Chevrolet Malibu Classic vs Lincoln Mark Viii

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Chevrolet Malibu Classic	Lincoln Mark Viii
Complaints on file	406	984
Model years covered	1997–2008	1989–2000
Worst model year	2004	1993
Best model year	2007	1997
Crashes reported	33	49
Fires reported	6	21
Injuries reported	25	18
Deaths reported	4	6
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Lights
Share of complaints involving harm	16.7%	9.6%

Chevrolet Malibu Classic by year

3 10 5 13 17 21 18 144 123 16 36

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 07 08

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 169 41.6%

Steering 60 14.8%

Engine & Cooling 28 6.9%

Lights 27 6.7%

Fuel & Propulsion 22 5.4%

Airbags 15 3.7%

Other & Unspecified 14 3.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 11 2.7%

Lincoln Mark Viii by year

1 1 286 190 172 120 103 108 2 1

89 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Lights 576 58.5%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 72 7.3%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 51 5.2%

Brakes 45 4.6%

Electrical System 43 4.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 36 3.7%

Suspension 28 2.8%

Steering 22 2.2%