IllustrationHEADLIGHTS ON THIS MODEL ARE VERY POOR FOR THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR THIS VEHICLE..EVEN THE HIGH BEAMS ARE POOR FOR THIS VEHICLE.THIS IS A MAJOR COMPLAINT FOR LINCOLN OWNERS FOR THIS YEAR OF VEHICLE IT SEEMS.*AK
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
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 reportsTHE 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 …
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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.
THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT THE LIGHTS ARE USELESS. THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL HAS YELLOWED & HAS ALSO FLAKED OFF TO THE POINT IS IS ALMOST ALL GONE. I CONTACTED FORD APPROX. 3 MOS. AGO & WAS TOLD THAT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT HAD CALLED WITH THIS PROBLEM. YA RIGHT. LOOKING ON THE INTERNET I HAVE …
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THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT THE LIGHTS ARE USELESS. THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL HAS YELLOWED & HAS ALSO FLAKED OFF TO THE POINT IS IS ALMOST ALL GONE. I CONTACTED FORD APPROX. 3 MOS. AGO & WAS TOLD THAT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT HAD CALLED WITH THIS PROBLEM. YA RIGHT. LOOKING ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE.*AK
THE HEADLIGHTS THAT CAME STANDARD ON 1993-1996 MARK VIIIS ARE NOT SAFE FOR PUBLIC ROADS. THEY ARE PROBABLY THE WEAKEST HEADLIGHTS EVER PLACED INTO A VEHICLE DURING THE 1990S. IM SURPRISED THEY EVEN PASSED THE DOT REGULATIONS. THE HEADLIGHTS PROVIDE VERY LITTLE LIGHTING FOR THE ROAD AND THEY DO NOT EVEN GIVE ENOUGH LIGHT TO THE …
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THE HEADLIGHTS THAT CAME STANDARD ON 1993-1996 MARK VIIIS ARE NOT SAFE FOR PUBLIC ROADS. THEY ARE PROBABLY THE WEAKEST HEADLIGHTS EVER PLACED INTO A VEHICLE DURING THE 1990S. IM SURPRISED THEY EVEN PASSED THE DOT REGULATIONS. THE HEADLIGHTS PROVIDE VERY LITTLE LIGHTING FOR THE ROAD AND THEY DO NOT EVEN GIVE ENOUGH LIGHT TO THE STREET SIGNS SO THAT THEY CAN BE READ LEGIBLY AND EASILY. DRIVING ON A POOR LIT ROAD IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT TURNING ON THE HIGH BEAMS BECAUSE OTHER WISE YOU BECOME A HAZARD BECAUSE OF POOR VISIBILITY. IVE BEEN IN COUNTLESS NEAR ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE POOR LIGHTS AND BECAUSE THEY BARELY LIGHT UP THE MARKERS ON THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THEY EITHER NEED TO REPLACED WITH THE HID UNITS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, OR AT LEAST IMPROVED DRASTICALLY; OTHERWISE THE RISK OF HAVING AN ACCIDENT WITH THIS CAR DURING THE NIGHT INCREASES AT LEAST 10 FOLD.*AK
THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS ARE DANGEROUSLY DIM. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IN VERY DARK PLACES MOVING UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT, IT CAN BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING. I HAVE JUST BEEN THE OWNER OF THIS CAR FOR TWO DAYS, BUT THROUGHT THE SMALL TIME THAT I'VE OWNED THE CAR, I CAN ALLREADY SEE THAT IT IS A PROBLEM THAT NEE…
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THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS ARE DANGEROUSLY DIM. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IN VERY DARK PLACES MOVING UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT, IT CAN BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING. I HAVE JUST BEEN THE OWNER OF THIS CAR FOR TWO DAYS, BUT THROUGHT THE SMALL TIME THAT I'VE OWNED THE CAR, I CAN ALLREADY SEE THAT IT IS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED.
THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE VERY POOR COVERAGE. THE HOUSEING SHOW NO WEAR OR PROBLEMS. THE LIGHT OUTPUT AND BEAM ANGLES CAN NOT COVER A AVERAGE STREET AT NIGHT. THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING DONE BEFORE A PROBLEM IS CREATED. WE HAVE TECHONOLGY TO CREATE LIGHTING THAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE. MAKE THE MANUFS. DO IT. IT SHOULD BE A EASY PROBLEM TO …
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THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE VERY POOR COVERAGE. THE HOUSEING SHOW NO WEAR OR PROBLEMS. THE LIGHT OUTPUT AND BEAM ANGLES CAN NOT COVER A AVERAGE STREET AT NIGHT. THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING DONE BEFORE A PROBLEM IS CREATED. WE HAVE TECHONOLGY TO CREATE LIGHTING THAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE. MAKE THE MANUFS. DO IT. IT SHOULD BE A EASY PROBLEM TO QUICKLY SOLVE.
THE LIGHTS ARE EXTREMELY DIM, BULBS REPLACED WITH NO HELP, ETREME HAZARDOUS CONDITION. *AK
HEADLIGHTS ARE VERY POOR. CAN HARDLY SEE AT NIGHT. OFTEN I HAVE MANY CLOSE CALLS IN THE RAIN ITS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
LOWBEAM HEADLAMPS ARE NOT ADEQUATE FOR NIGHT TIME TRAVEL. LIGHTS ARE DIM WITH A BLOTCHY PATTERN. HIGH BEAM LAMPS ARE ADEQUATE. LAMPS ARE ACCURATELY ADJUSTED. FORD MOTOR COMPANY ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM ON CERTAIN MARK VIII MODELS WITH HID HEADLAMPS. FORD SHOULD RECALL THE MARK VIII MODELS AND FIT ADEQUATE HEADLAMPS.*AK
Official recalls
107V336000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.