2000 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH HEARD NOISE COMING FROM FRONT WHEELS. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK

THE CAR HAS STALLED ON ME 3 TIMES WHILE DRIVING. THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE STALLED GOING UP A DRIVEWAY WITH THE GAS PEDAL PUSHED IN. THE SECOND TIME THE CAR WAS TAVELING AT 20 MPH TURNING A CORNER WHEN VEHICLE STALLED. 3RD TIME VEHICLE STALLED AT 5 MPH WITH FOOT PRESSED ON GAS PEDAL. THE CAR STALLED AND WOULD NOT START UP, CAUSING IT TO HIT A CURB. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN TO THE DEALERSHIP OVER 12 TIMES, EACH TIME CUSTOMER STATING THE SAME PROBLEM, HOWEVER THEY DO NOT HAVE A SOLUTION. VEHICLE ALSO HAS A FAULTY COOLANT TANK AS THE COOLANT LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON, WITH NO PROBLEMS. THE CARS BRAKES MAKE A STRANGE NOISE WITH NEW BRAKES REPLACED FROM A RECALL. MANY OTHER SMALL DEFECTS SUCH AS THE LEATHER CHIPPING AND SEAT COVERS COMING OFF IN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. STILL NOTHING WRONG. THIS IS NO LONGER A MATTER OF WANTING A NEW CAR, IT'S A MATTER OF MY SAFETY, WHICH IS COMPROMISED EVERYTIME I TURN ON THE IGNITION OF THIS CAR. THIS HAS TO BE FIXED BEFORE MY LIFE IS TAKEN. *AK

WHEN DRIVING APPROX 50 MPH IN 4TH GEAR, CAR STARTED TO BUCK AND CHUG, SLOWED DOWN TO 25, AND STOPPED AT STOPLIGHT, CAR CHUGGED ONCE AND KILLED/STALLED. COULD NOT START, AFTER 30 MIN CAR STARTED BUT STALLED AFTER MOVING 10 FEET, SEEMED AS IF CAR WASN'T GETTING FUEL. DEALERSHIP AND FIRST DIAGNOSTIC TEST BLAMED FUEL PUMP AND THEY KINDLY REPLACED FUEL PUMP FOR $100 DEDUCTIBLE (CAR 5000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY). YESTERDAY, 4 DAYS LATER, DRIVING 70 MPH W/CRUISE CONTROL ON, CHUGGING/BUCKINH REOCCURED, AND THEN CAR MPH STARTED DROPPING FAST, DOWNSHIFTED INTO 4TH, PRESSED GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENED. PULLED OVER (CAR NEVER KILLED) AND PUT CAR IN 1ST GEAR AND TOOK OFF, 5 MILES LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN (4 TIMES TOTAL). CALLED DEALERSHIP, BLAMED BAD GAS OR WATER IN THE TANK FREEZING IN COLD WEATHER, BOTH OCCURANCES HAPPENED AT 1/4 TANK OF GAS, ADDED "HEAT" TO REMOVE ANY WATER, AND WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT TIME I AM AT 1/4 TANK. PROBLEM DOES NOT SEEM WATER/GAS RELATED PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT.*AK

VEHICLE STALLS WHILE DRIVING. AT TIMES, VEHICLE WILL JERK / STALL. VEHICLE WILL NOT RESTART. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK

ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS STAYS ON, ALTHOUGH NO DRIVABILITY PROBLEMS. SUSPECT DEALERSHIP OF FALSIFYING REPAIR. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS LEAKING GAS CAP, ALTHOUGH THE INVOICE DID NOT HAVE A NEW GAS CAP ON THE REPAIR INVOICE. ACQUAINTANCE IN BODY SHOP INFORMED ME THAT SERVICE WORKERS MERELY DISCONNECT BATTERY POST FOR A MINUTE TO RESET THE COMPUTER AND THEN ENGINE LIGHT STAYS OFF FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. THAT IS EXACTLY THE SITUATION THAT HAPPEN TO ME. THE ENGINE LIGHT RETURNED ABOUT A MONTH AFTER BEING "REPAIRED" BY THE DEALER. *AK

CAR DIED AT 50MPH. TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON WHILE STILL ROLLING ON THE WAY HOME LAST NIGHT. ALSO ON THE WAY HOME LAST NIGHT THE CAR ACCELERATED, ON IT'S OWN, MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR, INCREASED FROM 15MPH TO ~20MPH AND RPMS WENT UP. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS. I BELIEVE IT IS RELATED TO THE "RPM" ISSUE THAT THE FORD TECHNICAL REP SAID WAS "NORMAL". THERE IS NO WAY RPMS INCREASING 300-1500RPM WHEN PUSHING IN THE CLUTCH IS NORMAL. I AM CONCERNED THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE RPMS/SPEED HAS INCREASED ON IT'S OWN. THIS IS ALSO THE SECOND TIME THE CAR HAS DIED RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD.*AK

RPMS ON ENGINE DO NOT DROP WHEN CLUTCH PRESSED. RPMS GO UP SOMETIME 1500 RPMS. CAR LURCHES WHEN DOWNSHIFTING INTO 2ND UNLESS WAITING 5-20 SECONDS FOR RPMS TO FINALLY DROP. HAPPENS EVERY DAY IF VEHICLE IS WARM (DRIVEN OVER 25 MILES). FORD SAYS IT IS DESIGNED THIS WAY. PROBLEM DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR AT LEAST 12,000 MILES. PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AFTER 800 MILE DRIVE, BUT REOCCURRED AFTER 1 WEEK. CAR HAS ACCELERATED IN 2ND GEAR WITHOUT MY INTERVENTION ONCE. THAT IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE ME GREAT CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY. I CANNOT DRIVE THIS CAR WITH NORMAL DRIVING HABITS, I COULD ORGINALLY, NOT NOW. THE PROBLEM IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE DEALER SAYS I HAVE NO RECORSE AND IT IS NOT A PROBLEM ACCORDING TO FORD. IT IS A PROBLEM. I FEEL UNSAFE, AND IT COULD ENDANGER OTHER PEOPLE.*AK

ENGINE WOULD STALL UNEXPECTED AND LOSE CONTROL DUE TO LACK OF POWER SUPPLIED FOR POWER STEERING AND BRAKES, ALSO EXPERIENCE HESITATION.. *AK

CONSUMER HAD THREE FUEL PUMPS REPLACED WITHIN THE YEAR BECAUSE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. *AK

SQUEAKING NOISE COINCIDES WITH HESITATION IN DRIVING. SERVICE TECHNICIANS CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. HAD IN TO DEALER 3 TIMES, ONCE THEY KEPT IT FOR 5 DAYS AND SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. FEELS LIKE A JERKING OR BUCKING, HAPPENS RANDOMLY/FREQUENTLY. DOESN'T MATTER WHAT GEAR OR HOW FAST, HAPPENS WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AND APPLYING GAS. BUZZING SOUND IN STEERING COLUMN. SAID WAS FIXED ONCE, BUT STILL OCCURS.*AK