1999 Mercury Cougar

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

THERE IS RECALL ON MERCURY COUGAR 1999 V6 FOR A FUEL FILTER THAT MAY CAUSE HESITATION, STALLING, SURGING. OVER FIFTY TIMES HAS THIS OCCURRED NEARLY CAUSING SERIOUS ACCIDENTS OVER FIVE TIMES. THE CAR HAS BEEN GIVEN A "TUNE UP" TO ELIMINATE THAT AS THE CAUSE. THE ONLY OTHER CAUSE COULD BE THE FUEL FILTER WHICH HAS BEEN RECALLED AS PER RECALL 04V421000 NHTSA. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD AND FORD DEALERSHIPS AND THEY REFUSE TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. IF THIS HAS HAPPENED ON OTHER VEHICLES THEN IT IS THE CAUSE ON THIS VEHICLE WHETHER THEY WANT TO ADMIT TO THAT OR NOT. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *NM

I AM THE OWNER OF A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR. I PURCHASED THE VECHICLE NEW AND HAVE MAINTAINED ALL SERVICE REQUIREMENTS. AT THIS POINT, THE VECHICLE STILL HAS LESS THAN 45,000 MILES (I DO NOT DRIVE ALL THAT MUCH). HOWEVER, SINCE PURCHASING THIS CAR I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE TWICE THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY, ALL THE BRAKES, TIRES, AND NOW THE FUEL PUMP HAS GONE OUT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON THE FUEL PUMPS, SO I CONTACTED FORD, BUT THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY COUGAR IS NOT IN AMONG THOSE ON THE LIST. HOWEVER, MY CAR HAS THE EXACT SYMPTOMS THAT ARE LISTED BY FORD; IT STALLS AND WILL NOT RUN. IN FORD'S STATEMENT, THEY INDICATE THAT THEY WILL REPLACE THE FAILED FUEL PUMP, BUT THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO DO THAT FOR ME. BECUASE OF THIS FAILED FUEL PUMP SITUATION, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED TWICE AND HAVE BEEN STUCK IN SOME VERY INCLEMENT WINTER WEATHER SITUATIONS. I AM NOW FACING A $640 FUEL REPLACEMENT BILL WHICH I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY GIVEN THE CURRENT RECALL. I HAVE NEVER BEFORE COMPLAINED ABOUT WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE EXCESSIVE REPAIRS, BUT THIS LATEST FAILURE HAS ME LIVID. I DO HOPE THAT OTHERS DO NOT FACE THIS SAME SITUTAION AND THAT FORD WILL RECONSIDER ITS POSITION TO NOT COVER THE COST OF MY FULE PUMP REPLACEMENT. *NM

I WAS COMMUTING TO WORK IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND WHILE TRAVELING UPHILL, THE CAR LOST POWER AND THEN THE ENGINE QUIT COMPLETELY. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO ROLL THE CAR OUT OF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE ANOTHER VEHICLE APPROACHED THE BLIND CURVE FROM MY REAR AND SWERVED TO AVOID THE BROKEN DOWN CAR AND MYSELF. I CONDUCTED AN INTERNET SEARCH AFTER FINALLY GETTING THE CAR RESTARTED AND RETURNING TO HOME THAT EVENING AND DISCOVERED THAT FORD MOTOR CO. HAD INITIATED A PROGRAM TO ALLEVIATE THE SYMPTOMS THE CAR WAS EXPERIENCING. ALTHOUGH THE CAR BEHAVED EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED UNDER THE MANUFACTURERS DESCRIPTION OF POTENTIAL PROBLEMS(INCLUDING SURGING, HESITATION, LOSS OF POWER, AND ENGINE STALLING), I WAS TOLD AFTER CONTACTING THE SELLING DEALER AND FORD THAT MY CAR DID NOT QUALIFY FOR ANY ASSISTANCE BECAUSE IT FELL OUTSIDE OF THE PRODUCTION WINDOW OF THE VEHICLES THEY HAD IDENTIFIED AS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THIS PROBLEM HAS RECURRED 4 TIMES SINCE THE INITIAL INCIDENT WHILE DRIVING ON INCLINED SURFACES BUT I DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THE CAR ON THE MOUNTAIN ROADS. THE EXTENDED COVERAGE PROGRAM 04N02 IS THE PROGRAM I REFERRED TO WHEN CONTACTING BOTH THE DEALER AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY. AS A RESULT OF THIS, I AM UNABLE TO USE THIS CAR TO COMMUTE TO WORK AND HAVE RESORTED TO THE USE OF RENTAL OR BORROWED VEHICLES. *JB

I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 10/99. I HAVE HAD THE SUN ROOF REPLACED ONCE AND NOW NEEDS IT AGAIN FOR THE SAME REASON; THE TRACK BROKE ($1000 TO FIX, $2000 IF I GO TO THE DEALER). THE IGNITION SWITCH HAS BEEN CHANGED TWICE BECAUSE IT STICKS (IT NEED TO BE CHANGED AGAIN). IN 2/00 IT STARTED: WHENEVER THE CAR GOT COLD, THE CAR WOULD EITHER NOT TURN ON OR WOULD JUST SHUT DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. HE CHANGED NUMEROUS PARTS BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE, UNTIL A 2004 RECALL FOR SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM. ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT WHICH TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AT WHICH TIME THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS THE HEAD GASKET. THAT, I HAD REPLACED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEN STILL HAD TO BRING IT BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER DONE A SECOND TIME, AND TO HAVE THE COMPUTER RESET TO HAVE THE ENGINE LIGHT SHUT OFF. ANYTIME I HAVE WORK DONE ON THE CAR, EVEN JUST MAINTENANCE, THE CHECK COOLANT LIGHT OR THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND I HAVE TO BRING IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT SHUT OFF. IN 9/05 THE COOLANT LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND A DAY LATER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I BROUGHT THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO CHANGED THE OVERFLOW TANK BECAUSE HE BELIEVED IT TO BE A BAD SENSOR. AFTER FIXING THAT, THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OFF AS WELL AS ONE OF MY BRAKE LIGHTS. HE DID MULTIPLE TESTS AND DETERMINED THAT IT IS SOMETHING ELECTRICAL, UNFORTUNATELY HE COULD NOT PINPOINT THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. FOR SOME REASON THOSE LIGHTS HAVE GONE OFF BUT I EXPECT THEM COME BACK ON SOON. *JB

1999 MERCURY COUGAR ENGINE HESITATES, LOSSES POWER AND BUCKS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. *TS THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE FOR 4 DAYS, THEY STILL HAD NOT MADE A DETERMINATION AS TO WHAT WAS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO HESITATE. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, HOWEVER AFTER THE REPLACEMENT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. THE CONSUMER TOOK IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND THE INLET MANIFOLD RUNNER CONTROL WAS REPLACED, BUT THAT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM EITHER. THE CONSUMER TOOK IT BACK AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THEY HAD NO CLUE AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH , THE CONSUMER CAME ACROSS A BULLETIN WHICH DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM HE WAS EXPERIENCING AND A RESOLUTION, WHICH WAS A DEFECT IN THE FUEL DELIVERY MODULE. THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM.*JB