IllustrationWHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO GO OUT OF GEARS FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES, WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH. *AK
1995 Mercury Cougar
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cougar years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 8 of 109 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports4 fire reports4 injury reports
Power Train complaints
23 reportsTHIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WITH THE CAR SINCE ITS PURCHASE.
THE SHIFT LEVER HAS AN OVERDRIVE.CANNOT USE OVERDRIVE BUTTON. TOOK TO MECHANIC. DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO REPAIR OVERDRIVE BUTTON. THE LEVER HAD FALLEN OFF. *AK
THE BRAKES ARE HAVING TO BE COMPLETLY REPLACED (PADS AND ROTORS). IF NOT VEHICLE IS UNSAFE FOR OPERATION. CURRENTLY BRAKES ARE LASTING ABOUT 2,500 MILES. TORQUE CONVERTER IS HAVING TO BE REPLACED EVERY 15,000 MILES. PERHAPS FROM HAVING TO DO MORE WORK IN STOPPING THE CAR. *AK
WHILE SHIFTING GEARS, THE GEAR LEVER CAME OFF IN DRIVER'S HAND. ALSO, OVERDRIVE FAILED TO WORK. THE GASKETS BLEW UP.
TRANSMISSION SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT THE GEAR SHIFT BEING APPLIED. DEALER SAYS NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION.*AK
WHILE DRIVING THE THIRD GEAR EXPLODED. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *AK
THE DEFECTIVE MANUAL LOCK SWITCH IN TRANSMISSION SYSTEM LOCKS UP WHEN THERE IS MOISTURE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE IN NUETRAL, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. DEALER HAS A NEWLY DESIGNED MANUAL LOCK SWITCH. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE; ALSO REPLACED SPEED SENSOR. *AK
TRANSMISSION SHUTTERS WHEN PULLING AND CHANGING TRANSMISSION FLUID. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA01001 · Blower Switch/resistor Or Wiring Harness
Opened Jan 5, 2001 · Closed Jul 31, 2001
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System
There is no summary currently available
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System
There is no summary currently available
Electrical System
There is no summary currently available