RoadVitals

1999 Mercury Cougar Other / unspecified Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the other system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Other / unspecified 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.
9
Latest Jan 15, 2014
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.
2%
of 454 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.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Mercury Cougar submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 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 other

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Driver assistanceOther / unspecifiedSteering
Filed Jan 15, 2014

I HAVE ONLY OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS AND HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS INCLUDING BRAKE LIGHTS NOT WORKING AND BACK WHEEL LOCKING UP. IT WAS RAINING, I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY ABOUT 55 MPH AND SUDDENLY THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT COMPLETELY, THE HEAT/DEFROST STOPPED WORKING AND MY BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON. I JUST INSTALLED A BRAND NEW BATTERY JUST 6 DAYS BEFORE INCIDENT, ALTHOUGH THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE RAINING. THIS TIME IT WAS EXTREMELY SCARY DUE TO THE HIGH SPEED I WAS DRIVING AND BECAUSE THE HEAT STOPPED WORKING MY WINDOWS STARTED TO FOG UP QUICKLY CAUSING MY VISIBILITY TO BE REDUCED DRAMATICALLY WHILE TRYING TO USE ALL MY STRENGTH TO STEER THE CAR AROUND A CURVE WITHOUT HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. AS SOON AS I WAS ABLE TO SEE AN EXIT I GOT OFF FREEWAY AND CAR DIED COMPLETELY DRIVING UP THE OFF RAMP. THANK GOD THERE WASN'T ANY VEHICLES BEHIND ME I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AFTER WAITING ABOUT HALF HOUR CAR STARTED BACK UP, POWER STEERING & HEAT WAS BACK ON. I HAVE 2 YOUNG KIDS AND I'M SCARED TO DRIVE IN THIS CAR WITH THEM. *TR

NHTSA ID
10560074
Incident
Jan 12, 2014
Mileage
116,000 mi
ElectricalEngineFuel system+1 more
Filed Jun 20, 2006

I WOULD LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MY COUGAR. I CANNOT PASS THE IL. EMISSIONS TESTS, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE O2 SENSORS ARE DEFECTIVE. MY ENGINE LIGHT IS CONSTANTLY ON. I HAVE HAD MY CAR SERVICED FOR THE ENGINE LIGHT, ALONE, 8 DIFFERENT TIMES. EIGHT! THIS IS INCREDIBLE. ALSO, MY CAR MAKES A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE WHEN I ATTEMPT TO START IT. -IF IT STARTS AT ALL.- I HAVE HAD MY STARTER REPLACED TWICE. TWICE!!! THIS CAR IS A LEMON. NOTHING BUT A LEMON. HOW COULD MERCURY SALE SUCH CRAP AND GET AWAY WITH IT. MY DRIVERS' LICENSE WILL BE SUSPENDED BECAUSE I CANNOT PASS THE EMISSIONS TEST. IF I CAN EVEN GET MY CAR TO THE TESTING FACILITY. I HAVE HAD THE ALTERNATOR CHANGED, THE FUEL PUMP, THE ELECTRICAL WIRING CHANGED, SUNROOF, TURNING SIGNAL, EVEN THE RADIO WAS DEFECTIVE. I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THERE IS A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST MERCURY, BECAUSE I WILL BE THE FIRST ONE IN LINE TO SUE. *NM *TR

NHTSA ID
10160273
Incident
Jun 1, 2006
Body & structureBrakesElectrical+4 more
Filed Jun 4, 2004

MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH 1999 MERCURY COUGAR. *MR THE VEHICLE DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC ON THREE OCCASIONS. THERE WERE ALTERNATOR AND FUEL PROBLEMS. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A CREDITED AMOUNT OF FUNDS AND REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE BATTERY, BRAKES AND ADDITIONAL EXPENSES. OTHER PROBLEM ARE AS FOLLOWED: THE NEW WHEELS WERE DEFECTIVE (CORRODED AND FROZEN), THE BRAKE SENSOR SNAPPED OFF OF THE WHEEL, THE CD PLAYER WAS SKIPPING, THE HATCH WOULD NOT RELEASE PROPERLY, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE, THE KEYLESS ENTRY WITH ANTI-THEFT WAS INOPERATIVE, THERE WAS ROUGH IDLE, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WOULD STICK, THE CUP HOLDER DID NOT SHUT, THE HOOD WOULD NOT OPEN, AND THE LIGHTS WOULD DIM AND OR BRIGHTEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID
10075877
Incident
Jun 1, 2004
BrakesOther / unspecified
Filed Jan 13, 2003

WHILE TRAVELING AT 45 MPH VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP ON ITS OWN. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHERE DEALER INDICATED THEAT BOLTS FELL OUT WHICH CAUSED BRAKES TO LOCK UP. *JB. *AK

NHTSA ID
10003656
Mileage
36,000 mi
Other / unspecifiedTires & wheels
Filed Jan 27, 2002

THE FIRST TIME THE WHEEL CRACKED WHILE EXITING INTERSTATE AND RUNNING OVER A SMALL POTHOLE. THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING MY DAUGHTER DID. THE SECOND TIME A FEW MONTHS LATER, ANOTHER ONE CRACKED IN THE SAME LOCATION ON THE WHEEL AND CAUSED THE TIRE TO BLOW OUT. CHECKED WITH THE DEALER WHO REFUSED TO TAKE ANY ACTION OR EVEN INVESTIGATE ANY CHANCE OF MALFUNCTION OF WHEELS. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER WHEN HAVING THE CAR SERVICED, WAS TOLD THE OTHER 2 WHEELS WERE BENT CAUSING THE CAR TO VIBRATE WHILE DRIVING AT 55 TO 60 MPH.*AK

NHTSA ID
757404
Incident
Apr 1, 1999
Other / unspecified
Filed Mar 26, 2001

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT DESIGN OF WHEEL. UNDER ICY/SLUSHY CONDITIONS, CONSUMER'S WHEEL LOCKED UP/(FROZE AND CAUSED VEHICLE TO SLIDE. *AK WHEN THE WHEEL LOCKED UP, THE TIRE DID NOT ROTATE RESULTING IN WEARING OF TIRE. *YH

NHTSA ID
884136
Incident
Feb 15, 2001
Other / unspecified
Filed Feb 7, 2001

THIS IS THE SECOND WHEEEL FAILURE IN 200 MILES. THE HEAT FROM THE DOCUMENTED POOR BRAKE SYSTEM MAY BE CAUSING THE RIM FAILURE AND THE NUMEROUS BRAKE AND BLOWOUT RELATED COMPLAINTS POSTED TO DATE. ONCE AGAIN, TWO WEEKS SINCE THE FIRST SUDDEN DEFLATION, THE FRONT LEFT TIRE SUDDENLY DEFLATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE BRAKES WERE EXTREMELY HOT AS WERE THE TIRES AND WHEELS ON THE FRONTS OF BOTH SIDES. THE REARS WERE "AIR TEMPERATURE." EITHER THE PROPORTIONING VALVE IS NON-FUNCTIONAL, OR THE FRONT BRAKES ARE DRAGGING CAUSING EXCESS HEAT TO THE EXTENT THAT TIRES, BRAKES, AND EVEN ALUMINUM RIMS ARE SOFTENING ENOUGH TO CAUSE BLOW-OUTS. ONCE AGIN THE TIRE IS IN FINE SHAPE AND IS CURRENTLY HOLDING AIR; THE RIM IS BENT IN TWO PLACES ON THE INNER BEAD CONTACT AND I'M LEFT WITH ANOTHER $500 DILEMA AND A FAMILY SAFETY QUESTION. BOTH WHEELS AND TIRE ARE AVAILABLE FOR INVESTIGATION AS I WILL BE FORCED TO BUY ANOTHER REPLACEMENT TIRE AND WHEEL. ODI ID 850215 MAY HAVE HAD A SIMILAR DEFECT. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT.

NHTSA ID
740603
Incident
Jan 23, 2001
Body & structureBrakesElectrical+2 more
Filed Sep 18, 2000

WHEEL NUT WRENCH IS DEFECTIVE. *SLC

NHTSA ID
554701
Incident
Feb 9, 2000
AirbagsBody & structureEngine+1 more
Filed Jun 12, 2000

DRIVER'S DOOR WILL NOT CLOSE COMPLETELY. *SLC

NHTSA ID
784693

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

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .