This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I am appalled by the unsafe headlights on this vehicle! this is obviously a design defect - the chrome plated plastic inside the headlight assembly is worn away, resulting in severely dim lighting at night. Ford has an alternative feasible design, which they chose to use on the 1996 Lincoln Mark viii lsc model (hid lighting). The cost to upgrade to these safer hid lights is over $1500 at a Lincoln dealer. I am a student and cannot afford, and should not be expected to pay for, Ford's defective design. Please investigate this extremely important safety issue, before an otherwise avoidable tragedy occurs!
Lincoln mark vii's are notorious for their poor, dim headlights (93-96), which only seem to get dimmer over time. I've found them inadequate ever since I bought the car. Now owners are finally spreading the word to get Ford's attention to address this dangerous issue.
Especially since the search for "head lights" brings no reports from this site. In regards to the 1993-1996 Lincoln Mark viii headlamps, they are destined to fail every time. The reflector coating inside the assembly is heated by the 65 watt 9005 bulb to the point that the coating is removed from the back of the reflector, as well as the top of the reflector. This reduces the amount of light at night, due to the flat white plastic that is revealed. The top of the reflector is browned and blackened from heat, further reducing the light due to absorbtion. Also, the assembly itself is deteriorating due to the heat, bubbling from the inside, and it is believed by some that there is the possibility of an electrical fire. This is a safety issue on* 1993-1996 halogen equipped Mark viiis. Ford did make a solution, but it was only an option for 1996 my Lincoln Mark viii lsc models. They were direct replacement, hid assemblies, elements, and ballasts. It must be questioned as to why, as at the time, the hid solutions would have been very costly, in comparison. My website, web.wt.net/~houtex/marklights.htm, has a very detailed explaination and diagram concering this potential deadly safety defect. Please, I urge you to respond quickly. A mr. [xxx] from your organization was supposed to be involved in an investigation, but I've not had a response from him regarding my emails at [xxx]. if he is not the correct contact, or I have incorrect information, please, would you inform me at [xxx]? there are a potential 98000+ defective 1993-1996 Mark viiis out there. That's a lot of possible accidents. I surely would not want to accidentally run someone over because I was driving my mark at night and didn't see them due to the bad lights. Please hurry. Thank you. Sincerely, [xxx]. parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
This is to register a complaint about the inadequate lighting system of the generation 1 Mark viii, mine is year 1995. This headlight system is totally inadequate at night time, and frequently requires I use my "high beams" to see appropriately, even with lamp posts on and shining. I've often found myself swerving to avoid badly marked curbs on the left side, for example, because by the time I see these curbs, I'm almost on top of them. This is not an indication of bad driving, it's just plain bad lights. Ford fixes this problem with their hid lamps in the 1996 lsc, which according to many, is a "direct fit" replacement for these gen 1 Mark viiis. I am unsure how many of these bad light systems are out on the road, but I am absolutely sure that with enough of a safetly concern, these should be fixed. It is imperative this be addressed. I do not feel that I paid for a luxury car to have to spend an extra 1000 or more to be able to be safe at night. If Ford had properly tested their system, it would not be an issue today. Replacement lenses alone will not work, as they will fail to provide light as quickly as the current ones did, negating the benefits. Brighter bulbs also do not work, either due to the bad lenses, or failure of the sockets and housings due to the higher heat. And if *that* isn't a saftey issue (electrical fire due to higher wattage by an attempt to fix a known problem) I don't know what is. Ford needs to fix this issue, bottom line, for the saftey of not only the owners of the gen1 Mark viiis, but for the others on the road as well. Thank you for your inquiry into this matter. Sincerely, [xxx]. parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Headlamps are dim and seem to be getting dimmer as they age. After changing the bulbs in the lens assemblies and noting that the lights did not improve, inspection of the lens unit revealed burn marks and peeling off of the reflective coating inside the unit. It is so bad on the right side that a crack has appeared and moisture is entering the unit. Many owners will not think it is their headlamps that are at fault when they have difficulty seeing at night. I thought it was my eyesight that was going bad. I feel this is a safety hazard that sould be corrected by the manufacturer as soon as possible. I've seen some other mark 8's with this same moisture on the lens so I think this is a very common problem. We need your help.
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. Fix this problem before people crash because they cant see at night and die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The headlights on this vehicles are very dim. Years '1993-1995 the lights are so bad and it is a safety issue. You cannot see anything and Ford knows about the problem and wants $1600 to fix it.
My complaint on these headlights is the lack of good lighting. Unlike other owners, my lights have not yellowed nor has any of the reflective material peeled inside the housing. These lights plain suck. Ford/Lincoln saw fit to equip the lsc models of the Mark viii (1995-1996) with hid lighting systems, while the base model Mark viii from 1993-1996 used standard halogen lighting. The halogen lights are about as effective as a candel in a hurricane, and in my opinion and the opinions of other owners creates a very real hazzard for night time driving. 1997-98 Mark viii had hid lights on all models, and the housings are a bit larger, which leads me to believe that they knew the standard halogen lights were a bad design from the beginning, and waited 4 years to correct the problem. Sylvania, the manufacturer of the headlight housings is just as much to blame as Ford/Lincoln for the flaws in these units. Knowing the halogen units are as inneffective as they are, the hid lights should have been standar equipment on all models, and should have been a warranty upgrade for all cars not so equipped from the factory including the 1993-94 models as well as the 1995-96 models. This is not Ford bashing, I am a Ford guy all the way, but this type of bad design is just wrong, and could lead to serious injury.
All 1995 markviii cars that are not equipped with the hid headlights that were included in some of the lsc models of these cars are a danger to the public and the drivers of these cars. The lighting is inadequate for safe night time driving. The lights are very dim and I have had close calls because of this. I am always having to drive the car with the high beams on just so I can safely see the road. The high beams being on can cause dangerous conditions for oncoming vehicles so I am constantly having to switch from low to high beams. This problem affects every non hid equipped markviii vehicles and I am hoping that something can be done to correct this.
I hate the poor lighting these headlights provide. Mant Mark viii owners run the high beams all the time with the adjustments set so they don't aim into uncoming drivers eyes. I believe the manufacturer needs to rectify this, and they already have the "hid'' lights available as these units were installed on mid-year 1995S and 1996S that were called lscs. Hid lighting on these cars is great!'
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.
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.
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.
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!!!!
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.
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.
Consumer is concerned with the light output of the headlamps, the reflective coating on the rear of the lamp is discolored and flaking off the light output, causing poor visibility especially at night.
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- Florissant, MO, USA