1999 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

TREAD ON TIRES STARTED TO SEPARATE FROM TIRE HAD TO RELACE ALL TIRES SENT FIRESTONE AN E-MAIL THEY SENT BACK THE TRUCK TIRE RECALL INFO DID NOT TAKE TO DEALER BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE PUT FIRESTONES BACK ON ,I SAVED ONE TIRE THAT WAS DAMAGED( DOT NUMBER: W2UN TIRE SIZE: P205/60RIS )

COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL BRAKES DUE TO "NEVER BEFORE SEEN" EXPLOSION OF ABS MASTER CYLINDER

ON 8-01-00, WITH A CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROLMAN AS A WITNESS, THE BRAKES ON MY GRAND DAUGHTERS CAR FAILED COMPLETELY (PEDAL TO FLOOR), UPON PUMPING THE PEDAL THE BRAKES THEN LOCKED UP AND THE CAR WENT INTO AN UNCONTROLLED SKID STRIKING A STOPPED VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE AND WE ARE UNSURE OF THE VEHICLE SPEED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. SHE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AT THE TIME OF THE INITIAL BRAKE FAILURE. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED (ALTHOUGH MY GRAND DAUGHTER'S HEAD DID STRIKE THE WINDSHIELD) AND VERY LITTLE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO EITHER VEHICLE. BOTH FRONT TIRES NOW HAVE SEVERE CUTS AND ABRASIONS ACROSS THEIR WIDTH, APPROXIMATELY 6 TO 8 INCHES LONG, WHERE THE NEWLY FORMED GROOVES IN THE HIGHWAY SHREDDED THE TIRES UPON BRAKE LOCKUP. FAILED COMPONENTS: 1) BRAKES - COMPLETE FAILURE, THEN SEVERE LOCKUP. 2) AIR BAGS - NEITHER THE DRIVER NOR PASSENGER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. 3) SELT BELTS - SEAT BELTS FAILED TO LOCKUP UPON IMPACT. THE CHP OFFICER, WHO WAS SITTING IN THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE AREA, STATED THAT HE SAW THE ENTIRE INCIDENT AND EXPRESSED HIS CONCERN THAT WITH THE SEVERITY OF THE IMPACT THAT THE AIR BAGS HAD NOT DEPLOYED. THE BRAKE ROTORS, CALIPERS AND PADS ON THIS VEHICLE WERE REPLACED AND/OR REBUILT BY FORD UNDER WARRANTY AT 32K MILES. WE HAVE SO FAR BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN CONTACTING FORD/MERCURY ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS, AND THE DEALERS SEEM TO BE AT A LOSS ON HOW TO CHECK THE FAILED COMPONENTS. THEIR ATTITUDE IS ONE OF DISBELIEF SINCE THE CARS WERE NOT SEVERLY DAMAGED. WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN AGAIN? *AK

I HAVE HAD TWO (2) SIDE WALL BLOWOUTS ON THE LOWER PART OF THE SIDEWALL NEAR THE TREAD. BOTH INCIDENTS WERE ON CITY STREETS AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ROAD HAZARD OF ANY KIND. THE FIRST INCIDENT THROUGH THE CAR OUT OF CONTROL AND INTO A CURB. NO OTHER CARS WERE INVOLVED. I KEPT THE LAST TIRE, HOWEVER DISCARDED THE FIRST.*AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P215/50 R1 )

I HAVE REPLACED A SET OF BRAKE PADS ON THE FRONT, THE CALIPERS WERE LOOSE WHEN REPLACED & I HAD TO REPLACE THE ROTOR ON THE RIGHT & THE ROTOR ON THE LEFT NOW NEEDS REPLACED. THIS DOES NOT SEEM LIKE NORMAL WEAR/TEAR. THIS CAR HAS BEEN USED MOSTLY FOR HIGHWAY TRAVEL. THANKS!

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 30MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HIT A SMALL POTHOLE IN THE ROAD. TIRE SIDEWALL SPLITTED, LIKE SOMEONE HAD CUT THE TIRE. THIS HAPPENED A YEAR AGO TRAVELING ABOUT 50MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, AND A CHUNK OF THE TIRE SIDEWALL SIMPLY EXPLODED WITH NO CONTACT AT ALL. FIRESTONE FIREHAWK #GTA02, SIZE 215/50/16. DEALERSHIP AND FIRESTONE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING 40MPH & HAD BRAKE FAILURE. CONSUMER HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE & MOVE OFF OF EXPRESSWAY. DEALER DETERMINED THE ABS PUMP MODULE SPRUNG A LEAK & LOST OF ALL HYFRAULIC BRAKE FLUID. THE WARRANTY EXPIRED BECAUSE OF MILEAGE. ABS BOOSTER PUMP, MASTER CYLINDER AND OTHER COMPONENTS ALSO REPLACED. VEHICLE HAD TO RETURN FOR REPAIRS WITHIN 24 HOURS OF PICKING UP VEHICLE AFTER INITIAL REPAIRS. *AK *ML

ALL FOUR OF MY TIRES HAD THE BELTS SHOWING AT 17000 MILES. I HAVE PUT NEW ONES ON AND THEY ARE STARTING TO SHAKE JUST LIKE THE FIRST SET THAT WAS ON THE CAR. I HAVE HEARD OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE TIRES FOR THE COUGAR. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 215/50/16 )

I WAS DRIVING DOWN AN INTERSTATE ROAD ON THE MORNING OF JULY 3RD 2000. A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF RAIN HAD FALLEN ON THE ROAD AND IT WAS STILL RAINING SLIGHTLY THE SECTION OF THE ROAD THAT I WAS ON WAS COMPLETELY STRAIGHT. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE DOING ABOUT 55MPH ON THE 65MPH ROAD WHEN I FELT THE CAR LURCH AND BEGIN TO TURN TOWARD THE LEFT. I LOOKED DOWN AT MY INSTRUMENT PANEL AND NOTICED THAT MY TACHOMETER WAS ON ZERO AND MY WARNING LIGHTS WERE ALL ON. THE CAR STARTED TO SPIN COUNTERCLOCKWISE VERY QUICKLY AND CROSSED OVER THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC WHERE IT FINALLY CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. I WAS FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR FINALLY SETTLED. *AK

THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WEATHER STRIP RIPES AT THE TOP REAR OF THE WINDOW, IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES ALREADY. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK