1999 Mercury Cougar Transmission Problems

LOUD GRINDING NOISE FROM THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION OCCURS WHEN CAR IS DOWN SHIFTED TO FIRST GEAR COMING TO A STOP, OR SHIFTED TO FIRST NOT BEING AT A COMPLETE STOP, THE SHIFT LEVER "POPS OUT OF GEAR" AND ADMITTING A VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE. PREVENTING THIS WOULD BE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP FROM NEUTRAL, THEN AFTER STOPPING COMPLETELY PROCEED TO ENGAGE CLUTCH AND PUT CAR INTO FIRST GEAR. FIRST GEAR SOMETIMES HARD TO SHIFT INTO, MIGHT BE A SHIFT LINKAGE PROBLEM. SOUNDS LIKE THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION GRINDING WITH A LOUD WINDING SQUEAL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10342131

Incident

Mar 1, 2010

Mileage

128,300 mi

I HAVE A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR, AND HAVE HAD IT ABOUT 4 YEARS NOW. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR, EXCEPT HAVING TO HAVE THE ALTERNATOR REPLACED. I WORK 3RD SHIFT (7P-7A) AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL, AND ON MY WAY HOME, MY CAR STARTED SLIPPING IN AND OUT OF GEAR. THE CAR WOULD GO FOR A MINUTE, THEN IT WOULD STOP, AND I WOULD PUSH THE GAS AND THE CAR WOULD JUST REV UP. I HAD A LINE OF TRAFFIC BEHIND ME, SO I AS TRYING MY BEST TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. I FINALLY GOT IT INTO AN EMPTY PARKING LOT AND CALLED TO GET SOME HELP. I WAS VERY TIRED FROM WORKING A 12 HOUR SHIFT AND HAD TO WAIT 2 HOURS FOR SOMEONE TO COME AND GET ME. WE GOT THE CAR TO A MECHANIC, WHICH SAID THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION, AND HE THEN TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD DRAIN THE TRANSMISSION, PUT NEW FLUID IN IT, AND SEE IF THAT FIXED THE PROBLEM. TO MY VERY UNFORTUNATE NEWS, THE TRANSMISSION HAS WENT OUT IN MY CAR. I AM A FULL-TIME STUDENT AND FULL-TIME WORKING TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET. DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION GOING OUT IN MY CAR, I HAVE MISSED CLASSES, AND IT'S BECOMING A HEADACHE TRYING TO GET TO AND FROM WORK, SCHOOL, AND OTHER PLACES I NEED TO BE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE 1999 COUGARS HAD A RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION AND THAT I NEEDED TO FIND OUT ABOUT IT. THIS IS WHAT I AM DOING NOW. I CAN'T AFFORD A NEW TRANSMISSION, LET ALONE A NEW CAR, WHILE I'M TRYING TO GO TO SCHOOL. THIS WHOLE ORDEAL HAS THROWN ME OFF, BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN (IN ONE DAY) THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. I HOPE THIS PROBLEM IS RESOLVED, AND I GET SOME HELP WITH FIXING MY CAR. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, AND I HOPE THAT MY PROBLEM IS LOOKED INTO. THANKS, GINA BROOK MELTON *TR

NHTSA ID

10243573

Incident

Sep 9, 2008

Mileage

120,000 mi

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR AUTOMATIC V6. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT WITH THE VEHICLE, BUT CONTINUE TO HAVE MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. LIKE OTHER 1999 ' 2000 MERCURY COUGAR OWNERS I WORRY ABOUT THE SAFETY OF DRIVING A VEHICLE WITH MORE PROBLEMS THAN CAN COST EFFECTIVELY BE FIXED. MY LIST OF BROKEN ITEMS INCLUDE THE RADIO, POWER WINDOW REGULATOR, O2 SENSORS, TRANSMISSION AT 59,000 MILES, DASHBOARD LIGHTS (LOW COOLANT AND CHECK ENGINE), DOOR/WINDOW LEAKY SEAL ISSUES, ENGINE MISFIRE (DECREASED ACCELERATION) AND NOW MY CRUISE CONTROL AND TURN SIGNALS DO NOT WORK. UPON RESEARCHING THE RECALL FOR CRUISE CONTROL FIRES DEALING WITH FORD PRODUCTS I FOUND THAT I AM AMONG OTHER DISGRUNTLED COUGAR OWNERS. FORD/MERCURY OR FORD TECHNICIANS HAVE NOT DONE A SATISFACTORY JOB LETTING OWNERS KNOW OF RECALLS THAT NEED ATTENTION. MY LATEST CONCERN IS THAT MY COUGAR MIGHT START ON FIRE, PER MY COMPLAINT WITH FORD; THEY SEE NO THREAT WITH MY CRUISE CONTROL ISSUES AND SUGGESTED I CONTACT THE NHTSA WITH MY COMPLAINT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10222903

Incident

Mar 15, 2008

BRAKES CONTINUE TO GRIND EVEN AFTER REPLACEMENT. TRANSMISSION SURGES AND HESITATES UPON ACCELERATION CAUSING UNEXPECTED INCREASES IN SPEED. TRANSMISSION ALSO SLIPS IN AND OUT OF GEARS RANDOMLY. ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10205576

Incident

Jan 9, 2007

Mileage

73,000 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHTS DID NOT ILLUMINATE AT ALL, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO NEARLY GET REAR-ENDED WHILE BRAKING FROM TRAVELING 70 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED REPLACEMENT DUE TO A SHORT CIRCUIT. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL #01V032000 PERTAINING TO THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. SECONDLY, THE ENGINE HESITATED WHILE WARMING UP, ACCOMPANIED BY A ROUGH IDLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A MECHANIC.

NHTSA ID

10170664

Incident

Oct 12, 2006

Mileage

85,000 mi

FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 32,000 MILES AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY SECOND TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 82,000. *JB

NHTSA ID

10163849

Incident

Jul 27, 2006

Mileage

82,000 mi

THE CAR WAS DRIVING FINE. I GOT IN IT, STARTED IT, AND PUT IT IN REVERSE, AND IT DIDN'T GO. I PUT IT BACK IN PARK, THEN IN DRIVE, AND I COULDN'T GO FORWARD BECAUSE OF THE CURB. SO I PUT IT IN REVERSE AGAIN, EVENTUALLY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL BACK OUT OF MY PARKING SPOT, BUT IT WENT BACK HARD, AND I COULD HAVE HIT ANOTHER CAR IF ONE WAS IN THE SPACE BEHIND ME, AND WHEN I DID, IT WAS VERY STUTTERED MOVEMENT. WHEN I P WENT FORWARD (DRIVE), IT HAD A RUBBING SOUND, LIKE SOMETHING WAS RUBBING ON SOMETHING. WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO THIS CAR BECAUSE WE HAVE NO MONEY TO EVEN TOW IT. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR 5 MONTHS AGO. IT HAS RUN VERY WELL UNTIL THIS DAY. *NM

NHTSA ID

10151083

Incident

Feb 22, 2006

Mileage

86,000 mi

I OWN A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR. I HAVE MAINTAINED THE VEHICLE PER THE SERVICE MANUAL THROUGH THE LOCAL MERCURY DEALERSHIP. SOMETIME DURING EARLY APRIL 2005, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR HESITATED AND JERKED VIOLENTLY AFTER ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES OF NORMAL DRIVING. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE. THE DEALER "DIAGNOSED" THE PROBLEM AND REPLACED A PART. THE CAR CONTINUED TO MALFUNCTION THE VERY NEXT DAY. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH TRANSMISSION. I HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BY A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. I AM NOT SURE WHETHER THE OLD TRANSMISSION IS AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10120837

Incident

Apr 22, 2005

Mileage

76,500 mi

WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH TRANSMISSION GEAR BLOCK BLEWOUT. THIS CAUSED HEAVY VIBRATION IN THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER, AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE DEALERSHIP WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10115023

Incident

Jan 5, 2005

Mileage

75,000 mi

I OWN A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR WHICH CURRENTLY HAS 5700 MILES. THE FLYWHEEL HAS FAILED ,RESULTING IN COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE STARTER AND FLYWHEEL. THE PROBLEM BEGAN MORE THAN A YEAR AGO BUT WAS SO INTERMITTENT THAT MY MECHANIC COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM IN ORDER TO DIAGNOSE. AT THIS TIME THE VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED. DAMAGED PARTS WILL BE RETAINED FOR FUTURE INSPECTION IF NEEDED. I CONDUCTED A WEBSEARCH AND FOUND A WEBSITE WHICH CONTAINED MANY OTHER OWNERS OF 99 COUGARS EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, EVEN AT THE SAME APPROX. MILEAGE. THE WEBSITE IS LOCATED AT: ://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_5988.HTML. *AK

NHTSA ID

10112584

Incident

Mar 5, 2005

Mileage

42,000 mi

THE TRANSMISSION AXLE LIGHT IS ON AND THE DASHBOARD SAYS ODOMETR OFF THEN THE TRANSMISSION AXLE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CAR SHIFTS HARD. THIS HAPPENED AT 49,000 MILES THE DEALER SAID I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I REPLACED TRANSMISSION, AND NOW AT 75,000 MILES THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING. THIS SEEMS TO BE LIKE THERE IS SOME DEFECTIVE PROBLEM GOING ON. I WAS VERY UPSET THAT THE WARRANTY DIDN'T COVER THIS AS IT HAPPENED OVER 36,000 MILES BUT I REFUSE TO HAVE TO AGAIN PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR ANOTHER TRANSMISSION.*AK

NHTSA ID

10105809

Incident

Nov 1, 2004

Mileage

39,000 mi

THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF GEAR WHEN THE BRAKE WERE BEING APPLIED. ALSO, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL. *AK THE SWITCH HAD BECOME HOT AND MELTED PLASTIC FROM THE HOUSING AROUND METAL CONNECTOR PRONE. *SC

NHTSA ID

10097594

Incident

Sep 1, 2004

Mileage

78,000 mi

PURCHASED CAR NEW, IN 57000 MILES WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE, 2 ALTERNATORS, 1 STARTER, 2 BATTERIES, ENTIRE RACK AND PINION, POWER STEERING PUMP, TRANSMISSION TORQUE CONVERTER, 4 SET OF BRAKES, 4 SETS OF TIRES PLUS TWO INDIVIDUAL TIRES ALL WITH SIDEWALL BLOW OUTS EXCEPT ONE PUNCTURE AND 2 HEADLIGHT SWITCHES, 2 CIG LIGHTERS. THE ENTIRE UPPER ENGINE GASKET SET HAD TO BE REPLACED TO GET TO AN INTAKE LEAK. THE HEAD LIGHTS AND FOGLIGHTS WORK ITERMITTANTLY, ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ARE CONSTANTLY GOING ON AND OFF. CURRENTLY ONE HEADLIGHT IS OUT (LAMP IS GOOD) FOG LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING (TODAY) AND AN ENGINE WARNING LIGHT IS INDICATING A PROBLEM AGAIN. *AK

NHTSA ID

10093261

Incident

Jul 1, 1999

Mileage

8,520 mi

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE MADE A NOISE. THE CONSUMER IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. WHEN HE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10073831

Incident

May 9, 2004

THE BATTERY SEEMED LOW ON THE CAR, INDICATED BY INTERIOR LIGHTS NOT BEING VERY ILLUMINATED, BUT THEN DASHBOARD LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING AND WINDOWS ROLLED UP VERY SLOWLY. I CHARGED THE BATTERY FOR MANY HOURS AND IT TOOK A CHARGE, SO I COULD GET TO THE MERCURY DEALER. IT DIED WHEN I GOT THERE AND THEY WERE CLOSED, SO I HAD TO JUMP IT AND MOVE TO A SAFE LOCATION TO LEAVE OVERNIGHT. THIS HAD HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE IN THE PAST 2 1/2 YEARS, SO I NEW IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR AGAIN! THAT'S THREE ALTERNATORS IN 2 1/2 YEARS. THIS TIME I AM OUT OF WARRANTY AND AM EXPECTED TO PAY $550 FOR A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT CLEARLY WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. THE DEALER CAN NOT TELL ME WHY THIS IS OCCURING, AND FORD "CUSTOMER SERVICE" COULD CARE LESS. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, IT SEEMS THAT MANY COUGAR OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM CONTINUALLY. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED, AS WELL AS THE MOTOR FOR THE SUNROOF.*AK

NHTSA ID

10080541

Incident

Jul 5, 2004

Mileage

93,000 mi

WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING, MY 1999 MERCURY COUGAR WILL SHIFT FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL, TO REVERSE, WITHOUT EVER RELEASING THE LOCK. ALL IT TAKES IS SLIGHT PRESSURE ON THE GEAR SHIFT TO CHANGE GEARS UNINTENTIONALLY. THE DEALER I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR FROM 2 WEEKS AGO, AND FORD TELL ME THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR THE GEARS TO MOVE FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WITH NO EFFORT. THE DEALER SAID NO HARM IS DONE. YOU ARE JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 60 MILES AN HOUR WHEN YOU BUMP THE GEAR SHIFT, AND LOSE ALL ACCELERATION UNTIL YOU MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT BACK TO DRIVE. I CAN SEE A REAL SAFETY ISSUE THERE. AND, CONSIDERING THAT THIS IS MY 16 YEAR OLD'S CAR, I SEE A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. IT ALSO WOULD SHIFT FROM 2ND ALL THE WAY TO NEUTRAL WITHOUT RELEASING THE LOCK. *AK

NHTSA ID

10079205

Incident

Jun 29, 2004

Mileage

48,800 mi

REPEATED ISSUES ON VARIOUS DATES. PROBLEM 1: THE VEHICLE ALARM WILL RANDOMLY ACTIVATE ITSELF. IT WILL GO THROUGH IT'S 5 MINUTE ALARM PROCESS AND THEN SHUTS ITSELF DOWN. THEN ANYWHERE FROM 3 TO 10 MINUTES LATTER IT WILL SET ITSELF OFF AGAIN. IT DOES NOT MATTER THE LOCATION OF THE VEHICLE SO THAT COULD RULE OUT INTERFERENCE. PROBLEM 2: BATTERY LAMP ILLUMINATES IN THE HIGHER RPM RANGE AND BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR HAVE BEEN CHECKED TO BE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. PROBLEM 3: THERE IS A LOUD POPPING SOUND FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WHEN THE CAR SHIFTS TO 2ND GEAR AT FULL THROTTLE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10062672

Incident

Jan 1, 2004

MY CAR IS A LEMON. HAVE HAD A NEW ENGINE PUT IN IT 2 TIMES BECAUSE THE RODS SPUN. I HAVE HAD THE BRAKE LIGHTS "FIXED" 3 TIMES, THE ALTERNATOR REPLACED 3 TIMES, NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTERS TWICE. NEW POWER STEERING. TRANSMISSION DONE 3 TIMES. THERES DEFINANTLY MORE I JUST CANT THINK OF ALLLLLLL MY REPAIRS ON THIS 1999 COUGAR. I BOUGHT IT USED AND IT HAS NOW 98000 MILES CAUSE I DRIVE OUT OF STATE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10037305

Incident

Sep 19, 2001

Mileage

98,000 mi

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED COMPLETELY IN FORWARD. REVERSE STILL WORKS. SEVERAL SERVICE BULLETINS NOTING A DEFECT IN THE TRANNY HAVE BEEN POSTED. CAR HAD 60K ON IT AND HAD REGULAR TRANSMISSION SERVICES. *AK

NHTSA ID

10036703

Incident

Aug 6, 2003

Mileage

60,000 mi

VEHICLE WILL ONLY GO INTO REVERES GEAR. DEALER INDICATED THIS WAS CAUSED BY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ELECTRICAL FAILURE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10033538

Mileage

92,373 mi

THE VEHICLE DID NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY, IT HESITATED AND SURGED WHEN ACCELERATED TO PASS OTHER VEHICLE'S, AND THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS INDICATING A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. SCC *JB

NHTSA ID

10009065

Mileage

32,000 mi

THE CONSUMER BEGUN TO DRIVE, WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN 3RD GEAR, IT DID NOT. SHE HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT SHE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITH LESS THAN 60K MILES. TS THE LOWELL DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A MAZDA TRANSMISSION, AND THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT WITH A NEW TORQUE CONVERTER. SCC

NHTSA ID

10002405

Incident

Dec 15, 2002

Mileage

59,000 mi

I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH MY '99 COUGAR SUCH AS, FAILURE OF MY PAT SYSTEM AND COMPUTER SYSTEM. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES WHICH THEY CAN'T SEEM TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD MY STARTER REPLACED TWICE. I HAVE HAD DEFECTS IN SEVERAL SENSORS, WHICH IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY THAT I HAD TO PAY A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THEM TO REPAIR. MY FAN HAS EVEN BLOWN OUT. THERE IS A BURNING SMELL WHENEVER I TURN ON MY HEATER THAT NONE OF THE DEALERS CAN'T SEEM TO SMELL. I ALSO HAD TO PURCHASE A NEW RADIATOR. WHEN MY COMPUTER WENT OUT MY CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT THEY MADE ME PAY FOR THE REPAIRS, PARTS, AND LABOR OUT OF MY POCKET. THIS IS NOT ALL. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP, FORD MOTOR CO. AND EVEN HAD SOMEONE FROM FORD TO INVESTIGATE ALL OF THE PROBLEMS I'VE HAD WITH MY VEHICLE. THEY HAVE BEEN RUDE TO ME ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE REPAIRS OF MY VEHICLE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THE PURCHASE OF A MERCURY COUGAR TO ANYONE.

NHTSA ID

10000023

Incident

Jan 1, 2002

CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE JUMPED IN AND OUT OF GEAR ON ITS OWN, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. TS *JB

NHTSA ID

8023984

Incident

Aug 1, 2002

Mileage

42,000 mi

TRANSMISSON HAS FAILED. I'VE TAKEN MY VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER A MONTH AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE TO ADVISED THEM OF THE JURKING PROBLEM WITH THE CAR ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT THE COOLANT LIGHT WILL NOT GO OFF. DEALER HAS CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. AS OF NOW I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WAS ADVISED BY SALES REP THAT SOLD ME THE VEHICLE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD BE WORKED INTO MY PAYMENTS HOWEVER THIS IS NOT STATED IN THE CONTRACT. NOT TO MENTION THE BRAKES GRIND WHEN BACKING UP IN THE VEHICLE THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON THE VEHICLE 3 MONTHS AGO AND THE BRAKE LIGHT IS FLASHING AGAIN. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY $2700.00 TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION.*AK

NHTSA ID

761147

Incident

Mar 1, 2001