT. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK CONSUMER HAS TO USE HIGH BEAMS TO SEE THE ROAD. *TT

NHTSA ODI #8013588

Mileage unknown · Jun 5, 2002
Exterior Lighting

HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO DIM AT NIGHT, HEADLIGHTS COVERS HAVE BECOME CLOUDED.*AK

NHTSA ODI #8011102

Mileage unknown · Apr 23, 2002
Exterior Lighting

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ODI #761061

Mileage unknown · Apr 17, 2002
Exterior Lighting

HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT AT ALL BRIGHT, IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT DUE TO THIS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM LISTED ON THE LINCOLN OF DISTINCTION WEBSITE, AND THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS MARK VIII OWNERS COMPLAINING DIRECTLY TO FORD LINCOLN MERCURY, ALL TO NO AVAIL. AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, I BE…

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HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT AT ALL BRIGHT, IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT DUE TO THIS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM LISTED ON THE LINCOLN OF DISTINCTION WEBSITE, AND THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS MARK VIII OWNERS COMPLAINING DIRECTLY TO FORD LINCOLN MERCURY, ALL TO NO AVAIL. AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, I BELIEVE THAT ACTION ON THE NHTSA 'S PART IS REQUIRED TO PROTECT THE MARK VIII DRIVERS AND ALL OTHER MOTORISTS WHICH THEY MIGHT RUN INTO ACCIDENTALLY DUE TO THIS IDENTIFIED SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE REPLY TO MY E-MAIL ADDRESS TO LET ME KNOW THIS WAS RECEIVED AND WHAT ACTIONS HAVE, ARE , AND WILL BE TAKEN CONCERNING THIS. THANK YOU. JOE. NLM

NHTSA ODI #760824

Mileage unknown · Apr 10, 2002
Exterior Lighting

THIS IS TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE INADEQUATE LIGHTING SYSTEM OF THE GENERATION 1 MARK VIII. I HAVE A 1996. THIS HEAD LIGHT SYSTEM IS TOTALLY INADEQUATE AT NIGHTTIME, AND FREQUENTLY REQUIRES I USE MY "HIGH BEAMS" TO SEE APPROPRIATELY, EVEN WITH LAMP POSTS ON AND SHINING. I'VE OFTEN FOUND MYSELF SWERVING TO AVOID BADLY MA…

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THIS IS TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE INADEQUATE LIGHTING SYSTEM OF THE GENERATION 1 MARK VIII. I HAVE A 1996. THIS HEAD LIGHT SYSTEM IS TOTALLY INADEQUATE AT NIGHTTIME, AND FREQUENTLY REQUIRES I USE MY "HIGH BEAMS" TO SEE APPROPRIATELY, EVEN WITH LAMP POSTS ON AND SHINING. I'VE OFTEN FOUND MYSELF SWERVING TO AVOID BADLY MARKED CURBS ON THE LEFT SIDE, FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE BY THE TIME I SEE THESE CURBS, I'M ALMOST ON TOP OF THEM. THIS IS NOT AN INDICATION OF BAD DRIVING, IT'S JUST PLAIN BAD LIGHTS. FORD FIXES THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR HID LAMPS IN THE 1996 LSC, WHICH ACCORDING TO MANY, IS A "DIRECT FIT" REPLACEMENT FOR THESE GEN 1 MARK VIIIS. I AM UNSURE HOW MANY OF THESE BAD LIGHT SYSTEMS ARE OUT ON THE ROAD, BUT I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THESE ARE A DEFINITE SAFETY CONCERN, THESE SHOULD BE FIXED. IT IS IMPERATIVE THIS BE ADDRESSED. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SPEND AN EXTRA $1000 OR MORE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE ROAD AT NIGHT. IF FORD HAD PROPERLY TESTED THEIR SYSTEM, IT WOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE TODAY. REPLACEMENT LENSES ALONE WILL NOT WORK, AS THEY WILL FAIL TO PROVIDE LIGHT AS QUICKLY AS THE CURRENT ONES DID, NEGATING THE BENEFITS. BRIGHTER BULBS ALSO DO NOT WORK, EITHER DUE TO THE BAD LENSES, OR FAILURE OF THE SOCKETS AND HOUSINGS DUE TO THE HIGHER HEAT. AND IF *THAT* ISN'T A SAFTEY ISSUE (ELECTRICAL FIRE DUE TO HIGHER WATTAGE BY AN ATTEMPT TO FIX A KNOWN PROBLEM) I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. FORD NEEDS TO FIX THIS ISSUE, BOTTOM LINE, FOR THE SAFTEY OF NOT ONLY THE OWNERS OF THE GEN1 MARK VIIIS, BUT FOR THE OTHERS ON THE ROAD AS WELL. THANK YOU .*AK

NHTSA ODI #760555

Mileage unknown · Apr 5, 2002
Exterior Lighting

LIGHTING ON THIS VEHICLE IS HORRIBLE ! CAN NOT SEE WITH LOW BEAMS! HAVE TO USE HIGH AND THEN EVERYBODY FLICKS THEIR LIGHTS AT YOU (JUST A BIG DISTRACTION AND SAFETY ISSUE) I VISIT A LINCOLN MARK 8 CLUB AND THIS HAS BEEN I KNOW BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION BY OTHERS AND I AM JUST PUTTING MY 2 CENTS IN. THANKS! PLEASE DO SOMETHING. …

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LIGHTING ON THIS VEHICLE IS HORRIBLE ! CAN NOT SEE WITH LOW BEAMS! HAVE TO USE HIGH AND THEN EVERYBODY FLICKS THEIR LIGHTS AT YOU (JUST A BIG DISTRACTION AND SAFETY ISSUE) I VISIT A LINCOLN MARK 8 CLUB AND THIS HAS BEEN I KNOW BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION BY OTHERS AND I AM JUST PUTTING MY 2 CENTS IN. THANKS! PLEASE DO SOMETHING. *AK

NHTSA ODI #760327

Mileage unknown · Apr 4, 2002
Exterior Lighting

SIMPLY CANNOT SEE AT NIGHT. VERY DANGEROUS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #760276

Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2002
Exterior Lighting

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO DIM FOR SAFE NIGHT DRIVING. I HAVE REPLACED BOTH ASSEMBLIES AND BULBS (RIGHT AND LEFT) WITH NEW ONES, AS WELL AS CHECKED THE ELETRICAL SYSTEM, AND THE LIGHT OUTPUT IS STILL SO WEAK THAT DRIVING AT NIGHT IS UNSAFE. I REPLACED THE ASSEMBLIES BECAUSE THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL ON THE INSIDE OF THE ASSEMBLY HAD…

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THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO DIM FOR SAFE NIGHT DRIVING. I HAVE REPLACED BOTH ASSEMBLIES AND BULBS (RIGHT AND LEFT) WITH NEW ONES, AS WELL AS CHECKED THE ELETRICAL SYSTEM, AND THE LIGHT OUTPUT IS STILL SO WEAK THAT DRIVING AT NIGHT IS UNSAFE. I REPLACED THE ASSEMBLIES BECAUSE THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL ON THE INSIDE OF THE ASSEMBLY HAD BEEN BURNED OFF BY THE BULBS. (THE ASSEMBLY IS LESS THAN THREE INCHES IN HEIGHT. THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE BULB IN COMBINATION WITH POOR REFLECTIVE MATERIAL RESULTED IN THE MATERIAL BURNING OR FLAKING OFF.) EVEN WITH THE NEW ASSEMBLIES, WITH ALL THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL INTACT, AND CLEAR UNYELLOWED LENSES, THE LIGHT OUTPUT IS STILL TOO WEAK FOR SAFE NIGHT DRIVING. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO BAD DESIGN.*AK

NHTSA ODI #760186

Mileage unknown · Mar 22, 2002
Exterior Lighting

HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH FOR NIGHT DRIVING, CONSUMER HAS TO USE HIGH BEAMS. PROBLEM HAS WORSEN OVER TIME.*AK *YD

NHTSA ODI #8006235

Mileage unknown · Mar 18, 2002
Exterior Lighting

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE SO DIM IT IS A HAZARD. REFUSED TO DRIVE THE CAR AFTER DARK BECAUSE OF POOR LIGHTING. THERE IS NO KNOWN RECALL THAT I AM AWARE OF. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER MARK VIII OWNERS OF 1993 TO 1996 CARS AND THEY ALL ARE COMPLAINING OF DIM LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. THESE LIGHTS NEED TO BE RECALLED AND REPLACED BY LOWBEAM …

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LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE SO DIM IT IS A HAZARD. REFUSED TO DRIVE THE CAR AFTER DARK BECAUSE OF POOR LIGHTING. THERE IS NO KNOWN RECALL THAT I AM AWARE OF. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER MARK VIII OWNERS OF 1993 TO 1996 CARS AND THEY ALL ARE COMPLAINING OF DIM LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. THESE LIGHTS NEED TO BE RECALLED AND REPLACED BY LOWBEAM HEADLIGHT THAT PUT OUT ENOUGH LIGHT TO BE SAFE DRIVEING AT NIGHT . THESE LIGHTS ARE A SAFTY HAZARD . AND I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT THE CAR IF I HAD KNOWN THIS BEFORE HAND.*AK

NHTSA ODI #759472

Official recalls

1

07V336000 · Vehicle Speed Control

Aug 3, 2007

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. OWNERS OF THE PASSENGER CARS INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLES TO THEIR DEALERS TO HAVE THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH DISCONNECTED AS AN INTERIM REPAIR. AS SOON AS REPAIR PARTS ARE AVAILABLE (EXPECTED OCTOBER 2007), OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN TO THE DEALERS FOR INSTALLATION OF A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 13, 2007, AND MAILING COMPLETED BY SEPTEMBER 19, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-888-222-2751.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.