1994 Lincoln Mark Viii Exterior lighting Problems

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

NHTSA ID

10491618

Incident

May 5, 2012

Mileage

150,852 mi

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 AVAILABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10365530

Incident

Nov 9, 2010

Mileage

114,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10284478

Incident

Sep 2, 2009

Mileage

95,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10265456

Incident

Jun 15, 1998

Mileage

68,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10243594

Incident

Jan 15, 1994

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

NHTSA ID

10226424

Incident

Apr 23, 2005

THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED PREMATURELY CAUSING MULTIPLE NIGHT TIME ACCIDENTS, EVEN AFTER REPLACEMENT NIGHT TIME VISIBILITY IS POOR AT BEST. *TR

NHTSA ID

10218790

Incident

Jan 15, 2008

Mileage

10 mi

94 MARK VIII - SO DIM POLICE STOPPED TO ADVISE! *TR

NHTSA ID

10215507

Incident

Jan 20, 2008

Mileage

50,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10214945

Incident

Aug 1, 2007

Mileage

104,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10213785

Incident

Jan 5, 2008

Mileage

60,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10213741

Incident

Oct 19, 2007

Mileage

47,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10213209

Incident

Dec 30, 2007

Mileage

75,320 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10212728

Incident

Dec 11, 2007

HEADLIGHTS, MAKE DRIVING AT NIGHT NEAR IMPOSSIBLE AND I WON'T EVEN TRY WHEN ITS RAINING.IVE REPLACED THEM BUT THEY DULLOUT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10212631

Incident

Oct 28, 2004

HEADLIGHTS ARE "YELLOWED" AND LOW BEAMS ARE PRACTICALLY USELESS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10212597

Incident

Dec 20, 2007

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

NHTSA ID

10210320

Incident

Jun 6, 2000

Mileage

80,000 mi

CANNOT SEE ROAD DURING NIGHTTIME DUE TO POOR HEADLIGHTS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10166015

Incident

Aug 11, 2006

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

NHTSA ID

10165229

Incident

Jan 1, 1999

Mileage

63,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10161385

Incident

Jul 4, 2006

Mileage

40,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10158848

Incident

Jan 6, 2005

HEADLIGHTS ON 94 LINCOLN MARK VIII, EXTREMELY POOR, CAN'T TELL LOW BEAMS FROM PARK LIGHTS... *JB

NHTSA ID

10157655

Incident

May 16, 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

NHTSA ID

10156439

Incident

Apr 15, 2006

POOR VISIBILITY FROM THE HEADLIGHTS ON THE 93-95 LINCOLN MARK VIIIS TROUBLE SEEING AT NIGHT ON UN-LIT STREETS, OR COUNTRY ROADS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10155702

Incident

Apr 19, 2006

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

NHTSA ID

10155296

Incident

Jan 1, 2006

Mileage

70,835 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10155038

Incident

Apr 11, 2006

Mileage

100,000 mi