1997 Lincoln Mark Viii

THE DRIVERS SIDE, LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BURNT OUT ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. UPON TRYING TO REPLACE THE BULB, I LEARNED THAT THE BULB WAS ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE DEALER. I CONTACTED 2 AUTHORIZED LINCOLN DEALERS & RECEIVED ESTIMATES VARYING IN THE RANGES OF $79-$835. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT THE $835 ESTIMATE WAS CORRECT. IN MID PRODUCTION OF THE 97 LINCOLN MARK VIII THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CHANGED VENDORS ON THE HEADLIGHT & THE FIRST SYSTEM UTILIZED IS NOT COMPATIBLE W/THE SECOND SYSTEM. HENCE, I NEED TO PAY TO CONVERT MY CAR TO THE ALTERNATE SYSTEM AS THEY DO NOT STOCK AFTER MARKET PARTS FOR THE CARS PRODUCED DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR. I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM W/PAYING $79 TO REPLACE THE BULB THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I FEEL IT IS LUDICROUS TO PAY $835 TO REPLACE AN ENTIRE SYSTEM DUE TO INCOMPETENC ON BEHALF OF THE MANUFACTURER. IF YOU PRODUCE A CAR, YOU SHOULD STOCK PARTS FOR SOME AMOUNT OF TIME. THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY DISAGREES. AT SOME POINT, I WILL NEED TO REPLACE MY PASSENGER HEADLIGHT, THEN, I WILL HAVE NEARLY $2000 INVESTED IN HEADLIGHT REPLACEMENT. I HAVE MADE THE OBESERVATION ON YOUR WEBSITE THAT OTHER 97 MARK VIII OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT A CONSUMER CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE FORD TO ACCEPT FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DESIGN FLAW? ADDITIONALLY, MY DOOR HANDLE BOKE IN HALF- A SOLID PIECE OF METAL JUST BROKE RIGHT IN HALF. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR!*AK

GAS GAUGE AND ELECTRONIC MESSAGE CENTER DISPLAY ERRONEOUS FUEL INFORMATION THAT RESULTS IN AN UNPREDICTABLE OUT-OF-GAS CONDITION WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER AND STALLS WITH NO POWER FOR ACCELERATION AND IMPAIRED BRAKING AND STEERING. THIS UNEXPECTED OUT-OF-GAS CONDITION DUE TO ERRONEOUS DASHBOARD INDICATORS PLACES THE VEHICLE, DRIVER, AND OCCUPANTS IN JEOPARDY OF POTENTIAL PERSONAL INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. THIS PROBLEM IS SIMILAR TO TSBS BC2303970501/ITEM SB052799 AND BC105799705/ITEM SB052859. MOST RECENT INCIDENT OCCURRED ON DEC 15, 2000 AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON RTE 64 AT THE RTE 295 INTERCHANGE WITH THE FUEL GAUGE REPORTING 1/4 TANK OF FUEL WHEN THE OUT-OF-GAS CONDITION UNEXPECTEDLY OCCURRED CREATING A DANGEROUS LANE CHANGING CONDITION WITH NO VEHICLE POWER IN AN ATTEMPT TO REACH THE SHOULDER. THE BROWN'S FAIRFAX VA DEALERSHIP HAS MADE SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO SERVICE THE PROBLEM AND HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE NHTSA TSBS ON THE FUEL PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP MISREPRESENTED THE SERVICE AS CORRECTING THE PROBLEM AND RETURNED THE VEHICLE WITH A KNOWN SAFETY DEFECT NOT PROPERLY REPAIRED.

DRIVER'S SIDE LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHT BURNT OUT. DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE NO "AFTER-MARKET" HEADLIGHT BULBS AVAILABLE. LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS MUST BE DEALER-SERVICED. FORTUNATELY DEALER WILL REPAIR UNDER 50,000 BUMBER TO BUMBER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS FOR THIS MODEL REQUIRE REPLACING AN ENTIRE ASSEMBLY, NOT JUST THE BULB. INFORMED BY DEALER THAT THIS COMPONENT IS NO LONGER BEING MANUFACTURED BY OEM SUPPLIER AND IS NOW ON NATIONAL BACKORDER. AUTO BEING OPERATED WITHOUT HEADLIGHT FOR 2-MONTHS NOW AND STILL NO REPLACEMENT PARTS. MAJOR PROBLEM IS THAT I OPERATING AN AUTO WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS IS A MOVING VIOLATION IN GEORGIA AND THEREFORE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN AFTER DARK. *AK