1999 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

I FIRST THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE ANTI-THEFT DISABLING SYSTEM. I SOON FOUND OUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. THE CAR DOES NOT START AT LEAST ONCE A DAY. IT MAKES A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN TRYING TO START IT. AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT FINALLY STARTS. WE TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT FIXED. AFTER STATING THAT OTHER CARS HAD BEEN IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THE DEALERSHIP PROCEEDING TO GO OUT TO THE CAR TO GET MORE INFORMATION. ONCE THEY SEEN THAT IT HAD 38000 MILES THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY. THAT IS SO RIDICULOUS. OTHER CARS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, IT IS NOT A CONSUMER CAUSED PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY THE CAR HAS A DEFECT AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT FIXED FREE OF CHARGE.

WHEN I ORIGINALLY REPORTED THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING THEY SAID IT WAS FINE, DRIVING AT 80MPH AND HAVING YOUR CAR DROP TO 20MPH THEN 45MPH THEN 60MPH BACK TO 20MPH ON THE FREEWAY IS QUITE NERVE RACKING, IF THIS WAS DURING COMMUTE TRAFFIC I WOULD OF BEEN KILLED.

REMOTE WILL NOT WORK ON TRUNK RELEASE NOR WILL THE RELEASE FROM THE INSIDE WORK. IT HAS BEEN CHECKED OUT 3 TIMES AND ALWAYS THE SAME ANSWER. DON'T KNOW WHY IT WON'T OPEN. PANEL HAS BEEN REPLACED, STILL WILL NOT OPEN. *AK *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*734342

REMOTE WILL NOT WORK ON TRUNK RELEASE NOR WILL THE RELEASE FROM THE INSIDE WORK. IT HAS BEEN CHECKED OUT 3 TIMES AND ALWAYS THE SAME ANSWER. DON'T KNOW WHY IT WON'T OPEN. PANEL HAS BEEN REPLACED, STILL WILL NOT OPEN.

IVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR SINCE I DROVE IT OFF THE LOT ALMOST EVERY MONTH IT IS IN THE SHOP FOR THE SAME REASONS FIRST THE RADIO HAS BEEN FIXED TWICE AND THEN FINALLY REPLACED THE SPEAKERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND THAT HAS YET TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, MY TRUNK RELEASE ON MY CAR HAS BEEN WORKED ON ATLEAST 4 TIMES AND THEY STILL THINK IT IS NOT A PROBLEM BUT THEY DONT OPEN IT EVERY DAY EITHER, STARTING IN JANUARY OF 2000 I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP 6 OR MORE TIMES COMPLAINING ABOUT THE BRAKES AND EVERY TIME THEY WORKED ON IT THEY SAID ALL BRAKES PULSATE AND SQUEEK A LITTLE BUT LOW AND BEHOLD A RECALL LETTER SUPRISED ME IN THE MAIL TODAY, MY SUNROOF WAS IN THE SHOP DONT KNOW THE DATE BECAUSE IT WAS SQUEEKING AND THE PANEL THAT SURROUND THE KEYS WAS LOOSE THEY"FIXED" BUT THE DAY I GOT IT OUT OF THE SHOP FOR GETTING THE RADIO REPLACED THE SUNROOF QUIT TOTALLY, JUST TALKED TO THEM TODAY AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM IT APPEARS THAT THE WIRING IN THE SUNROOF IT WORN OUT I ASKED IF THIS WAS NORMAL FOR A CAR THAT WAS A YEAR OLD AND THEY SAID IT WAS JUST FROM BEING OPENED AND CLOSED BUT IM SORRY ITS ONLY A YEAR OLD THEY SAID IT IS A 1200.00 DOLLAR PROBLEM TO FIX WITHOUT LABOR AND COULDNT GARUANTEE THAT IT WOULDNT HAVE TO BE REPLACED NEXT YEAR AGAIN . THE ALARM SYSTEM RANDOMLY GOES OFF AND WONT SHUT OFF ITS ACTUALLY CALLED A PANIC SYSTEM BUT GOES OFF LIKE AN ALARM SYSTEM AFTER ASKING OTHER COUGAR OWNERS ABOUT THEIRS AND COMPARING NOTES LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE ALL HAD THE SAME THINGS GOING WRONG EXCEPT A FRIEND OF MINE HAS ALREADY HAD HER ENGINE REBUILT AT 20,000 MILES ------HELP ME BEFORE MINE GOES OUT TO. THANK YOU

BRAKE PEDAL IS NORMAL WHEN APPLIED, BUT THERE IS A VIBRATING AND PULSATING FEELING IN FRONT END WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. ALSO, EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 20-25 MPH AND MAKING A MERGE TO RIGHT LANE AND DUE TO STRUT BREAKING, CAUSING STEERING TO BECOME INOPERATIVE, AND RESULTING IN A CRASH. FORD WAS NOT WILLING TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. *AK DURING THE CRASH, THE WHEEL AND EVERYTHING ATTACHED TO THE WHEEL CAME OFF. *YH

HAD TO CHANGE FRONT BRAKES 3 TIMES . NOW REAR BRAKES HAVE SAME PROBLEM AND DEALER REFUSES TO CHANGE CALLING THE PROBLEM ACCEPTABLE. SUNROOF ASSEMBLY FAILED 3 TIMES . WAS DRIVING FOR 3 MONTHS WITH PROBLEM BEFORE THE PART CAME IN. AFRAID THE SUNROOF WOULD FLY OFF THE CAR WHEN IN HIGH SPEED.HAD TO CHANGE INTIRIOR CLOTH 1 TIME BECAUSE IT HAD WATER STAINS. HAD TO CHANGE WEATHER GARD ON DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND IT IS STILL NOT DONE RIGHT.WINDOW HAS MARKS FROM IT WHEN I OPEN IT.

MASTER CYLINDER WAS DEFECTIVE, CAUSING BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK FROM VEHICLE. THIS BRAKE CYLINDER WAS REPLACED, AND PROBLEM REOCCURRED.*AK

AFTER REGULAR TIRE ROTATION AT 28,000 MILES, THE CAR STARTED TO PULL TO THE RIGHT (THE SIDE WHERE THE DEFECTIVE TIRES WERE ON), THE STEERING WAS JERKY AND AN AUDIBLE THRUMMING COULD BE HEARD. IT WAS NOTICEABLE AS SLOW AS 10 MPH AND GREW INCREASINGLY WORSE AS THE VEHICLE SPED UP. WHEN WE HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED AT THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, THEY ALL CONCLUDED THAT TIRE SEPARATION WAS THE CAUSE AND WAS THE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE CAR BEING OUT OF ALIGNMENT. WE CORRECTED THE ALIGNMENT AND PURCHASED FOUR NEW TIRES (YOKOHAMA) AND THE PROBLEMS ARE GONE.( DOT NUMBER: W2B0 TIRE SIZE: 215/50R16 )