1999 Mercury Cougar

I GOT IN MY CAR ONE DAY AFTER WORK IN THE PARKING LOT AND STARTED MY CAR AND MY AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON. IT STAYED ON FOR THREE DAYS AND IS NO LONGER ON. IT SEEMS LIKE NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OR PROVIDE SOLUTIONS FOR THE PROBLEM. EVERYTIME I ROLL UP MY WINDOWS, MY LIGHTS DIM AS IF THE BATTERY IS DYING. MY WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROL DOESN'T SHUT OFF AND IM NOT ABLE TO CHANGE THE SPEED.

ON MY DRIVE HOME FROM WORK ON FRIDAY 7/12/2013 AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 PM THE AIRBAG ON THE DRIVER SIDE DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS WAS ON A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR THAT MY FAMILY PURCHASED NEW. THE VIN IS [XXX]. I CALLED AND SPOKE WITH [XXX] AT FORD AND HE STATED THERE WAS NOTHING FORD COULD DO. HE SUGGESTED I CALL MY INSURANCE COMPANY...I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY INSURANCE COMPANY WOULD BE CONCERNED WITH A FLAW IN A FORD PRODUCT. I HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR AT THIS POINT. WILL ONE OF THREE REMAINING AIR BAGS DEPLOY FOR NO APPARENT REASON? TO BE TOLD TO CONTACT MY INSURANCE COMPANY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. I AM A VERY REASONABLE PERSON BUT WILL NOT BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. MY EXPECTATION ARE SIMPLE: FORD NEEDS TO HAVE THIS CAR TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED. THE ENTIRE AIR BAG SYSTEMS NEEDS TO BE CHECKED AND BROUGHT UP TO A SAFE STANDARD. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR AND A SPLIT SECOND LATER THE PASSANGER AIRBAG PREMATURLY DEPLOYED. IT WAS THE AIRBAG IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR HER HEARING IN HER RIGHT EAR BECAUSE SHE IS HAVING PROBLEMS. I CALLED THE FORD/MERCURY MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHICH I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FROM AND THEY STATED THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO EITHER. I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I THINK THAT THIS IS A MAJOR DEFECT AND WOULD NOT WANT TO HEAR OR SEE ANYONE ELSE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS. I AM JUST GRATEFUL THAT I GAVE MY DAUGHTER A RIDE TO SCHOOL THAT MORNING. *AK

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAD DEPLOYS IN A PARKED CAR CAUSING INJURY AND DAMAGE WORTH $3,500 AND FORD REFUSES TO PAY FOR IT. ON 31ST MAY 2003, WE WENT TO THE LIBRARY TO DROP OFF OUR BOOKS. WE PARKED OUR CAR, AND I GOT DOWN TO DROP THE BOOKS. MY WIFE, WHO WAS SITTING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE TURNED AROUND TO PICK MORE OF THE BOOKS FROM THE BACK SEAT AND HER SIDE AIR BAG BLEW OUT. SHE BROUGHT HER HAND FORWARD TO COVER HER FACE AND WAS HIT BY THE BLOWN AIR BAG. AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED. THE CAR IS A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT AND WE HAD TO CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. PER, FIRE DEPARTMENT CAPTAIN, THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS CASE BEFORE. LUCKILY, THE SMOKE WAS JUST THE AIR BAG POWDER. SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. AIR BAG COVER HIT THE WINDSHIELD, WHICH CRACKED THE WHOLE WINDSHIELD. THE FORCE OF DEPLOYMENT ALSO POPPED OUT AIR VENT AND THE DASHBOARD. WHEN WE CALLED UP FORD, THEY ASKED US TO CLAIM IT THROUGH OUR INSURANCE. BUT WHEN WE TOLD THEM THAT IT DID NOT MAKE SENSE THEY TOLD US SEND THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALER WHERE THEY CAN RUN DIAGNOSTICS. CURRENT MILEAGE IS AROUND 64,000. FORD SAYS THAT ONE OF THE MODULES WAS FAULTY AND ALSO THIS MODULE HAS WARRANTY OF 5 YEARS OR 50,000 MILES. BUT THIS WAS NOT MENTIONED IN ANY OF THEIR SERVICE MANUALS. ALSO NOBODY POINTED THIS OUT WHEN THE CAR HAD THE FORD RECOMMENDED 60,000-MILE MAINTENANCE AND CHECK WE ALSO MADE REPEATED CALLS TO FORD, TO GIVE US IN WRITING THAT THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED DUE TO FAULTY UNIT. BUT THEY ARE REFUSING TO DO SO. PROGRESSIVE, OUR INSURANCE AGENT HAS SAID THEY CANNOT COVER IT AND THAT WE HAVE TO TALK TO FORD (THEY DID SAY THAT IF THIS INCIDENT CAUSED A COLLISION, THEY WOULD HAVE PAID FOR IT). FORD SAYS THIS IS OUT OF WARRANTY. HOW DO WE COME TO KNOW WHICH PART IS GOING TO COST US IN FUTURE BECAUSE IT HAS RUN OUT OF WARRANTY, IF NOBODY POINTS OUT THE PROBLEM DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. *NLM

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.