IllustrationCAR HAS EXTREMELY DIM HEADLIGHTS, FACTORY DESIGN FLAW. BRAKES ARE UNDERSIZED FOR A CAR THIS HEAVY. ROTORS WARP AFTER ONLY 5000 MILES.
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
What owners actually said
106 reportsTHIS IS A 1996 MRK VIII LINCOLN. THE HEADLITES HAVE LOST THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL OFF OF THE INSIDE OF THEM AND ARE NOW SO DIM THAT I DON'T DARE DRIVE THIS CAR AT NIGHT. I CAN'T SEE THE ROAD! IF I CAN'T GET WHERE I'M GOING BY DARK I HAVE TO STOP AND STAY AT A MOTEL, IT'S JUST TO DANGEROUS..A 4 YEAR OLD CAR SHOULDN'T BE LIKE TH…
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THIS IS A 1996 MRK VIII LINCOLN. THE HEADLITES HAVE LOST THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL OFF OF THE INSIDE OF THEM AND ARE NOW SO DIM THAT I DON'T DARE DRIVE THIS CAR AT NIGHT. I CAN'T SEE THE ROAD! IF I CAN'T GET WHERE I'M GOING BY DARK I HAVE TO STOP AND STAY AT A MOTEL, IT'S JUST TO DANGEROUS..A 4 YEAR OLD CAR SHOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS. I HAVE A 50 YEAR OLD GMC THAT HAS BRIGHTER LITES AND IS FAR SAFER TO DRIVE AT NIGHT.
THE LIGHTING FROM THE ORIGINAL HID HEADLIGHTS ARE INSUFFICIENT. THIS COULD LEAD TO A WRECK AT ANY TIME. I HAVE 20/20 VISION AND HAVE TO BE VERY AWARE OF MY SURROUNDINGS AT NIGHT! I WOULD BE WORRIED TO DRIVE THROUGH AN AREA THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN THE EVENING. THESE NEED TO BE RECALLED WITH A BETTER LIGHTING SOLUTION GIVEN.
WITH FOOT ON BRAKES VEHICLE STARTED TO REV, AND TOOK OFF ON ITS OWN. WHEELS WERE SPINNING & BURNING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP TWICE FOR THE PROBLEM. MECHANIC COULD NOT LOCATE CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK
THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN MY CAR HAS STARTED TO SHUTTER AND LEAK FLUID. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND ANOTHER LOCAL GARAGE. THEY SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE AND BUT THERE HAD BEEN NO RECALLS MADE FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE LOCAL GARAGE ALSO TOLD ME THERE WAS A NEW TYPE OF SELENOID AND VALVES TO GO INTO THE T…
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THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN MY CAR HAS STARTED TO SHUTTER AND LEAK FLUID. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND ANOTHER LOCAL GARAGE. THEY SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE AND BUT THERE HAD BEEN NO RECALLS MADE FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE LOCAL GARAGE ALSO TOLD ME THERE WAS A NEW TYPE OF SELENOID AND VALVES TO GO INTO THE TRANSMISSION TO KEEP THE PROBLEM FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. I CHECKED OUT THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN AND THERE WAS ONE FOR THIS PROBLEM (TSB# 98-8-7 APRIL 1998). WHY HAS THERE BEEN NO RECALL EFFORT IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WHEN A TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT HIGH SPEEDS COULD BE DANGEROUS?*AK
THIS DEVICE WAS REPAIRED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY. NOW THAT IT FAILED AGAIN OUT OF WARRANTY (SAME TYPE PROBLEM), I HAVE TO PAY $255.00 OUT OF POCKET TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
TURN SIGNAL AND EMERGENCY FLASHER FAILURES INTERMITTANT OVER THE LIFE OF THE CAR.
CONSUMER WAS REARENDED WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH. THE PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR SHOULDER BELT DID NOT LOCK UPON IMPACT, CAUSING THE OCCUPANT TO BE FORCED INTO THE SEATBACK, RESULTING IN INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
POWER WINDOW SWITCH DOES NOT LOWER WINDOW OCCASIONALLY.
FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED.
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.