1998 Lincoln Mark Viii problems

“WEATHER CHANGE. HEATER BLEND DOOR WILL NOT OPEN. NO DEFROSTER OR HEATER IN WINTER WEATHER CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH SEEING OUT WINDSHIELD AND HYPOTHERMIA. I'VE HAD FIXED TWICE AT A COST OF $900 EACH TIME. ON ANY FORUM DEALING WITH THE MARK VIII IT IS A CONTINUING PROBLEM CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE PART. IT SHOULD BE A MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE PARTS WHICH CAUSE TRAFFIC HAZARDS, I.E., FAILURE TO DEFROST DUE TO BLEND DOOR NOT OPENING. PART IS LESS THAN $10, REPAIR IS LABOR INTENSIVE. *TR”

“UPDATE TO LAST COMPLAINT: THE PASSENGER SIDE HID HEADLIGHT HAS FAILED, NO REPLACEMENT EXCEPT $1000 CONVERSION KIT. HAVE TO DRIVE WITH ONLY "BRIGHTS" ON FROM NOW ON. DANGER TO MYSELF AND THOSE I'M PASSING, PLUS IF THE "BRIGHTS" AREN'T ON, THEN I HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS AND COULD GET PULLED OVER. PASSENGER SIDE BALL JOINT/CONTROL ARM BROKE WHILE DRIVING AND TIRE FELL OFF WHILE DRIVING IN PARKING LOT AT WORK. AFTER REPAIR, HEARING A BAD CREAKING NOISE. AIR SUSPENSION HAS TO FILL UP ALL THE WAY WHEN I START THE VEHICLE EVEN AFTER 5 MINUTES OF IT BEING SHUT OFF. HAVE PAID $1,200 FOR REPAIRS OF SUSPENSION AND STEERING IN 6 MONTHS. (THAT'S WITH MY DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT). SERIOUSLY, I'VE HEARD TOO MUCH ABOUT DEFECTIVE BALL JOINTS, HEADLIGHTS, NO HEAT, DOOR HANDLES SNAPPING OFF, AND THE AIR SUSPENSION GOING BAD. WHY IS FORD NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THESE OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE PARTS??? BECAUSE THE CAR IS RARE AND THEY DON'T MAKE THEM ANYMORE???”

“I'VE HAD THIS GEM SINCE 2010, BOUGHT WITH 30,000 MILES...NOW HAS 104,000 MILES. IT WAS GREAT UNTIL 2014. WHERE DO I START? (1) NO HEAT- BROKEN BLENDER DOOR ACTUATOR...MANUALLY SET IT TO THE WARM SETTING FOR THE WINTER BEHIND GLOVE BOX. (2) DRIVER'S DOOR HANDLE SNAPPED LAST YEAR(REPLACED FOR $100)...AND NOW THIS YEAR THE PASSENGER SIDE SNAPPED. (3) DOORS ARE CONSTANTLY "AJAR", ALTERNATING FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. (4) BALL JOINT IS STARTING TO WEAR BADLY, (5) DRIVER'S SEAT WON'T RECLINE, (6) STEERING WHEEL WON'T MOVE FORWARD/BACKWARD ANYMORE, (7) SUSPENSION IS STARTING TO GO...FRONT END LOWERS TO GROUND AFTER SHUTTING DOWN ENGINE. I'M SURE THERE'S MORE THAT I CAN'T THINK OF.”

“THE BRAKES CAN QUIT WORKING AFTER THE AUTOMATIC PARKING BRAKE RELEASE SOLENOID FAILS TO RELEASE THE REAR BRAKES WHEN THE TRANSMISSION LEVER IS MOVED OUT OF PARK. THE REAR BRAKES WILL THEN OVERHEAT AFTER SEVERAL MILES, WHICH CAUSES THE BRAKE FLUID TO EVENTUALLY BOIL AND BE EXPELLED FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER. THE FIRST SYMPTOM IS THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND BRAKING BECOMES ERRATIC. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE BRAKING SYSTEM TOTALLY FAILED TO STOP THE CAR DUE TO LACK OF BRAKE FLUID IN THE MASTER CYLINDER. PUMPING THE BRAKE PEDAL RAPIDLY AND SHEER LUCK ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT HAVE PREVENTED A MAJOR CRASH (SO FAR...)! THE REAR BRAKE PADS AND FLUID HAVE BEEN REPLACED, BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE NO FIX AVAILABLE THAT WOULD PREVENT THE PROBLEM FROM RE-OCCURRING. THIS SAFETY DEFECT APPEARS TO BE CAUSED BY THE PARKING BRAKE POSITION SENSOR SWITCH FAILING TO NOTIFY THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE THAT THE PARKING BRAKE IS SET,, SO THE CONTROLLING SOFTWARE DOESN'T BOTHER TO RELEASE THE BRAKE AT DRIVE-OFF. THE WARNING LIGHT ALSO FAILS TO INDICATE A PROBLEM TO THE DRIVER, WHICH MAKES THIS A VERY DANGEROUS COMBINATION OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE FAILURE AFTER THIS…”

“I ROLAND MATOS PURCHASED A LINCOLN MARK VIII ON 06\27\01. BEAUTIFUL CAR . BUT 2 WEEKS AFTER I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWERTILT\TELESCOPE STEERING. IT WASN'T MOVING BACK AND FORTH ANY-MORE, AND DROPPING ITS BALL BEARINGS ON DRIVERSIDE MAT. SO I CALLED COUNTY LINE LEXUS WHERE I PURCHASED CAR, THEY TOLD ME THAT I BOUGHT THE CAR "AS IS" THEY DIRECTED ME TO FORD. I CALLED FORD AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I HAD VEHICLE FOR LESS THAN A MONTH ,THAT I HAD TO PAY TO FIX IT. SO I CONTACTED NHTSA AND TOLD THEM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOSE IT MOVES UP AND DOWN FREELY EVEN WITHOUT PRESSURE. I'VE MADE 3 COMPLAINTS. UP TO THIS DAY ITS STILL NOT FIXED.THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ THIS LETTER. PLEASE HELP ROLAND. *LA”

“SINCE PURCHASE OF VEHICLE, I HAVE RETURNED IT TO THE LINCOLN DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DUE TO COMPUTER FAILURE. THE CONPUTER CONSOLE READ THE GAS MILEAGE, DRIVER DOOR AJAR, OTHER VEHICLE ERRORS QUITE OFTEN. WHEN REQUESTED FOR AN ENGINEER FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO COME DOWN AND INSPECT THE VEHICLE FOR COMPUTER MALFUNCTION PROBLEMS I WAS TOLD THAT THE FORD ENGINEER WAS SPOKEN TO OVER THE PHONE AND HE SUGESSTED TO WAIT AND THE COMPUTER WOULD RESET ITSELF NORMALLY. I FEEL THAT THE CONSTANCE MALFUNCTIONING OF THE COMPUTER COULD ALSO BE THE CASUE FOR THE AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING DOING THE ACCIDENT. WHEN I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE WRITER AS THE FREEDOM FORD LINCOLN MERCURY REPAIR SHOP ABOUT THE POSSIBLE AIRBAG PROBLEM I WAS TOLD THAT THE AIRBAG WAS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GRILL (FENDER) AND UNLESS THE CAR WAS DAMAGED IN THAT PARTICULAR AREAR THEN THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY. I INIDICATED TO THE GENTLEMEN THAT THE ANSWER HE GAVE TO ME WAS NOT SATISFACTORY NOR WAS IT LOGICAL BECASUE IF I WAS HIT FROM THE REAR AT TA FAST RATE OF SPEED AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY BUT I HIT THE WINDSHIELD OR WENT THROUGH THE WINSHIELD THEN BASED ON HIS ANSWER OF SOLUTION THE AIRBAG…”