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 136 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 103 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Structure. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
136 reports
Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2002
Exterior Lighting
MAIN BEAMS ARE EXTREMELY DIM, AND HIGH BEAMS ARE ADEQUATE FOR NORMAL DRIVING, WHICH IS COMPLETELY WRONG, OF COURSE. FORD APPARENTLY HAS A "FIX" THAT WE CAN PURCHASE FOR ABOUT $900 IN PARTS, THEY ARE CALLED HID HEAD LAMP ASSEMBLIES. THIS PROBLEM IS VEHICLE DESIGN WIDE FOR GENERATION 1 MARK VIII YEARS 1993-1996. SOME LATE GEN 1…
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MAIN BEAMS ARE EXTREMELY DIM, AND HIGH BEAMS ARE ADEQUATE FOR NORMAL DRIVING, WHICH IS COMPLETELY WRONG, OF COURSE. FORD APPARENTLY HAS A "FIX" THAT WE CAN PURCHASE FOR ABOUT $900 IN PARTS, THEY ARE CALLED HID HEAD LAMP ASSEMBLIES. THIS PROBLEM IS VEHICLE DESIGN WIDE FOR GENERATION 1 MARK VIII YEARS 1993-1996. SOME LATE GEN 1 MARK VIIIS WERE LSC MODELS AND THEY CAME WITH THE HIDS. THERE IS A PROCEEDURE, AND MANY DOCUMENTS, REGARDING THIS ISSUE AT WWW.MARKVIII.ORG, THEIR FORUMS ARE LITTERED WITH THE ISSUE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *AK
NHTSA ODI #758710
Mileage unknown · Feb 9, 2002
Exterior Lighting
THE HEADLIGHTS ON THIS CAR DO NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH LIGHTING TO SAFELY DRIVE ON UNLIGHTED ROADS. EVEN THE HIGH BEAMS ARE INADEQUATE. MY 4 BATTERY FLASHLIGHT PUTS OUT MORE LIGHT THAN THESE HEADLIGHTS. WHEN COMPAIRED TO MY SECOND CAR THE HIGH BEAMS ON THE MARK VIII WEREN'T EVEN CLOSE TO THE LIGHTS IN NORMAL ON MY 97 TBIRD. WHEN I…
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THE HEADLIGHTS ON THIS CAR DO NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH LIGHTING TO SAFELY DRIVE ON UNLIGHTED ROADS. EVEN THE HIGH BEAMS ARE INADEQUATE. MY 4 BATTERY FLASHLIGHT PUTS OUT MORE LIGHT THAN THESE HEADLIGHTS. WHEN COMPAIRED TO MY SECOND CAR THE HIGH BEAMS ON THE MARK VIII WEREN'T EVEN CLOSE TO THE LIGHTS IN NORMAL ON MY 97 TBIRD. WHEN I GET IN TO DARK AREAS I HAVE TO HOLD THE HIGH BEAM SWITCH PAST IT'S DETENT TO FORCE BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAMS TO COME ON JUST TO SEE THE ROAD. I CURRENTLY DRIVE WITH THE HIGH BEAMS ON ALL THE TIME BECAUSE IT GIVES ALMOST THE SAME LIGHTING AS MOST CARS WITH LOW BEAMS ON. NO ONE HAS EVER BLINKED THEIR LIGHTS TO INFORM ME THEY ARE ON, MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY AREN'T BRIGHT ENOUGH TO BOTHER ANYONE. I HAVE DRIVEN THE NEW MARK VIIIS (96 LSC - 98) WITH THE UPDATED LIGHTING AND IT'S LIKE NIGHT AND DAY. THE FACTORY SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT THE OLDER CARS WHEN THEY UPDATED TO THE NEWER LIGHTS. THEY HAD TO KNOW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE OLDER OR THEY WOULDN'T HAVE IMPROVED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIS IS DEFENETLY A SAFTEY PROBLEM SINCE I HAVE ALMOST HIT AND GONE OFF THE ROAD SEVERAL TIMES NOW. I WON'T DRIVE THE CAR AT NIGHT UNLESS I HAVE TO BECAUSE OF THIS AND I REALLY LIKE THIS CAR.*AK
NHTSA ODI #758019
Mileage unknown · Feb 7, 2002
Exterior Lighting
FACTORY HEADLIGHTS ARE EXTREMLY DIM AT NIGHT IN THEIR ABILITY TO PROJECT LIGHT IN FRONT OF VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *AK
NHTSA ODI #757913
Mileage unknown · Feb 7, 2002
Exterior Lighting
THE HEADLIGHTS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE EXTREMELY POOR. THEY ARE VERY DANGEROUS AS THEY DO NOT LIGHT UP THE ROAD THOROUGHLY ENOUGH, CAUSING ME TO CONSTANTLY DRIVE AROUND WITH THE HIGH BEAMS ON CREATING A DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC. *AK
NHTSA ODI #757894
Mileage unknown · Feb 6, 2002
Exterior Lighting
HEADLIGHTS ON THE 1993-1995 LINCOLN MARK VIII'S ARE INADEQUATE AND ARE DANGEROUS TO USE AT NIGHT, THE LIGHTS ARE SO BAD THAT THE HEADLIGHTS FROM THE CAR BEHIND ME MAKE A BIG BLACK SHADOW THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE THROUGH. I'VE ALMOST HIT DEBRIS IN THE ROAD MANY TIMES THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE IF THESE HEADLIGHTS EVEN MARGIN…
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HEADLIGHTS ON THE 1993-1995 LINCOLN MARK VIII'S ARE INADEQUATE AND ARE DANGEROUS TO USE AT NIGHT, THE LIGHTS ARE SO BAD THAT THE HEADLIGHTS FROM THE CAR BEHIND ME MAKE A BIG BLACK SHADOW THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE THROUGH. I'VE ALMOST HIT DEBRIS IN THE ROAD MANY TIMES THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE IF THESE HEADLIGHTS EVEN MARGINALLY WORKED. LINCOLN ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE IN THE 1996 MODEL YEAR AND UPGRADED ALL THE MARKS TO HID LIGHTS... THESE SYSTEMS ARE READILY AVAILABLE AND SHOULD BE RETROFITTED INTO ALL 93-95 CARS....SAFETY SHOULD NOT BE A OPTION!!!!*AK
NHTSA ODI #757873
Mileage unknown · Jan 24, 2002
Exterior Lighting
THE ORIGINAL HEADLIGHTS ON THE FIRST GENERATION LINCOLN MARK VIII ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR NIGHT VISABILITY. THEY DO NOT ILLUMINATE THE ROAD AHEAD AND ARE NOT SUFFICAINT TO SEE ROAD OBSTACLES. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH FIRST GENERATION MARK VIII'S AND THE HEADLIGHTS WERE UPDATED IN 1996 WITH AN HID XENON ASSEMBLY AND ALL TOGETHER…
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THE ORIGINAL HEADLIGHTS ON THE FIRST GENERATION LINCOLN MARK VIII ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR NIGHT VISABILITY. THEY DO NOT ILLUMINATE THE ROAD AHEAD AND ARE NOT SUFFICAINT TO SEE ROAD OBSTACLES. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH FIRST GENERATION MARK VIII'S AND THE HEADLIGHTS WERE UPDATED IN 1996 WITH AN HID XENON ASSEMBLY AND ALL TOGETHER AGAIN IN 1997 WITH A TOTAL REDESIGN. I CONSIDER THIS A VERY LARGE SAFTEY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.*AK
NHTSA ODI #757267
Mileage unknown · Jan 24, 2002
Exterior Lighting
HEADLIGHTS ON THESE CARS, 1993 TO 1995 MARK VIII'S ARE VERY POOR. NIGHT DRIVING IS A HAZARD AS IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SEE OBJECTS IN FRONT OF AND TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THAT ARE MORE THAN 50 FEET AWAY.*AK
NHTSA ODI #757266
Mileage unknown · Jan 17, 2002
Exterior Lighting
FORD HAS KNOWN FROM DAY ONE THAT THESE HEADLIGHTS WERE NEVER EFFICIENT. THEY ARE VERY DULL & I HATE TO THINK WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN AS A RESULT TO THIS.*AK
NHTSA ODI #756993
Mileage unknown · Jan 17, 2002
Exterior Lighting
THE HEADLIGHTS ON THIS CAR ARE DANGEROUSLY HORRIBLE. THE REVERSE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTER, SERIOUSLY! THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED IN 1996 WHEN FORD PUT THE HID SETUP ON THE LSC MARK VIII'S. THE REST OF THE GEN 1 OWNERS ARE LEFT WITH BIRTHDAY CANDLES AS HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE HAD MORE THAN MANY CLOSE CALLS AS A RESULT OF POOR NIGHT VISION W…
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THE HEADLIGHTS ON THIS CAR ARE DANGEROUSLY HORRIBLE. THE REVERSE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTER, SERIOUSLY! THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED IN 1996 WHEN FORD PUT THE HID SETUP ON THE LSC MARK VIII'S. THE REST OF THE GEN 1 OWNERS ARE LEFT WITH BIRTHDAY CANDLES AS HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE HAD MORE THAN MANY CLOSE CALLS AS A RESULT OF POOR NIGHT VISION WITH THESE SO CALLED LIGHTS. FORD SHOULD ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BEFORE IT BECOMES ANOTHER FIRESTONE DISASTER FOR THEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *AK
NHTSA ODI #756981
Mileage unknown · Jan 17, 2002
Exterior Lighting
HEADLIGHTS DO NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHT FOR DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE LACK OF APPROPRIATE LIGHT MAKES NIGHT DRIVING VERY HAZARDOUS.*AK
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
2
EA96019 · Headlight Failure
Opened Jul 31, 1996 · Closed Jan 26, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
EXCESSIVE HEAT IN AN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED CIRCUIT BREAKER WITHIN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH CAUSED THAT CIRCUIT BREAKER TO OPEN FOR TIME PERIODS OF VARYING LENGTH TO COOL OFF.OPENING OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IN THIS MANNER INTERRUPTS ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOW TO THE HEADLIGHTS, SHUTTING THEM OFF.HEADLIGHT OUTAGES HAVE RANGER FROM BRIEF FLICKERS (LESS THAN ONE SECOND) TO GREATER THAN 20 SECONDS.OVER TIME, THE OUTAGES GROW IN LENGTH AND DURATION BECAUSE OF HEAT-INDUCED DETERIORATION OF THE SWITCH AND ASSOCIATED WIRING.RECALL 98V-009 WILL APPLY TO APPROXIMATELY 506,000 TAURUS, SABLE, MARK VIII, AND CONTINENTAL VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM 1-DEC.-92 THROUGH 30-SEP-93 AT THE ATLANTA, CHICAGO,AND WIXOM ASSEMBLY PLANTS.87% OF MY 1992-1995 TAURUS/SABLE AND 97% OF MY 1993-1995 MARK VIII WARRANTY REPAIRS (HEADLIGHT SWITCH REPLACEMENT) INVOLVED VEHICLES BUILT DURING THE DEC. 92 - OCT. 93 BUILD RANGE.
PE95007 · Brake Pedal Separation From Pivot Arm
Opened Feb 1, 1995 · Closed May 4, 1995
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
There is no summary currently available
1995 Lincoln Mark Viii Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year