1998 Lincoln Mark Viii

Typical pattern

12.2% of complaints about the 1998 Lincoln Mark Viii came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 1998 vehicle — around the middle of the 180 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.0 yr in service. The most-reported system is visibility (26 complaints), typically at 5.4 yr or about 56,200 miles.

Complaints: 90
Median age at failure: 6.0 yr
Median mileage: 65,639 n=38
Crash / fire / tow: 6.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

16E026000 2016-04-01

Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:pads

Bosch Brake Components LLC (Bosch) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement front brake pads, models Bosch QuietCast BC598 and BP765, Bosch Blue BE598 and BE598H, Prostop PD598 and PD765M, Duralast Gold DG598, Duralast MKD598, Stop Master ST598, UltraStop ULT598, UltraLife MX598 and MX765, BrakeBest MKD765, and Prostop Platinum PGD598. These brake pads, manufactured October 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015 are intended for use on 2001-2007 Ford Taurus, 2001-2005 Mercury Sable, 1995-1999 Ford Taurus SHO, 1995-2002 Lincoln Continental, and 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII vehicles. The brake pad shi

A damaged or broken brake disc may reduce a vehicle's braking power, increasing the risk of a crash.

07V336000 2007-08-03

Speed control

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.

THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Visibility mileage not reported 3.3 yr in service

DRIVER'S DOOR OUTSIDE MIRROR FAILED. DOES NOT REFECT ANYMORE AND YOU SEE DOUBLE WHEN LOOKING AT IT. ELECTROCHROMATIC FEATURE OF THIS MIRROR FAILED. HAVE SEEN MANY REPORTS OF THIS FAILURE BUT MOST MUST HAVE BEEN REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS SAFETY DEFECT IN THESE MIRRORS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR SERIOUS INJURY SINCE YOU CANNOT SEE ONCE THEY FAIL. *AK

Visibility mileage not reported 1.8 yr in service

WINDSHIELD REARVIEW MIRROR (ELECTROCHROMIC) VIBRATES ON ROUGH ROAD SURFACES -AND- AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. THIS IMPARTS AN EXTREMELY BLURRED IMAGE. THE ORIGINAL MIRROR WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THE REPLACEMENT EXHIBITS THIS PROBLEM ALSO.*AK

Visibility mileage not reported 5.1 yr in service

ACTUATOR FAILS, THUS NEVER ALLOWING TEMPERATURE TO CHANGE IN CAR. WINDSHIELD FOGS UP CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. MR

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1998 Lincoln Mark Viii

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

How to read this