1999 Mercury Cougar

RECALL CAMPAIGN 04V421000 CONCERNING FUEL SYSTEM GASOLINE. DELIVERY. I AM EXPERIENCING THESE EXACT PROBLEMS, WHICH ARE BELIEVED TO BE PRESENT ALSO, BY MY LOCAL DEALER, WHERE I SHOWED THE CAR TO A MERCURY TRAINED MECHANIC. HOWEVER, FORD/MERCURY (RON BLUESTEIN/FORD EXECUTIVE OFFICES, ID # 2170, PHONE 800 521 4140) REFUSED TO COVER REPAIRS DUE TO VIN .I STRONGLY DISAGREE AND FELL THAT MY CAR'S SAFETY WAS IN QUESTION. ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, CONTAMINATION OF THE FILTER IN THE FUEL DELIVERY MODULE (FDM) COULD REDUCE, AND EVENTUALLY BLOCK THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE. THIS MAY CAUSE ENGINE HESITATION, LOSS OF POWER, SURGING, AND OTHER SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. SOMETIME, THE FILTER MAY BECOME SUFFICIENTLY BLOCKED TO CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. *AK

THE CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AND ENGINE COULD NOT BE STARTED. IT HAD TO BE TOWED IN TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP. DIAGNOSIS: FUEL PUMP FAILURE. COST: $500. TWO WEEKS LATER I FOUND OUT THAT MERCURY HAD A RECALL ON FUEL PUMPS, HOWEVER MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I SUPPOSE IT'S JUST A BIG COINCIDENCE THAT MY CAR EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS AND THE FUEL PUMP FAILED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE RECALL. MERCURY TO THIS DATE HAS NOT REIMBURSED ME THE $500. *LA

THERE IS A PIN IN MY PASSENGER DOOR THAT FALLS OUT EVERY FEW MONTHS OR SO. (ABOUT 3-5 TIMES SINCE IT FIRST HAPPENED) WE JUST HOLD THE DOOR UP AND HAMMER THE PIN BACK INTO PLACE WHEN IT HAPPENS AND IT STAYS FOR A FEW MONTHS. WE'VE TRIED A FEW DIFFERENT KINDS OF CLIPS TO HOLD IT IN PLACE TO NO AVAIL. THE DOOR FALLS 1/2 WAY OFF AND JUST HANGS THERE. IT HASN'T HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING...JUST WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED AND A PASSENGER OPENS THE DOOR. THE CAR WAS ALSO SOLD TO ME WITH A BAD BEARING ON THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE...NOT SURE IF THAT'S NORMAL EITHER AROUND 40,000 MILES. ALSO, MY FUEL PUMP BURNED OUT AROUND 46,000 MILES...NOT SURE IF THAT'S NORMAL FOR A CAR OR NOT. *AK

21,210 MILES-BRAKE ROTOR AND PAD FAILURE,SUNROOF INOPERABLE,PASSENGER WINDOW INOPERABLE-WARRANTY 47,823 MILES-COMPLETE CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE-WARRANTY TRUNK HAS NEVER OPENED CORRECTLY FROM INSIDE-NO SOLUTION 87,000 MILES- STARTER MOTOR FAILED-$250 91,519 MILES-2 RADIATOR HOSES FAILED-$240 93,000 MILES-MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILED, DIFFERENTIAL GEARS -$2440 NOW I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY FUEL PUMP. THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THIS CAR THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS PROBLEMS CARS DON'T RECEIVE UNTIL AFTER 100,000 MILES. IN MY EYES, IT IS SIMPLY A 100,000 MILE LEMON! *NM

FUEL PUMP FAILURE IS SIMILAR TO THE ONE ON THE RECALLED FOCUSES. I HAD MY FUEL PUMP FAIL ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 70 MILES AN HOUR AND WAS ALMOST RUN OVER. AFTER LOOKING AT SOME CAR FORUMS I HAVE COME TO FIND THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS CAR. SOME PEOPLE HAVE REPLACED THIS PUMP 2-3 TIMES BEFORE BREAKING 100K MILES. *NM

I OWN A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR IN JANUARY OF 2003 WITH 32,000 MILES ON THE CAR. TWO WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR THE ALTERNATOR DIED, WHICH IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR. BUT TWO OR THREE WEEKS AFTER THAT, MY POWER SUNROOF BROKE, WHICH IS ALSO A VERY COMMON PROBLEM, AND BECAUSE THE CAR WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANYMORE IT COST ME OVER $1200.00 WITH LABOR TO FIX. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THERE ARE MANY COUGAR OWNERS THAT HAVE HAD THE SUNROOF BREAK BECAUSE THE 1999 AND 2000 COUGARS WERE MADE WITH PLASTIC RAILS THAT EASILY BREAK. THE 2001 AND 2002 COUGARS WERE MADE WITH METAL RAILS AND WORK FINE. THE PARTS THAT YOU ORDER NOW FOR THE 1999 AND 2000 COUGARS ARE METAL, SO MY QUESTION IS, WHY WASN'T THIS A RECALL, AND WHY SHOULD WE ALL HAVE TO PAY FOR A DEFECTIVE PART THAT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND BREAKS ONLY BECAUSE IT IS POORLY MANUFACTURED? WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUCH MONEY I WOULD HAVE TO PUT INTO FIXING THE STOCK PARTS, SUCH AS THE ALTERNATOR, SUN ROOF, AND FUEL PUMP, AND REAR HATCH DOOR, WHICH ARE ALSO VERY COMMON PROBLEMS. *NLM