1994 LINCOLN MARK VIII Complaints

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

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DANGEROUSLY UNDERPOWERED, ESPECIALLY ON RAINY NIGHTS.*AK

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

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

TANSMISSION REAR SEAL REPLACED, CONTINUED TO SLIP, THEN THE POWER STEERING PUMP WENT OUT AIR RIDE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT 4 TIMES (2) FRONT (2) REAR.. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED ALARM WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING LOCKS WHOULD LOCK ON YOU WHILE TRYING TO ENTER CAR IF YOU COULD BET THE LOCKS THE ALARM WOULD GO OFF .. ALTERNATOR WENT OUT AGTER I WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. VIBRATION IN CAR WHILD DRIVING AND IDILING. OVER HEATED NEW RADIATOR AND THERMOSTAT, 2 TIMING BELTS, INTAKE GASKETS NUMEROUS OTHER PARTS TO GET RID OF VIBRATATION ENGINE HAS BEEN TORN DOWN 3 TIMES ITS NOW IN A ENGINE SHOP. ENGINE MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MY CAR SINCE AUG.2, 2000. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 35MPH DRIVESHAFT BROKE IN HALF, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN. HAD ALSO MISSED FUEL TANK. VEHICLE TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP. MECHANIC INDICATED THE DRIVESHAFT WAS REPAIRABLE. *AK

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

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS DO NOT PUT OUT ENOUGH LIGHT TO SAFELY SEE DURING NIGHT DRIVING. *AK

TRANSIMISSION GOES INTO NUETRAL FOR SPLIT SECOND AND GOES BACK IN GEAR,VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED 4 TIMES AND IS CURRENTLY IN SHOP(DEALERSHIP)WAITING ON PARTS.PART IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER PER THE DEALERSHIP(ASTRO LINCOLN MERCURY IN PENSACOLA,FLORIDA.

HEADLIGHTS PROVIDE INADEQUATE LIGHTING. UNSAFE TO OPERATE AT NIGHT, EXTREMELY POOR LIGHTING EVEN 20 FEET IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE.