1997 Lincoln Mark Viii problems
Owners have filed 103 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Lincoln Mark Viii. Lighting is the most reported problem area, at 33% of complaints. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (21%) and cruise control (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 103 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Lighting 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 61,000 miles 42 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 42 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 61,000 miles. For lighting specifically, the median reported mileage is about 61,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 94% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Lincoln Mark Viii with enough data (47 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 lincoln mark viii. While merging into traffic between 5-10 MPH, the vehicle began moving erratically for a few minutes. The contact noticed smoke coming from the cabin and under the hood, along with an electrical smell surrounding the vehicle. The driver stopped the vehicle until the smoking ceased. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer or a mechanic. NHTSA campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control) was referenced. The switch was deactivated, but has not been replaced.
Headlights on my 1997 lincoln mark viii suddenly went out while driving on the highway at 70 MPH causing a near fatal crash. I luckily ran off the road into a muddy grassy area and became stuck and not killed. I took it to the shop only to find I could not afford to get the lights repaired because the headlights on this car cost $1600.00. The bright lights still work, it was only the dimm lights that went out for no reason.
Pedal went allthe way to the floor and there were no brakes at all. Pulled over to check there were 2 pieces of brake tubing dragging and protruding ,they were severed in half.
When the driver's side low-beam hid headlamp began failing, I took it to the dealer, since parts are not available anywhere else. Then I found out that parts will cost $780 ($200 for the headlamp + $580 for an "upgraded" mounting assembly which is required due to parts obsolescence and a lincoln engineering mistake). After some complaining, I got ford and the dealer to reduce cost to $380 for parts plus $120 for labor. $500 to replace a headlight (required safety feature is absolutely unacceptable!
Vehicle was traveling down a busy urban street and while approaching an intersection, the driver begin turning slightly to change lanes and the steering wheel separated from the steering column, leaving the vehicle with no steering.