2000 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

PE00 020; WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH ON HIGHWAY WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING REAR PASSENGER'S TIRE BLEWOUT. SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE. FIRESTONE, FIREHAWK GTAO2 , P215/50R 16, DOT WTBRIV469. SECOND INCIDENT, FRONT PASSENGER'S TIRE BLEWOUT. TIRE HAD STREES MARKS ON INNER SIDE OF TIRE. *AK

THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL DURING DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. WITHIN TWO DAYS THAT I RECEIVED THE VEHICLE IT STALLED. ELECTRICALS INTACT. MILEAGE 102. DEALER SAID MOST LIKELY BAD GAS, CALL IF HAPPENS AGAIN. AT JUST OVER 7000 MILES SOMETIME IN MARCH IT STARTED BUCKING AND THEN STALLED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. AFTER FIFTEEN MINUTES IT RESTARTED. I WAS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS I WAS STUCK ON THE SPAN OF A MAJOR BRIDGE WITH NO PLACE TO GO.. FOR THREE WEEKS THE DEALERSHIP ATTEMPTED TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND FINALLY BLAMED A FUEL PUMP. ONE WEEK LATER, AT 55 MPH, THE CAR ENGINE SHUT OFF WITH NO WARNING, ELECTRICALS APPEARED TO WORK. CAR RESTARTED ABOUT ONE MINUTE LATER ON FIRST TRY. DEALERSHIP BLAMED AIR CONDITIONER, EXCEPT I HAD NOT USED AIR CONDITIONER IN THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS. THEY NEVER FIGURED IT OUT AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE. AFTER A NASTY DEALING WITH FORD, MY LAWYER, AND THE FLORIDA LEMON LAW I NOW DRIVE A 2001 MERCURY DEATHTRAP/COUGAR. *AK

RPM'S REMAIN HIGH OR INCREASE WHEN CLUTCH IS ENGAGED-VERY UNSAFE! YOU NEVER KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING TO SLOW DOWN OR IF THE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO GO EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE NOT TOUCH THE GAS, CLUTCH OR BRAKE. *AK

THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR THESE ONGOING PROBLEMS. THE PROBLEMS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THE FIRST WEEK OF HAVING THE VEHICLE. ARBITRATION PAPERS WERE FILED BUT REQUEST WAS DENIED DUE TO DEALERSHIP NOT REGISTERING PROBLEMS AS WELL AS INDICATING A PART CAPABLE OF FIXING THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER THE PART DID NOT. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A NEW DEALERSHIP WHO REGISTERED THE COMPLIANTS. DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH BUT PROBLEMS STILL REMAIN. DEALERSHIP TOLD OWNERS IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT WOULD BE TO COMPLICATED TO FIND. THE VEHICLE IS A LEASE AND IS USED FOR TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH FOR A COLLEGE STUDENT ON HIGHWAYS WHERE THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES. *AK

FUEL TANK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED . THIS IS 3RD TIME DUE TO FAULTY SEAL WHICH CAUSES FUEL LEAKAGE . *AK *JB

WHEN TURNING KEY TO START VEHICLE THERE IS A LOUD NOISE, NOT CLICKING SOUND, VEHICLE WILL NOT START. CONSUMER HAS TO TAKE KEY OUT OF IGNITION AND TRY AGAIN, A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE VEHICLE WILL START. TO DEALER WHO FOUND NOTHING WRONG. COULD BE RECALL ON BATTERY CABLE ROUTING.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 55-60 MPH CONSUMER TURNED ON AIR CONDITIONER, THEN SMELLED SMOKE. TURNED AIR CONDITIONER OFF. WENT TO PULL OVER, AND BRAKES HAD FAILED. WHEN VEHICLE CAME TO STOP, CONSUMER OPENED HOOD AND SAW FLAMES. PUT FIRE OUT, AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER STATED THAT STARTER HAD CAUSED FIRE AND REPLACED STARTER.*AK

I HAVE SPILLED COFFEE TWICE WHILE TURNING RIGHT...CUPHOLDER DOES NOT HOLD...HOT COFFEE ON LAP WHILE DRIVING. *AK

THE CUP HOLDER IN THE COUGAR'S CENTER CONSOLE SPILLS ON EVERY OCCASION. IT HAS HAPPENED COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF TIMES, AND IS A SAFETY RISK. I CAN'T THINK OF HOW MANY TIMES I'VE NEARLY GOTTEN INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF MY MALFUNCTIONING CUP HOLDER TIPPING OVER AND SPILLING MY DRINK ALL OVER THE CAR, AND ALL OVER MY LAP. IT SEEMS LOGICAL THAT FORD REPLACE THESE CONSOLES WITHOUT CHARGE WITH THE NEW CONSOLE, WHERE THEY FIXED THIS ISSUE.

I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN TWO ACCIDENTS, AND RAN OVER A CURB BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN OF THIS CUP HOLDER. IT HAS SPILLED 3 DRINKS INTO MY LAP SO FAR. THEY CHANGED THEM HALFWAY THROUGH THE MODEL YEAR. I THINK THEY SHOULD ALL BE RECALLED AND REPLACED.*AK