HEADLIGHTS PLASTICC COVERING HAVE BECOME CLOUDY REDUCING HEADLIGHTS OUT PUT! *NM
1998 Lincoln Mark Viii
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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
26 reports with mileage · 57 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.
- Visibility. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
83 reportsCONTINUOUS PROBLEM WITH HEATER-A/C BLEND DOOR FAILURE RESULTING IN LACK OF DEFOGGING OF WINDSHIELD AND POOR VISIBILITY. ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT IN CHANGING OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS. THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO YOUR OFFICES MANY TIMES IN THE PAST 5 YEARS WITH LINCOLN AND FORD VEHICLES . THE COST OF REPAIR …
Read full complaint
CONTINUOUS PROBLEM WITH HEATER-A/C BLEND DOOR FAILURE RESULTING IN LACK OF DEFOGGING OF WINDSHIELD AND POOR VISIBILITY. ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT IN CHANGING OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS. THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO YOUR OFFICES MANY TIMES IN THE PAST 5 YEARS WITH LINCOLN AND FORD VEHICLES . THE COST OF REPAIR IS BETWEEN $500-$2000 DOLLARS. FORD HAS APPARENTLY MADE CHANGES TO STRENGTHEN THE BLEND DOOR LEVER BUT REFUSES TO ADMIT DESIGN FAILURE NOR WILL WARRANT THE ITEM. NHTSA HAS YET TO TAKE ANY ACTION ON THE CONSUMER'S PART. WE ARE THE PUBLIC AND YOUR CHARTER IS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO US, NOT THE AUTO MAKER. *JB
AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WENT ON AND LINCOLN/MERCURY DEALERSHIP SAYS THE AIRBAG MAY DEPLOY WITHOUT WARNING OR MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. REPLACEMENT/REPAIR OF THE CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY SHOULD BE COVERED BY FORD/LINCOLN SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY DEVICE ONLY AND NOT A MECHANICAL DEVICE. *JB
THE FRONT SUSPENSION SINKS DOWN ON THE VEHICLE, CAUSING THE FRONT TO SCRAPE ON THE GROUND. THIS IS MAKING THE ABILITY TO DRIVE DIFFICULT. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY OWNER.*AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE MAIN COMPUTER IS FAILING. *TC
HEATER/AC BLENDER DOOR-DOORS,FAIL TO OPERATE AND OR HAVE "NO" TEMPETURE CONTROL,RESULTING IN POOR VISIBLITY.FOGGING ETC,LACK OF DEFROSTING AND OR A COLD DRIVER..SEE PREVIOUS 768368,768427,768529,768796,768173.7689173,769183,769959,10003517,10005626,10023956,10075009,AND NOW MINE ! THE ONLY THING THAT CHANGED IS THE COST OF REPA…
Read full complaint
HEATER/AC BLENDER DOOR-DOORS,FAIL TO OPERATE AND OR HAVE "NO" TEMPETURE CONTROL,RESULTING IN POOR VISIBLITY.FOGGING ETC,LACK OF DEFROSTING AND OR A COLD DRIVER..SEE PREVIOUS 768368,768427,768529,768796,768173.7689173,769183,769959,10003517,10005626,10023956,10075009,AND NOW MINE ! THE ONLY THING THAT CHANGED IS THE COST OF REPAIRS BY THE DEALER HAS GONE UP. I HAVE A WRITTEN ESTIMATE FOR( THE DASH HAS TO BE REMOVED) $680.00 LABOR.. PARTS AS FOUND/ TO BE $38.00,,$68.00,,$5.00,,$35.00 AND THAN MAYBE $350.00 MORE FOR A PLEMUM.. ($1,176.00) I UNDERSTAND THAT FORD HAS REPLACED THE PARTS WITH BETTER VERSIONS AS TO MATERIALS THAT WITH STAND THE DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES IT IS SUBJECT TOO.THIS APPARENT LACK OF ACTION BY NHTSA IS CAUSE FOR CONCERN AS TO YOUR UNINTEREST IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY NOT KNOWING HOW MANY OTHER VEHICLES ARE OUT THEIR WITH THIS HAZARDOUS DEFECT. HELP US,PROTECT US ,,THANK YOU. *AK
MY 1998 LINCOLN MARKVIII OUTSIDE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE BROKE I HAVE 59,000 MILES ON IT ,IT COST $70.00 FOR THE PART,$40.00 TO PAINT THE THING,OVER @200.00 LABOR,(IGOT TO KEEP THE BROKEN ONE !),I FEEL THAT FORD KNOWS OF THIS DEFECT IN MATERIALS<CHANGED THE METAL MIX AND CURE, BUT FAIL TO BE RESPONSIBLE OF THIS SAFETY-DEFECT>>SEE ALS…
Read full complaint
MY 1998 LINCOLN MARKVIII OUTSIDE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE BROKE I HAVE 59,000 MILES ON IT ,IT COST $70.00 FOR THE PART,$40.00 TO PAINT THE THING,OVER @200.00 LABOR,(IGOT TO KEEP THE BROKEN ONE !),I FEEL THAT FORD KNOWS OF THIS DEFECT IN MATERIALS<CHANGED THE METAL MIX AND CURE, BUT FAIL TO BE RESPONSIBLE OF THIS SAFETY-DEFECT>>SEE ALSO #10052604 PLUS COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM>
VEHICLE WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH, AND MISSING. ALSO, STEERING MALFUNCTIONED. *AK
I ROLAND MATOS PURCHASED A LINCOLN MARK VIII ON 06\27\01. BEAUTIFUL CAR . BUT 2 WEEKS AFTER I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWERTILT\TELESCOPE STEERING. IT WASN'T MOVING BACK AND FORTH ANY-MORE, AND DROPPING ITS BALL BEARINGS ON DRIVERSIDE MAT. SO I CALLED COUNTY LINE LEXUS WHERE I PURCHASED CAR, THEY TOLD ME THAT I BOUGHT T…
Read full complaint
I ROLAND MATOS PURCHASED A LINCOLN MARK VIII ON 06\27\01. BEAUTIFUL CAR . BUT 2 WEEKS AFTER I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWERTILT\TELESCOPE STEERING. IT WASN'T MOVING BACK AND FORTH ANY-MORE, AND DROPPING ITS BALL BEARINGS ON DRIVERSIDE MAT. SO I CALLED COUNTY LINE LEXUS WHERE I PURCHASED CAR, THEY TOLD ME THAT I BOUGHT THE CAR "AS IS" THEY DIRECTED ME TO FORD. I CALLED FORD AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I HAD VEHICLE FOR LESS THAN A MONTH ,THAT I HAD TO PAY TO FIX IT. SO I CONTACTED NHTSA AND TOLD THEM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOSE IT MOVES UP AND DOWN FREELY EVEN WITHOUT PRESSURE. I'VE MADE 3 COMPLAINTS. UP TO THIS DAY ITS STILL NOT FIXED.THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ THIS LETTER. PLEASE HELP ROLAND. *LA
ELECTRONIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL FAILURES PREVENTS WINDSHIELD CLEARING WHEN INTERNAL TO EXTERNAL TEMPERTAURE DIFFERENTIAL FOGS THE GLASS. BLEND DOOR FAILS ON A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF LINCOLN MARK VIII MODELS. MINE HAPPENS TO BE A 1998. *AK IT'S BOUND TO LEAD TO ACCIDENTS
WE HAVE OWNED A MARK VII AND A MARK VIII LINCOLN. BOTH CARS HAD SERIOUS PAINT DETERIORATION. WE ALWAYS HAVE OUR AUTOMOBILES HAND WASHED. WE WOULD LIKE TO REPLACE ONE OF THE AUTOS WITH ANOTHER LINCOLN, HOWEVER, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE BOTH OF THE CARS PAINTED. HIS MUST BE A FAULT OF YOUR PAINT. IS THERE ANY COMPENSATION…
Read full complaint
WE HAVE OWNED A MARK VII AND A MARK VIII LINCOLN. BOTH CARS HAD SERIOUS PAINT DETERIORATION. WE ALWAYS HAVE OUR AUTOMOBILES HAND WASHED. WE WOULD LIKE TO REPLACE ONE OF THE AUTOS WITH ANOTHER LINCOLN, HOWEVER, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE BOTH OF THE CARS PAINTED. HIS MUST BE A FAULT OF YOUR PAINT. IS THERE ANY COMPENSATION? I HESITATE TO BUY ANOTHER LINCOLN. *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.
Illustration