Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Driver assistance reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest May 15, 2002
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
8%
of 137 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1
What this page shows
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1994 Mercury Cougar submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Owner reports naming driver-assistance
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
BrakesDriver assistanceVisibility
Filed May 15, 2002
VEHICLE BEGAN SPONTANEOUS ACCELERATION WHILE IDLE AND STOPPED ON 10 OCCASIONS SINCE 5/1/2002. IT TOOK ALL OF MY STRENGTH TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM JOLTING FORWARD AT A HIGH SPEED. WHILE PULLING INTO MY GARAGE TODAY, TRAVELLING AT LESS THAT 1 MPH, THE CAR ACCELEARATED ON ITS OWN AND I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT FROM CRASHING INTO A HEATING OIL TANK. VEHICLE HAS BEGUN TO RANDOMLY SHUDDER WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AT VARIOUS SPEEDS FROM 10 TO 65 MPH. THIS IS NOT A CONSISTENT PROBLEM BUT VERY DANGEROUS WHEN IT OCCURRED ON HIGHWAY YESTERDAY. POWER WINDOW ON DRIVER SIDE NOW RANDOMLY SHUDDERS WHEN LOWERING. THIS IS NOT A CONSISTENT PROBLEM AND IS NEW. THE PASSENGER POWER WINDOW IS INOPERABLE AND TOO EXPENSIVE FOR ME TO HAVE FIXED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT HAS BEEN ON SINCE 1997 AND THIS IS ALSO A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD COST ME $150 TO FIX AND THAT IT IS MERELY A SENSOR DEFECT AND NOT A AFETY ISSUE. HOWEVER, IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, FORD SHOULD OVER THE COST FOR REPAIR, NOT THE CONSUMER.
NHTSA ID
761952
Incident
May 1, 2002
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 22, 2002
Crash reported
ON DECEMBER 23 MY WIFE WAS DRIVING MY 1994 MERCURY COUGAR AND SHE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. *AK,
NHTSA ID
757170
Incident
Dec 23, 2001
BrakesDriver assistanceEngine+3 more
Filed Apr 6, 2000
THE CARS ENGINE HAS BEEN REPLACED(SO THEY SAID) ON JULY 1997 AND NOW THE ENGINE IS GONE AGAIN. THE SPEED CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKES 4 TIMES ALREADY. THE DOOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE THE WINDOW SOMETIMES DOES NOT WORK THE WINDOWS ARE POWER AND WILL NOT GO UP OR DOWN.ALSO THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED ALSO THE CAR HAS TIRE VIBRATION THANK YOU THIS CAR IS NOW BROKE DOWN AGAIN AND WE STILL ARE MAKING PAYMENTS I CALLED THE DEALER ON 4-5-2000 AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR LOOKING AT OUR CAR PROBLEMS. *AK
NHTSA ID
721108
Incident
Jan 30, 1997
Driver assistance
Filed May 19, 1999
WHEN TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED OR WHEN MAKING A STOP VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER REPLACED SENSOR. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
NHTSA ID
838137
Driver assistance
Filed Mar 1, 1999
AFTER PROCEEDING FROM A STOP LIGHT AND TAKING FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO VERY HIGH RPMS. APPLIED BRAKES, BUT DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER PUT VEHICLE IN PARK IN ORDER TO GET VEHICLE TO STOP. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
NHTSA ID
835375
Driver assistance
Filed May 18, 1998
97V22500 FORD CONTOUR, 97V225000, MERCURY MISTIQUE, CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN HE MOVES HIS FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR KEEPS GOING. RECALL ON OTHER CARS THAT HE OWNS STATES THAT IN CARS WITH TRACTION CONTROL ENGINE MAY NOT SLOW TO IDLE WHEN DRIVER REMOVES FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR. HE IS NOW HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE THIRD VEHICLE. *AK
NHTSA ID
823391
Incident
May 4, 1998
Driver assistanceFuel system
Filed Nov 25, 1997
GEAR ENGAGEMENT; VEHICLE REEVS 3,000 RMPS. WATER DEVELOPED THROUGH INLET, COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. DEALER'S COMMENTS: MASS FLOW AIR SENSOR ALSO SERVICED ON BYPASS AIR VALVE TUBE. *AK
NHTSA ID
817789
Incident
Aug 28, 1997
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 31, 1997
HAS ROUGH ENGINE IDLE, WHEN AT TRAFFIC LIGHT AND FEELS VEHICLE SURGING; HAD AT DEALERSHIP NUMEROUS TIMES BUT PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK
NHTSA ID
808487
Incident
Jan 27, 1997
Driver assistanceTransmission
Filed Jan 23, 1997
ON THE BELTWAY WENT TO ACCELERATE AND THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO VIBRATE AND THEN LOST POWER. THIS CONSUMER HAD TO LET UP AND TAKE FOOT OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL AND TRIED IT AGAIN AND THE VEHICLE PICKED UP AGAIN. PLEASE GIVE MORE DETAILS. *AK
NHTSA ID
808020
Incident
Jan 20, 1997
Driver assistance
Filed May 8, 1995
WHEN PRESSED, GAS PEDAL VIBRATES AND ACCELERATES. TT
NHTSA ID
964922
Incident
Aug 8, 1994
Driver assistance
Filed Feb 22, 1995
Crash reported1 injury reported
WENT TO STEP ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 70 MILES PER HOUR. TT
NHTSA ID
960347
Incident
Feb 6, 1995
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own