Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - SWITCH | ||||||||||||||||
| 98V009000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 12/01/1992 to 09/30/1993 | V (Vehicle) | 506000 | 04/15/1998 | ODI | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 01/21/1998 | 01/26/1998 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the headlights can flash intermittently as a result of the circuit breaker opening. the vehicle's headlights can go out for brief intervals. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Loss of headlights during vehicle operation can affect a driver's ability to navigate the roadway and reduce the visibility of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will install a headlight switch that incorporates a cricuit breaker of revised design and installation of a wiring harness connector and wiring, if needed. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owner notification is expected to begin april 15, 1998. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||||
| 99139 | 06/28/1999 | 606508 | Conditions with the brake lamps inadvertently disabling the brake shift interlock. *tt | 08/26/1999 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | ||||||
| EA96019 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 07/31/1996 | 01/26/1998 | HEADLIGHT FAILURE | 98V009000 | |
| Headlights go off whild driving | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 05/05/2012 | 150852 | 1 | |
| 1993 through early 1996 lincoln mark viii's have a serious visibility problem at night due to their inferior headlight design. because the headlight profile is so slim and the lenses yellow so easily with use, you can't see anything when it is dark. i find myself checking to make sure my headlights are in fact on they are so bad. no precautions can be taken to prevent this low visibility situation, it is a bad design. ford switched over to hid in 1996 to correct the problem, but us older vehicle owners were left out with a dangerous car and our only choice is to pay one thousand plus dollars for a retrofit kit that we should not have to pay for. *tr | |||
| 05/05/2012 | 150852 | ||
| 1993 through early 1996 lincoln mark viii's have a serious visibility problem at night due to their inferior headlight design. because the headlight profile is so slim and the lenses yellow so easily with use, you can't see anything when it is dark. i find myself checking to make sure my headlights are in fact on they are so bad. no precautions can be taken to prevent this low visibility situation, it is a bad design. ford switched over to hid in 1996 to correct the problem, but us older vehicle owners were left out with a dangerous car and our only choice is to pay one thousand plus dollars for a retrofit kit that we should not have to pay for. | |||
| 11/09/2010 | 114000 | ||
| The head lights on the 94 lincoln mark 8 do not put out enough light to safely see while driving down the rd, it appears the reflective material is gone, the headlights have been polished to remove scratches and yellowing, they were also aimed, to make matters worse ford does not offer headlight assemblies for this car anymore nor do they have a solution to fix it availiable | |||
| 09/02/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| 1994 lincoln mark 8 headlights design does not permit adequate lighting for driving at night using low beams. bulbs were replaced with higher power bulbs and the lighting still does not illuminate the roadway. *tr | |||
| 06/15/1998 | 68000 | 1 | |
| My vehicle has 2 defects which i have noticed on numerous other cars like mine, even later model years. the headlights become very dull and yellowed after 3-4 years, to the point that you have to drive with highbeams on all the time just to be able to see the road. i have seen this as the #1 complaint about this model car on numerous blogs. the 2nd problem is with the seal around the back windshield. it warps after a few years. virtually every mark viii that i see has this same problem, and it is very expensive to repair because the whole windshield has to be removed, and the back windshield is much more complicated than the front. *tr | |||
| 01/15/1994 | 1 | ||
| 93 through 96 lincoln mark viii headlight assembly the problem is one of many factors: heat, plastic, ultraviolet exposure, bad design, all rolled up into a nice mess. the halogen bulbs used are quite hot. this is a known fact. add in the short height of the housing, and you have a real problem. also, inside the low beam housing, there is a diffuser, which is used to cut down the direct light from the bulb, and produce a slightly lower intensity beam. all of these features of the assembly contribute to generating so much trapped heat from the bulb, the top side of the reflector material is burned away. this reduces the reflective qualities of the reflector, of course, but it also leaves a black and yellow charred area which actually absorbs some of the light. not only is there less light being reflected from the top (and this is important in the design of the light itself), there is less light in general due to the darkened spot! the problem is so severe that i believe, given enough time, the assembly itself will actually melt away. there is simply no where for the heat to go, except up. now couple these problems with the fact that the plastic clear lens tends to not only yellow with age (due to cleaning problems and ultraviolet exposure) but also start to have hundreds of tiny stress cracks in the lens itself. the yellow dims the light again, and the tiny cracks diffuse the remaining light. the result is a dangerous situation of low lighting of the road. all in all, a pretty bad system for something that came on a $35,000-$45,000 car, don't you think? *tr | |||
| 04/23/2005 | 1 | ||
| This car is ok if you drive it in the day light hours i try to get home before the sun goes down the headlights when on does not light the road and the price to fix this problem is outrageous this should be recalled you cant see at night had this car for several years as hame i refuse to drive at night in this car. *tr | |||
| 10/19/2007 | 47000 | 1 | 10/19/2007 |
| Headlight housings reflective surface no longer reflective and plastic lenses on front of housings have become foggy. light output with low beams is hardly more noticeable than driving with just parking lights. this makes for very poor night visibility due to severe degradation of oem headlamp system and that this makes night driving dangerous if not impossible with out some sort of aftermarket lighting system or oem replacements which will soon fail and cause the issue all over again. this is clearly a defect in workmanship and/or design flaw and ford/lincoln/mercury needs to fix this issue with the 93-95 mark viii's with halogen bulbs systems before accidents are caused, lives lost and class action lawsuits begin. *cn | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 63000 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle's high and low beams of the headlights dimmed drastically. a recall was put out #98v009000 which pertained to the exterior lighting headlight switch. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. an independent repair shop replaced the switch on the vehicle but the problems persisted. 08/19/06 updated. *tt | |||
| 07/04/2006 | 40000 | 1 | 06/01/1996 |
| Head lights on my 1994 lincoln mark viii are very dull. this is do to the reflective shield pitting. lincoln acknowledges the problem but will not fix it. there are numerous complaints from across the country on this problem. *nm | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BACK UP LIGHTS | |||
| 11/13/2002 | |||
| Consumer stated that the headlights flicker off/on while driving. *ts | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 01/15/2008 | 10 | 2 | 06/12/2007 |
| The headlights failed prematurely causing multiple night time accidents, even after replacement night time visibility is poor at best. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2008 | 50000 | 500 | 04/15/2002 |
| 94 mark viii - so dim police stopped to advise! *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 104000 | 1 | 08/01/2007 |
| It has come to my attention since purchasing my 1994 lincoln mark viii that the headlights on this model for the years 1993 to 1995 are of poor design and are an extreme hazard when driving at night. the low beam reflectors fail over a short time causing up to 90% loss of candle power rendering the vehicle unusable at night unless using the high beams all the time, causing hazardous conditions for oncoming drivers. i am requesting the assistance of the nhtsa in this matter, as it appears to be a defect that the manufacture has known about for some time and is not willing to reconcile. *tr | |||
| 01/05/2008 | 60000 | 4 | |
| Headlight housings reflective surface no longer reflective and plastic lenses on front of housings have become foggy. light output with low beams is hardly more noticeable than driving with just parking lights. this makes for very poor night visibility due to severe degradation of oem headlamp system and that this makes night driving dangerous if not impossible with out some sort of aftermarket lighting system or oem replacements which will soon fail and cause the issue all over again. this is clearly a defect in workmanship and/or design flaw and ford/lincoln/mercury needs to fix this issue with the 93-95 mark viii's with halogen bulbs systems before accidents are caused, lives lost and class action lawsuits begin. *cn | |||
| 10/19/2007 | 47000 | 1 | 10/19/2007 |
| Headlight housings reflective surface no longer reflective and plastic lenses on front of housings have become foggy. light output with low beams is hardly more noticeable than driving with just parking lights. this makes for very poor night visibility due to severe degradation of oem headlamp system and that this makes night driving dangerous if not impossible with out some sort of aftermarket lighting system or oem replacements which will soon fail and cause the issue all over again. this is clearly a defect in workmanship and/or design flaw and ford/lincoln/mercury needs to fix this issue with the 93-95 mark viii's with halogen bulbs systems before accidents are caused, lives lost and class action lawsuits begin. *cn | |||
| 12/30/2007 | 75320 | 1 | 03/07/2001 |
| The headlights on my 1994 lincoln mark 8 are totally unacceptable in quality and performance. these are without a doubt the worst oem lights ever produced. they are dangerous due to their terrible light output and defective construction!! lincoln will not stand behind their product and does not produce replacement part for this car. this car hes become undriveable at night due to the defective construction of the oem light housings! this is unacceptable! please take the appropriate action!! *tr | |||
| 12/11/2007 | 1 | 07/15/2007 | |
| Poor night drive ability due to poor oem design of headlight system. lights get faded over time and the interior reflector material bakes off. convert to a newer hid system is a very viable solution . *tr | |||
| 10/28/2004 | 2 | ||
| Headlights, make driving at night near impossible and i won't even try when its raining.ive replaced them but they dullout. *tr | |||
| 12/20/2007 | 1 | 07/20/2006 | |
| Headlights are yellowed and low beams are practically useless. *tr | |||
| 06/06/2000 | 80000 | 2 | 06/05/1996 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1994 lincoln mark viii. the plastic lens on the headlights are corroded. the contact stated that the lines on the road and curbs are not visible at night; yet, oncoming drivers are able to see him. in 2000, the dealer stated that they would replace the headlight assemblies for $520. the headlights were sanded down with an electric drill and sand paper by a service station mechanic, which was an improvement; however, the contact has to drive with the high beams activated. the current mileage was 160,000 and failure mileage was 80,000. updated 3/4/08 *cn | |||
| 08/11/2006 | 1 | ||
| Cannot see road during nighttime due to poor headlights. *nm | |||
| 01/06/2005 | 1 | ||
| Faulty headlight lenses they get yellowed and burn from the inside which makes visibility at night very poor. when the headlights are on you cant even tell that they are on and it is even worse in the rain. *nm | |||
| 05/16/2006 | 0 | 1 | 08/23/2005 |
| Headlights on 94 lincoln mark viii, extremely poor, can't tell low beams from park lights... *jb | |||
| 04/15/2006 | 2 | 04/15/2006 | |
| My 1994 lincoln mark viii headlights have suffered extreme dimming due to some defect in the lenses. this is typical of all mark viiis. *jb | |||
| 04/19/2006 | 1 | 06/20/2004 | |
| Poor visibility from the headlights on the 93-95 lincoln mark viiis trouble seeing at night on un-lit streets, or country roads. *nm | |||
| 01/01/2006 | 70835 | 1 | 12/18/2002 |
| Low beam headlights on 1994 lincoln mk viii are so dim that the road marking lines can not be seen directly in from of the car. i have to run with high-beams at night in order to see anything. *nm | |||
| 04/11/2006 | 100000 | 1 | 07/20/1994 |
| I have a severe problem with my lincoln mark viii. the headlights are becoming severely yellowed and i cannot drive at night without the brights on. it has on several occasions caused me to cease traveling at night because of the strain it puts on my vision. i have had several incidents, thankfully without injury or damage where the dull headlamps are to blame. i have attempted to fix this by purchasing expensive replacement bulbs and even installing aftermarket lamps but the lens is to blame, not the bulb or lamp. this is obviously a matter for ford to fix. i purchased this vehicle new and have had it ever since. *nm | |||
| 04/10/2006 | 160000 | 1 | 01/15/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving at night the headlights have very poor visibility, whether the lights are on bright or dim. the lens cover on both headlights are yellowed and scratched. the dealer stated this is normal for this type of vehicle. | |||
| 10/28/1999 | 1 | 10/21/1999 | |
| Headlight degradation have had severe loss of brightness and unable to see at night because of yellowing and loss of reflecting material in the headlights. *nm | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 5000 | 1 | 03/21/2006 |
| When im driving my 1994 lincoln mark viii at night i can't see with my defective headlights. *nm | |||
| 03/07/2005 | 20000 | 1 | 12/15/1999 |
| The headlights on my 1994 lincoln mark viii headlights are inherently defective. deteriorating to the point of uselessness. even when replaced with new factory replacements this deterioration process happens again. i finally had to replace mine with 1995 lincoln mark viii lsc headlights that are hid headlights these are of different design and are superior to the standard headlight design. these hid headlights cost over 1200.00 dollars to purchase. *jb | |||
| 03/23/2006 | 1 | ||
| Headlights are inadequate and are very dangerous at night. i can't see with low beams and can barely see with high beams. *jb | |||
| 06/22/2005 | 0 | 1 | 01/04/2005 |
| Poor night visibility due to sever degradation of oem headlamp system and that this makes night driving dangerous if not impossible with out some sort of aftermarket lighting system or oem replacements which will soon fail and cause the issue all over again. *nm | |||
| 01/01/1998 | 30000 | 1 | |
| 1994 lincoln mark viii head lights so dim i can not drive at night safely. i worry about hitting some one walking on the side of the road. *jb | |||
| 05/19/1996 | 1 | ||
| Defective headlights: after a couple of years, the head lights on my lincoln mark viii because very dull looking. you can hardly see any lights one during the night. i constantly drive with my brights on and it still hard to see. when i have my regular light on, it like driving through the neighborhood with a candle as my light. *nm | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 4 | ||
| My headlights have turned grey and are incredibly unsafe! i own a 1994 mark viii, and virtually all these cars have this problem. please recall them - they cost $300 apiece! *nm | |||
| 01/01/1997 | 30000 | 999 | 01/01/1997 |
| 1994 lincol mark8 has poor headlights/design. difficult to see roadway at night. assembly was replaced which temporaly help, but they are failing again. very little light is projected to roadway. | |||
| 01/01/1997 | 1 | ||
| The headlights on the 1993-1996 lincoln mark viii become unusable due to poor headlight bucket design. please see attatched web address for more ormation. ://web.wt.net/~houtex/marklights.htm. *ak | |||
| 03/03/2004 | 141000 | 1 | 02/01/2004 |
| Driving the vehicle at night eadlight gave little to none light output nside of the headlight is dicolored from the voltage of the lamps becouse of the factory installing too high of a voltage lamp.*ak | |||
| 06/21/2004 | 95000 | 1 | 06/21/2004 |
| Both headlight lenses discolored, and caused poor visibility while driving at night. dealer was not notified. *ak | |||
| 07/14/2004 | 170000 | 1 | |
| During the night headlights were so faint that consumer had use the high beams in order to see. *ak | |||
| 06/14/2004 | 113000 | 5 | |
| The headlight lens produced a thick film . as a result, the headlights were very dim, and caused poor visibility at night. *ak | |||
| 04/21/2004 | 1 | 04/17/2004 | |
| While driving home for the first time at night after owning the car for four days, i could not distinguish if my headlights were on or not. i thought my headlights were not working but i did check to see if they were operational the day i purchased the car. it was a dark and rainy night and the older neighborhood in which i have lived now for eight years does not have adequet lighting, as a result of poor headlights i could have injured a pedestrian that eving trying to turn onto my street. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 58000 | 1 | |
| Headlight lens failure bilaterally.*ak | |||
| 01/19/1994 | 94000 | 2 | |
| Headlights are to dim to see at night. how many complaints and near misses are needed before this problem is fixed. it's not just a yellowing of the lens, the reflective material on the inside is actually burnt! does somebody have to die before this problem is fixed. a simple recall of the defective headlight assembly could save lives. i came within inches of hitting someone because the light output is poor. i was only traveling at 20 mph!!! *cb | |||
| 08/01/2003 | 88000 | 1 | 10/01/1995 |
| The headlights on my licoln are defective and provide a very low level of light on the road. this became more prevelant during a drive in a rural area while on vacation. the ride became dangerous as the only way i could safely see the road was with the utilization of my high beams. the model is a lincoln mark viii, 1994.*ak | |||
| 07/25/2003 | 1 | ||
| Headlights plastic got grey causing poor brightness. dealer stated consumer needed to replace headlight cover system, and would cost $500.00, consumer stated vehicle was no longer under warranty. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 1 | 1 | 09/01/2002 |
| Headlight output is not sufficient, lighting is very bad, even with brand new factory replacements. it is dangerous to drive this car at night, as the road is not lit out enough to see persons, animals or obstructions in the way. this is a known issue with these cars and something should be done to resolve that, as it is only a matter of time until someone will have an accident, hopefully not involving the loss of human life. *jb | |||
| 10/17/2002 | 2 | 10/01/2002 | |
| Headlights are cloudy and reflective surface inside lights are peeling not sure if these are original to the car or factory replacememts. also,the headlights unsafe and very dim! my '93 escort with 235,000 miles and original headlights is brighter. dt | |||
| 04/01/2002 | 2 | 04/01/2002 | |
| Headlights are very dim. provide little or no appreciable illumination in night-time driving and no illumination in rain conditions.*ak | |||
| Driving at night is very dangerous since the car's headlights are as bright as a candle, a candle might actually be brighter. when i drive at night i see the road ahead thanks to the street lights since my headlamps are just terrible. i have done some searching on the internet and i have found that the problem is do to the way the headlamp assembly was made. the 1993-1996 mark viii headlamp assembly deteriorates due to the heat produced by the halogen bulbs. the reflective backing in the headlamp housing burns away do a desings flaw, the materials used in the making of the headlamp assembly can't take the heat from the bulbs, and to make matters worse the car uses 9005 bulbs as low beams, this is the only known car manufactured in the usa that uses these bulbs as low beams. ford motor company is aware of the problem but hasn't done anything about it. ford replaced the halogen assembly for hid assemblies in the 96 models, they did this eventhough the 97 model was going to be redesigned, they were aware of the problem so they replaced the lights in the new 96 models yet they do nothing for the owners of the cars that have the defective lights. i don't know if anybody has died do to these lights but i'm sure that if nothing is done to fix these light someone will die in an accident i can say this because i have to drive at night and just can't see much in front of me, in dim areas i'm practically blind and if i used my high beams i blind other drivers. even if i only used the high beam the same problem as with the low beams would occur since it is a flaw in the desing of the unit.*ak | |||
| 1 | 04/01/2002 | ||
| No description given.*jb | |||
| 06/01/2002 | |||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 2 | 05/01/2001 | ||
| All the mark viiis from 93 to 96 have headlights that do not produce enough light to be driven safely at night. please look at www.markviii.org a lincoln club with other members with the same problem.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2002 | |||
| Headlights do not illuminate safely. i believe this to be because of a poor reflector design.*ak | |||
| 03/21/1997 | 2 | 03/01/2097 | |
| Headlights are extremely dim at night. this is a design flaw!!! new bulbs do not remedy the problem. i have brought the car several documented times to ford and lincoln dealerships complaining of low light. in 1997, the headlight units were replaced, which provided a small improvement, which has since been lost. ford/lincoln is not willing to recognize the design flaw, even though web-based message boards immediately show that this is a common problem! we need a ford-recognized and initiated recall/replacement.*ak | |||
| 1 | 05/01/2002 | ||
| I own two of these cars, same year. the housing for the headlamps has had most of the reflective material burned off from normal heat of factory-rated bulbs. i can barely see at night despite proper alignment. oem replacement parts do not fix the problem. the quality of the reflective material is too thin, and not durable. dealer quoted me $1400 for h.i.d. lighting upgrade(both sides) no response from ford motor co yet.*ak | |||
| 10/01/2099 | |||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2002 | |||
| 90% of the time i can't tell if the lights are on at night !!!*ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | |||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 02/02/2002 | 02/01/2002 | ||
| I can't see at night with my headlights at all. *ak | |||
| 10/20/2001 | 1 | 10/01/2001 | |
| Headlamp assembly is poor design: heat from factory-rated bulbs melt off reflective backing, resulting in severe loss in brightness. low and hi-beams. unable to see more than 20 feet in front of car at night, lights from other cars drown out visibility as well. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2002 | |||
| Headlights do not give enough light to drive with at night. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 05/01/2002 | ||
| Headlights are burned internally due to high woltage oem bulbs and now give off very little light making driving at night hazardous.*ak | |||
| 04/08/2002 | 2 | 03/01/2002 | |
| Headlight dim, danger. *ak | |||
| The headlight completely went out. comsumer took the vehicle in on the first recall, however the problem has not remedied as of yet. recall number 8509 98 v 009 000. please provide any further information. nlm | |||
| 11/01/2000 | |||
| Original lights are dim and dagerous at night. lights have faded over time.*ak | |||
| 02/01/2001 | |||
| Headlights are insufficient. very poor light output.*ak | |||
| 09/01/1998 | |||
| Very difficult to see at night. headlights do not provide enough lighting. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 11/01/1999 | ||
| Through exposure to outdoor elements, the headlight covers for this vehicle have become clouded to the degree that they are useless. this poses a dangerous situation during nightime driving, even using the high beams. we called the dealer to price new covers. the entire headlight assembly would need to be replaced at a cost of $280.00 per light, which i believe is usurious. we have tried to find used replacements and discovered that this problem is universal. each 94 mark viii we found in junkyards has the same problem. thank you for your attention to this. even if the situation cannot be resolved, at least your website allowed me to vent!*ak | |||
| 11/01/2001 | |||
| I would like to report that the headlights do not provide sufficent lighting for night driving. we live in a large city and if it were not for the street lights, we would almost certainly see nothing. my wife wears glasses and can not see very well at night. this vehicle makes it dangerous and almost impossible for her to use it at night. we have explored a few options to provide additional lighting, none of which proved effective. the only solution is a set of lights from ford which cost over $800.00 before installation. the fact that these lights exist tell us that ford was aware of this problem and decided to do something about it 2 years after the production of our vehicle. but for everyone who owns a 95 or older, we are stuck with these lights that are good for lighting up about 7-10' of roadway in front of the vehicle. any help or assistance you can provide in this matter would be greatly appreciated. if anyone here needs to speak with me the best number to reach me at is 972-989-2203, thanks for any assistance that you may be able to provide. sincerely kevin anderson. *ak | |||
| 100 | 11/01/1997 | ||
| The headlights at low beam provide insufficient lighting and also are insufficient at high beam, too, but a little better. cannot see where i am going at night. problem even worse during inclement weather or poorly lit streets. new bulbs have not cured the problem. | |||
| 11/01/2001 | |||
| Insufficient lighting for night driving. very difficult to see in good weather condition. almost impossible in rain, fog, etc. *ak | |||
| 11/01/2000 | |||
| The driving lights are too dim to drive safely at night on lighted streets or highways. *ak | |||
| 09/01/2001 | |||
| Headlights very poor ilumination with headlights--when used on low beam. *ak | |||
| 09/01/2000 | |||
| Lighting (high and low beam) are terribly insufficient at night. all pre 1996 mark viiis suffer from this gross shortcoming. this is a serious safety issue which i hope will be investigated by the nhsta. *ak | |||
| 12/30/1998 | 2 | 12/01/1998 | |
| Headlights provide inadequate lighting. unsafe to operate at night, extremely poor lighting even 20 feet in front of the vehicle. *ak | |||
| 04/24/2000 | 03/01/2000 | ||
| The head lighting system on the 1993-1996 lincoln markviii are sub par. after dark it becomes hard to see the road or anything on the side of the road, it is my belief that the poor head lights caused my accident with a deer that was attempting to cross the road. if the head lights had been better i believe that i would have been able to see the deer with time enough to avoid it. the incident happened on jan 28 2002. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2001 | |||
| The headlights are too dim on this car to be useful.*ak | |||
| 05/15/2000 | 04/01/2000 | ||
| Headlights on this car are so poor that 20ft is max on lo-beam. hi-beam use only, and those are also so weak that no one even flashes me. it appears to be design failure of this assembly. hi watt bulbs provide no additional lighting. this is a safety problem. i am fearful of selling my car or even letting someone else drive it at night, as they will be blind.i at least have figured out where i am going. please help!!! | |||
| 01/24/2002 | 1 | 04/04/1994 | |
| Low and high beam headlights are both dim, causing poor visibility. dealer was notified. *ak *jb | |||
| 08/01/2001 | 2 | 07/01/2001 | |
| Low beam headlights do not give enough lighting. consumer has to drive with high beam headlights on. *ak *scc | |||
| 11/01/2001 | |||
| Headlights are of a very poor design, and do not provide sufficient light for safe operation of vehicle. manufacturer does have an upgraded high intensity discharge lighting system used on 1996 lsc models that could be retrofitted to previous year models. this is a serious safety defect that the manufacturer is aware of but has not voluntarily addressed. *ak | |||
| 10/16/2001 | 1000 | 09/01/2000 | |
| The car has insufficient lighting and i have encounterd several close calls as a result. the most recent incident could have been avoided if the lighting in these vehicles was not of poor design. a deer in the roadway could not be seen due to the lack of sufficient lighting which caused over 3k in damage to my car. there have been several close calls prior to this incedent.*ak | |||
| 01/15/2002 | 100 | ||
| Night time driving is extremely dangerous. the headlights so not put off adaquate illumination to safely maneuver this vehicle. i have owned 6 lincolns in the last 5 years anad still own 3 and this is the only problen i have ahd with any of them involving safety. i almost hit a jogger the other morning because of the dimly shining headlights. please lets do something about this before it ends up in a class action suit againt an otherwise wonderful car and manufacturer. i have another mark viii a 98 model and the lighting is wonderful.help us to continue to enjpy our lincoln product. *ak | |||
| 01/17/2002 | 2 | 08/01/2000 | |
| The head lamps on this vehicle are unacceptable. the amount of light discharged from the lamp is extremely low and ineffective. driving during non-light hours is dangerous and hazardous. it is very difficult to see pedestrians, and other objects in the road. i am filing this report with hopes that the problem may be adjusted by possibly upgrading the lighting system used on the vehicles. thank-you for your time and understanding of this matter.*ak | |||
| Head lights are dim and dangerous for night driving. most times you really have to look hard to see if your lights are on. checked with dealer, and was told that the lenses were cracked on the inside. you can clearly see that the lenses are dulled on the outside and the reflectors on the inside are almost all gone. i cleaned the outside lens with a window cleaner and sprayed some clear polyurethane on them. it cleared the lenses by the reflectors are still not projecting. | |||
| 11/15/2001 | 2 | 05/01/1998 | |
| I bought replacement headlights from ford last year because of yellowing headlights, because i couldn't see at night. i am have the same problem again (can't see at night) with the replacement lights that they sent me and they were original oem parts. *ak | |||
| 06/01/1999 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| Low beam headlights are too dim to be safe and/or effective. *ak | |||
| Headlights cut out & auto lights don't always work. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1997 | |||
| Headlights have become dim to the point of being dangerous. dealer advises the entire assembly must be replaced, at a cost of $600. problem appears to stem from poor design, which results in lenses becoming permanently clouded or discolored. dealer's mechanic referenced uv rays as possible cause. the manufacturer must have been aware that the vehicle would be operated outdoors - and, thus, subject to uv rays - yet, there is apparently no easy solution to this dangerously low light level problem. unit should be recalled because of resultant hazardous condition.*ak | |||
| 07/01/1996 | |||
| Insurficient lighting at night can't see anything. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1999 | |||
| Weak headlights gets dimmer over time because the lens gets yellow & dull.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2001 | |||
| Headlight system is extremely poor in design and light output. when driving at night, its almost like having no lights at all. *ak | |||
| 1 | 04/01/1999 | ||
| Headlights from factory are too dim to see in the dark. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 1 | ||
| Headlights become dim, consumer can barely see out of them, dealership is awre of problem.*ak consumer stated headlamps are very dim, especially on low beam, consumer has purchased halogen bulbs to try and help the problem, the plating on the outer lights(low beam) is virtually gone fromt he inside of the headlamp assemblies, the headlamp assmeblies need replacing.*slc | |||
| 08/02/2001 | |||
| Headlights have stopped functioning. dealership informed consumer that this vehicle was not included in recall 98v009000, and has yet to examine vehicle. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak | |||
| Inadequate lighting from headlights. *ak | |||
| The headlights are so dim on low beam you can not see the road. you have to keep them on high beam so you can see.i have contacted numerous auto part dealers and they can not get this item . its still a dealer item. this is a vey serious problem and you have numerous complaints about it why will ford motor company not acknowledge it?*ak | |||
| 2 | 06/01/2001 | ||
| Headlight lenses are faded so badly you can hardly see the road at night. this seems to be a very big problem with the mark viii. have heard from hundreds of others with the same problem. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2001 | 5 | 02/01/2001 | |
| Headlights are very dim at best and makes for hazardous driving conditions espically when rainy or foggy outside. hard to see with them even on a clear night using low beams.*ak | |||
| 02/05/1997 | 02/01/1997 | ||
| Headlights are grossly inadequate for night driving and hazardous in inclement weather conditions. the vehicle must be operated well below normal highway operating speed to compensate for limited forward field of vision.*ak | |||
| 09/04/1999 | 09/01/1999 | ||
| Headlights did not light up road well enough to see dog in road hit dog craked my bumper killed dog. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2001 | |||
| Inferior light output from headlights. very poor visibility in bad weather. serious safety problem.*ak | |||
| Low beam headlights have always been dangerously underpowered, especially on rainy nights.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | |||
| This problem affects all 1st generation mark viii's 1993-1996 the lighting is dangerously dim. new bulbs do not help. thats why the 2nd gen cars have new headlight assembly's. if you look through this forum -http://www.markviii.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi you will see all of the owners who have problems...it is a well known fact. any help would be greatly appreciated as i do not have over $1000 to spend on new headlight assembly's. thank you for your time in this matter. *ak | |||
| 09/01/2000 | |||
| Lighting is not suffient for nightime driving, headlights produce a low, weak beam. restricts night time driving, especially in seeing pederestians crossing street. unfornately very dangerous design. *ak | |||
| 12/01/2000 | |||
| Low beams do not supply enough light to safely drive at night. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2000 | |||
| The head lamps are dim to the point of not being able to see properly when driving at night and if caught in the rain at night the head lamps are totally useless. i have considered replacing the bulbs with those of a higher wattage but i have learned that because the lenses and the reflectors are made entirely of plastic they will become scorched and produce even less light. additionally the left (driver's) side lamp is more dim than the right side. i have noticed this same problem on nearly all ford products that are 3 or more years old. the lenses and reflectors in my car are in very good condition and i have installed an extra ground wire to each lamp as well as installing relays for the high and low beams, there was a slight improvement, but the quality of light is not as good as the lights on my 1967 mercury (also a ford product). ford seems to know well of this lighting deficiency as they came out with a much improved lighting system for the 1996 and newer mark viiis, the units produced for the 1996 car will fit the 1993 and up cars and nearly all of the owners of these cars feel that these lamps should be recalled and replaced with the hid units produced for the 1996 auto. many owners have replaced the original head lamps with the hid units at their own expense. the cost of replacing the original lamps with the hid lamps is prohibitive for most owners and the dealers have reflected that ford will do nothing unless there is a recall forced upon them. at this time there is no information available to me that would indicate the number of deaths and injuries caused by a driver's inability to see properly at night when driving a 1993 to 1995 mark viii, but as an owner/driver i feel certain that there have been some. in conclusion i and many others feel that ford motor company used untested and poor quality head lamps in what is supposed to be a car of the highest quality. i hope it does not take a series of incidents similar to the firestone / ford explorer | |||
| 10/01/1994 | |||
| Headlights are not bright enough. *ak | |||
| 08/01/1999 | |||
| These are the very worst headlights that i have ever tried to drive with! the design is poor. the amount of light produced is limited and the pattern is not defined. the amount of light produced by the high beams is not equal to the amount of light from my wife's 99 nissan altima or my 89 mustang gt on low beams. if the weather is rainy the light diffusion caused by this is extremely dangerous and makes driving in the rain at night, extremely dangerous and hazardous to your health. *ak | |||
| 01/01/1999 | |||
| Low beam headlights do not put out enough light to safely see during night driving. *ak | |||
| 1000 | 08/01/2000 | ||
| No summary | |||
| 09/01/1997 | |||
| Headlights are very dim. dangerous to drive vehicle at night. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1999 | |||
| No summary | |||
| 02/01/1999 | 2 | 12/01/1998 | |
| Headlights provide inadequate lighting. unsafe to operate at night, extremely poor lighting even 20 feet in front of the vehicle. | |||
| 12/01/1999 | |||
| Very low light from headlights. bulb is bright, not dim but the light cast from the unit is not effective at illuminating the road due to hazing of lens. my lights are aimed according to manufacturer specifications. | |||
| 09/01/1997 | |||
| Headlights are very dim. dangerous to drive vehicle at night. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1999 | |||
| No summary | |||
| 02/01/1999 | 2 | 12/01/1998 | |
| Headlights provide inadequate lighting. unsafe to operate at night, extremely poor lighting even 20 feet in front of the vehicle. | |||
| 12/01/1999 | |||
| Very low light from headlights. bulb is bright, not dim but the light cast from the unit is not effective at illuminating the road due to hazing of lens. my lights are aimed according to manufacturer specifications. | |||
| 12/01/1996 | |||
| From the beginning of owning the vehicle, headlight out put has been too low to see on low beam setting. i must use the highbeams to see in the dark, which disturbs oncoming drivers. all dealers have ever said is, that's the way the mark viii's headlights are or, you can replace the whole lamp assembly and it might improve. that will cost approx. $700-$1000, and won't even ensure that the light output will increase. this defect is very well know by dealers, but we need to get ford to admit the problem and repair it. this was their top-of-the-line model, and the headlights don't even function properly! i've even replaced the bulb assemblies with high-output xenon bulbs, with very little improvement. the only other option is replacing the entire headlamp units. again, ford, not the consumer, should absorb this cost. i'm sure people have complained about this defect, but am unable to find a recall anywhere. it seems to me that headlights (i.e., being able to see while driving) are just as important a feature as seatbelts. please advise me what to do. thank you, steve hart (203) 891-8833. *ak | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1999 | ||
| Bad reflectors & lenses caused dim headlights. *ak | |||
| 09/05/1999 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Headlights are way too dim for a luxury car. buyer beware | |||
| 06/12/1998 | |||
| Recall 98v-009000, headlights; consumer took the vehicle in for repairs, and the dealer did not have the parts to remedy the problem, dealer did not know when the parts would be available, and has no visibility when driving the vehicle. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - CONCEALMENT DEVICES | |||
| 03/07/2005 | 20000 | 1 | 12/15/1999 |
| The headlights on my 1994 lincoln mark viii headlights are inherently defective. deteriorating to the point of uselessness. even when replaced with new factory replacements this deterioration process happens again. i finally had to replace mine with 1995 lincoln mark viii lsc headlights that are hid headlights these are of different design and are superior to the standard headlight design. these hid headlights cost over 1200.00 dollars to purchase. *jb | |||
| 06/04/2004 | 0 | 1 | 06/04/2004 |
| The headlight are very bad. especially during the rain or at night. i think that all the lincoln mark viii's from 93 to 95 should get the hid headlights that the 96 has.*jb | |||
| 03/27/2006 | 90000 | 15 | 07/27/2005 |
| My 1994 lincoln mark viii head lamps are clouding, and i have a horrible time with nighttime visibility due to barley any light coming out of my headlamps. i went to the nearest lincoln dealer and they said to buy mcguigers plastic polish and it should take the cloudiness out, but it didn't. sometimes even in normal conditions i have to drive with my high beams on to be able to see. *jb | |||
| 03/27/2006 | 50000 | 1 | |
| 1994 lincoln mark viii. headlights are faulty and unsafe for night driving, as they lose their reflective ability after a few years. ford wants $500.00 for replacement parts only. *jb | |||
| 01/01/2006 | 1 | 01/01/2006 | |
| Excessive yellowing of headlight lens to the point where headlights are virtually useless at night. has nearly cause several accidents due to poor visibility. *jb | |||
| 08/07/1999 | 155000 | 1 | 08/07/1999 |
| Headlight assemblys on my car a lincoln mark viii/1994 has problem with consisantly dimming lights.. i have cleaned them and replaced bulbs with syvana silver stars/higher out put and lights are still getting dimmer ..i understand a design falure with manufacture is at fault.. .e.g. 10/2/04*ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | |||
| While traveling on the highway the headlight dim intermittenly. the dealership is aware of the problem. mr | |||