2000 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, CONSUMER NOTICED THE DASH LIGHTS AND HEAD LIGHTS DIMMING FLOWING ENGINE HESITATION WHICH RESULTED IN THE ENGINE STALLING. THE CONSUMER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND RETURNED TO NORMAL DRIVING. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICED THE VEHICLE AND REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM RETURN. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING DOWN A HILL VEHICLE DIED, AND COULD NOT GET IT RESTARTED. CONSUMER HAD TO COAST DOWN A HILL INTO A GASOLINE STATION IN ORDER TO STOP AND HIT A PILLAR. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LINCOLN-MERCURY DEALER, WHO TOLD CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE FUEL PUMP. ALSO, AFTER CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER THEY TOLD THE MECHANIC THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON CONSUMER'S VEHICLE CONCERNING AN ELECTRICAL CABLE WHICH CAUSED THE POWER TO FAIL. *AK

THE 99'-2002 MERCURY COUGARS HAVE FAULTY FUEL PUMPS. ONCE THEY BECOME INEFFECTIVE THE VEHICLE BUCKS VIOLENTLY AND NO LONGER IS CONTROLLABLE. I AM PART OF A CAR CLUB CALLED "NEW EDGE COUGARS" AND EVERY SINGLE MEMBER HAS HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM, MOST OF THE TIME IT OCCURS ON BUSY HIGHWAYS AND INTERSECTIONS. I MYSELF ALMOST WAS HIT NUMEROUS TIMES AS MY VEHICLE DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF BUSY INTERSECTION. OTHER MEMBERS HAVE HAD THE COUGAR DIE WHILE TRAVELING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS AND THE DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ONCE YOU GET THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED, THE DEALERSHIP REPLACE IT WITH THE SAME ONE AND THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENS AGAIN IN THE NOT SO DISTANT FUTURE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, AS THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WHICH THE DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO FIX BUT JUST REPLACE THE ITEM WITH THE EXACT SAME INEFFECTIVE ONE. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME WHEN A COUGAR OWNER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR TRAFFIC WILL NOT IT THEM WHEN THE VEHICLE GOES FROM HIGHWAY SPEED TO A SUDDEN STOP. THIS WILL CAUSE NUMEROUS INJURIES, LARGE PROPERTY DAMAGES AND POSSIBLE DEATH. *LA

WHEN DRIVING DRIVER IS UNABLE TO CLOSE THE SUNROOF WHEN IT RAINS, CAUSING THE RAIN TO ENTER THE SUN ROOF, AND MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE THE ROAD. *AK

I WAS DRIVING MY 2000 MERCURY COUGAR V6 AND THE FUEL PUMP CAUSED POWER HESITATION AND SURGING WHEN I PULLED INTO THE LEFT LANE TO MAKE A PASS. I HAD TO SWERVE BACK INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WITH THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. I THEN REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP SHORTLY THEREAFTER AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY.

ENGINE DIES AND VEHICLE LOSES POWER AT ANYTIME WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN THIS OCCURS POWER STEERING AND BRAKES FAIL. *AK

I PURCHASED THE 2000 COUGAR NEW, WITH THIS CAME LEATHER SEATS. WELL ABOUT 1YEAR AFTER OWNING THIS CAR THE DRIVERS SEAT STARTED TO WEAR ON THE SIDE . NOT ANY PLACE YOUR BODY TOUCHES. THE DEALERSHIP DID A TOUCH UP AND PAINTED THE LEATHER.ABOUT 3 MONTHS LATER IT WAS A MESS AGAIN. WITH LOTS OF COMPLAINING AND PHONE CALLS AND MAJOR FUSSING I WAS ABLE TO GET THE DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE LEATHER ON THE SEAT.(I WAS TOLD IT WAS A COURTESY CALL) WELL THIS COURTESY CALL LASTED ME 14 MONTHS AND ITS STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN. NOW THEY ARE SAYING TOO BAD. THE SERVICE DIRECTOR(TIM HEBRON) AND THE FORD REP(.FRANK TETEL )WONT EVEN LOOK AT IT, AND ARE TELLING ME THATS TOO BAD. MY CAR ONLY HAS 25,000 MILES ON IT AND IS GARAGED KEPT. SO WHATS THE LONGEVITY OF LEATHER?

PURCHASED 2000 MERCURY COUGAR 13 NOV. 2000. SINCE THE TIME OF PURCHASE, ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE SAID VEHICLE HAS SPUTTERED AND STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC DO TO LACK OF FUEL COMSUMPTION. WHILE UNDER WARRENTY DEALER HAS CHANGED THE FUEL PUMP ONCE. AS OF THIS DAY, ON THREE NOVEMBER 2003, I MYSELF CHANGED ANOTHER FUEL PUMP ON SAID VEHICLE. I'VE NOTICED IN OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE, AND AS FAR AS I KNOW NOTHING IS BEING DONE BY THE DEALER TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. TODAY IS 10 NOV. 2003 AND SAID VEHICLE HAS STALLED AGAIN. I NOTICED THAT THE FUEL PUMP FUSE WAS BLOWN AND CHANGED IT ALSO INSTALLED A NEW PUMP RELAY. THERE SEEMS TO BE AND ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITHIN THS SYSTEM, WHICH IN TURN CAUSES THE PUMP TO BURN UP. THE AVERAGE PRICE OF A FUEL PUMP FOR THIS VEHICLE IS THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS OR MORE WHICH DOESN'T INCLUDE LABOR FOR INSTALLATION. MY QUESTION, IS THERE A ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IN THE HARNESS OR THE RELAYS THAT ARE MANUFACTORED. BECAUSE I'VE FOUND THE PUMP FUSE BLOWN ON THE LAST THREE OCCASIONS. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. THANKFULLY THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY INJURIES. BUT DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU STALL, IT VERY WELL COULD BE. I'VE ALSO BEEN TOLD TO AT LEAST KEEP A HALF OF TANK OF GAS IN VEHICLE TO KEEP PUMP FROM OVERHEATING. WHAT'S THE DEAL? NOW IS THE DEALER REGULATING CONSUMERS FUEL CONSUMPTION. WHAT IF I WENT ON A ROAD TRIP I WOULD NEVER GET THERE.*AK

HI. I AM FROM CANADA AND HOPE THAT EVERYONE THAT READS THIS NEVER BUYS ONE OF THIS PIECES OF JUNK COUGARS THAT FORD IS SELLING.THE NAME SPEAKS FOR IT SELF FIX OR REPAIR DAILY - DRIVERS WINDOW ASSEMBLY BROKE $100.00 TO FIX - FUEL PUMP AT 56,000 KM $500.00- WINDOW STRESS CRACKED AT 60,000 KM NOT FIXED YET- TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT 70,000 KM $2500.00 - TWO BALL JOINTS AND ALTERNATOR REPLACED AT 72,000 KM $400.00- REARHATCH WILL NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE NOT FIXED YET- LIGHTS FLICKER ON DASH ALTERNATOR AGAIN AT 85,000KM BUT DID NOT HELP SO PUT IN NEW BATTERY BUT DIDN'T HELP NO SENSE OF PHONING FORD THEY DON,T GIVE A [XXX] $18,500 FOR THIS JUNK AND BY TIME IT IS PAID OFF $24,000 PLUS ALL THE REPAIRS BEST PLACE FOR ALL THE FORD JUNK IS FORM THE PLANT TO THE SCRAP YARD SO NOBODY HAS TO PUT UP WITH ALL THESE PROBLEMS AFTER READING ALL THIS YOU STILL GO OUT AN BUY A FORD AS THE SAYING GOES THERE IS A SUCKER BORN EVERY DAY. *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THERE APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH FUEL TANK WARPAGE ON 2000 MERCURY COUGARS. THE TANK IS MOLDED PLASTIC AND CAN DISTORT. THIS DISTORTION OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING OR NOTICEABLE INCIDENT. ONCE DISTORTED, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY FAIL TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE LAST QUARTER TANK OF FUEL AND WILL SUDDENLY LOSE POWER OR STALL. THE DEALER FROM WHOM I PURCHASED THE CAR DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AND REPLACED THE TANK AND FUEL SENDER; HOWEVER, SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSIONS ON INTERNET GROUPS RELATED TO THE CAR OR MAKER REVEAL THAT THERE ARE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME SYMPTOMS WHOSE LOCAL DEALERS ARE EITHER IGNORANT OF THE PROBLEM OR UNWILLING TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT THE FACTORY'S EXPENSE.