IllustrationDT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BURNED OUT. WHEN THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED, THE DEALER DETERMINED THE HEADLIGHT WAS ON BACKORDER. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED TO PLACE AN ORDER, ALTHOUGH THE PART WAS ON BACKORDER FOR TWO MONTHS.
1997 Lincoln Mark Viii
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 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
00–25K
825–50K
1150–75K
875–100K
6100–150K
1150K+
34 reports with mileage · 56 unknown
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 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
90 reportsNEITHER OF MY TWO LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WORK SO I'M HAVING TO USE MY HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WHICH I'M SURE IS DIFFICULT FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I AM CONSTANTLY SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND LOCAL SOURCES TO REPLACE MY HEADLIGHTS. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HID HEADLIGHT LOW BEAM WENT OUT ON THE VEHICLE. THERE IS A FORD RECALL #98B38, REGARDING THE HEADLIGHTS. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.
BOTH HID HEADLIGHT BULBS FAILED WITHIN A 2 WEEK PERIOD. THE BULBS WERE $175 EACH. *NM
EXCESSIVE YELLOWING OF THE LENS FOR BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. THIS "HAZE" ACTS AS A DIFFUSER, EFFECTIVELY DIMINISHING NIGHT-TIME DRIVE ABILITY DUE TO THE LACK OF AVAILABLE LIGHT PASSING THROUGH SAID LENS. *JB
1997 LINCOLN MARK 8 HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. *MR THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THIS ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT WAS PITCH BLACK DARKNESS. THE CONSUMER HAD TO BANG ON THE COMPONENT IN ORDER FOR THE LIGHT TO COME ON. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSFORMER…
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1997 LINCOLN MARK 8 HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. *MR THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THIS ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT WAS PITCH BLACK DARKNESS. THE CONSUMER HAD TO BANG ON THE COMPONENT IN ORDER FOR THE LIGHT TO COME ON. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSFORMERS AND THE BULBS HAD BLOWN ALL AT ONCE. THE CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH LINCOLN VEHICLES. *SC *JB
OWNER WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND EXPERIENCED ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. ALL THE HEAD LIGHTS WENT OUT. OWNER PULLED OVER TO THE RIGHT. THEN, CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIRS FOR THIS DEFECT WOULD COST $2200.00. *AK
COULDN'T GET MY WINDSHIELD DEFROSTED. *NM
WHEN PROCEEDING TO TURN ON THE HEAT IN MY CAR TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD I DISCOVERED THAT MY HEAT DID NOT WORK, AND THAT THE A/C ONLY BLEW COLD AIR. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE LINCOLN MARK VIII. THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY THE BLEND DOOR BREAKING OVER TIME. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT; BUT, WILL NOT PRO…
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WHEN PROCEEDING TO TURN ON THE HEAT IN MY CAR TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD I DISCOVERED THAT MY HEAT DID NOT WORK, AND THAT THE A/C ONLY BLEW COLD AIR. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE LINCOLN MARK VIII. THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY THE BLEND DOOR BREAKING OVER TIME. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT; BUT, WILL NOT PROVIDE REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS NEEDED. THIS REPAIR IS NEEDED ON ALMOST ALL MARK VIII'S AFTER TIME. *NM
FAILURE OF BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR ON 1997 LINCOLN MARK VIII WHICH RESULTS IN FAILURE OF HVAC. THIS PREVENTS DEFROSTER FROM FUNCTIONING TO CLEAR WINDSHIELD OF FOG OR ICE THUS RESULTING IN A SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY. THIS PART FAILED IN MAY 3, 2002 AND WAS REPAIRED AT DEALERSHIP BY REPLACING THE PART. THE PART HAS FAILED …
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FAILURE OF BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR ON 1997 LINCOLN MARK VIII WHICH RESULTS IN FAILURE OF HVAC. THIS PREVENTS DEFROSTER FROM FUNCTIONING TO CLEAR WINDSHIELD OF FOG OR ICE THUS RESULTING IN A SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY. THIS PART FAILED IN MAY 3, 2002 AND WAS REPAIRED AT DEALERSHIP BY REPLACING THE PART. THE PART HAS FAILED AGAIN IN DECEMDBER 12, 2004. THIS PART HAS FAILED TWICE WITHIN A LITTLE OVER 2 YEARS AND LESS THAN 32,000 MILES SINCE IT WAS REPLACED IN MAY 2002. *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.