1999 Mercury Cougar

AS SOON AS I BOUGHT THE CAR USED WITH 49000 IT WOULDN'T START. REPLACED THE STARTER, STILL WASN'T RIGHT. HAD TO REPLACE THE FLYWHEEL BECAUSE THE OLD AND NEW STARTER NEVER MATCHED PROPERLY WITH FLYWHEEL. THEN, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE EGR SENSOR WAS BAD. REPLACED THE SENSOR. ALL OF THIS WITHIN ONE MONTH OF OWNING THE CAR. THEN A FEW MONTHS LATER COOLANT LIGHT WASN'T JUST COMING ON, BUT STAYING ON, HAD TO REPLACE COOLANT TANK DUE TO SHORTING OF THE SENSOR IN THE TANK. NOW, SIX MONTHS AFTER OWNING CAR, ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON. *AK

3/21/05 VEHICLE TAKEN TO LINCOLN MERCURY DRIVEABILITY CONCERN BY>>( MY WIFE)>>>CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, THEY FOND INTAKE GASKETS LEAKING VAC & BANK 2 ALSO MONITOR ARE VERY ACTIVE NEED TUNE UP AND PLUG WIRES AND TIRES... MY WIFE GAVE THEM ALL TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES PO420 & PO430 PAPER....ALSO,TOLD THEM 99-MERCURY COUGAR 2.5L ENGINE STALL AND HAVE INABILITY TO START CAR...THEY KEPT PAPER, AND TOLD HER SHE NEED NEW BATTERY CABLES!!!! CALL MANUFACTURER ON TSB AND RECALL, WE WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL ON OUR VEHICLE I.D. NUMBER....ETC........CONSUMER REPORTS USED CAR BUYING GUIDE FOND RECALL ---99-00 MERCURY COUGAR WITH 2.5L V6 ENGINE----NATSA NUMBER #01I009000 PLEASE HELP............. *JB

DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING ON AN ICY ROAD, THE REAR BRAKES FAILED AND THE CONSUMER HIT INTO A CURB. THE THROTTLE HAS STUCK INTERMITTENTLY SINCE AUGUST OF 2005. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THERE ARE TWO RECALLS, #00V075000 REGARDING THE SERVICE BRAKES AND #99V194000 REGARDING THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. THE VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL; HOWEVER IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. *JB

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