1997 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

FRONT HYDRAULIC DISC ROTORS ARE 1/2 INCH BIGGER THAT REAR ROTORS WHICH CAUSES ROTORS TO WARP. BRAKES OVERHEAT, STEERING STARTS SHAKING, AND FRONT END WILL NOSE DIVE IF VEHICLE BRAKES TOO HARD, CAUSING WHEELS TO LOCK UP. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING 30MPH IN TRAFFIC STARTED APPLYING BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, HAD NO BRAKES, AND VEHICLE KEPT GOING. BRAKE PEDAL WAS ALMOST TO THE FLOOR. ALSO, CRUISE CONTROL HAD FAILED. STOPPED VEHICLE AND HAD IT TOWED TO MECHANIC. WAS INFORMED THAT BRAKE BOOSTER PLUNGER, HAD WORN OUT, CAUSING NON BRAKING ABILITY.*AK

TRANSMISSION VIBRATES AND WAS ERRATIC, TORQUE CONVERTER WAS CLEANED, TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WAS INOPERATIVE. *YH

PLEASE HELP FOR OTHER DRIVER. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2M3 IPN TIRESIZE: P215/70R15)

TIRE DELAMINATED. STEEL BELT BROKEN PER FIRESTONE SERVICE. REPLACED BEFORE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. CHARGED FULL PRICE TO REPLACE PAIR OF TIRES. FIRESTONE STORE REFUSED TO RETURN DAMAGED FRONT TIRE AND MATCHING FRONT TIRE.*AK (TIRESIZE: P215/70R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P215/70R15 )

AT 4;30 AM ON OCT. 15, 2000, I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON I-95 IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA ON A RETURN TRIP FROM LOUISVILLE, KY. TO POMPANO BEACH, FL. WHEN I HEARD A NOISE IN THE REAR OF MY CAR AND REALIZED THAT I HAD A TIRE PROBLEM. AT ONCE I KNEW THAT THE TIRE HAD NOT DEFLATED AND THAT I WAS IN CONTROL OF THE CAR. I REDUCED MY SPEED AND TURNED ON MY EMERGENCY BLINKERS AND COULD HEAR A FLAPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE LEFT REAR. SINCE THE ROAD WAS VERY DARK AND THE TRAFFIC VERY FAST I FELT LIKE IT WAS SAFER TO PROCEED THAN TO STOP AND CHANGE A DRIVER SIDE TIRE ON THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT. I DROVE SLOWLY SEVERAL MILES TO THE NEXT EXIT WHERE I REPLACED THE TIRE WITH THE SMALL SPARE. I FOUND THAT AN 8 INCH SECTION OF THE TREAD HAD COME OFF. ALTHOUGH MY TIRES ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL, I BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. TWO OF THE THREE REMAINING TIRES HAVE HAIRLINE CRACKS AT THE EDGE OF THE TREAD AND COULD BE READY TO DO THE SAME THING. I CONTACTED A LINCOLN-MERCURY DEALER WHO SAID HE COULD NOT HELP ME (OTHER THAN SELLING ME NEW TIRES) AND SENT ME TO THE FIRESTONE DEALER WHO SAID HE COULD SELL ME A NEW SET OF TIRES AND GIVE ME A 20% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION DISCOUNT. I'M STILL TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO AND STILL HAVE THE THREE REMAINING TIRES ON MY CAR AND THE FAILED ONE IN THE TRUNK. I'M WONDERING IF OTHERS HAVE HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE FR 680 AND IF IT WILL ALSO BE COVERED BY A RECALL.*AK (DOT NUMBER: W2M3 IPN 2 TIRESIZE: P215/70R15)

PE00 020 ; WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50MPH AND HEARD A NOISE, DRIVER REAR TIRE EXPLODED,AND CAR WOULDN'T START. TIRES WERE FIRESTONE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES.*AK

RIGHT SIDE PASSENGER DOOR LOCKED (STUCK) CLOSED, THE DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE WITH A KEY, THE OUTSIDE HANDLE IS ALSO IN THE HALFWAY POSITION. NLM

BRAKE LINE CORRODED BY BATTERY ACID AND BROKE, RESULTING IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF BRAKE FUNCTION AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH VEHICLE THAT STOPPED AHEAD. BRAKE COMBINATION VALVE LOCATED IN FRONT OF BATTERY. ALL THE BRAKE LINES RUN PAST THE BATTERY FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER AND TO THE WHEELS AND ARE FULLY PROTECTED BY A PLASTIC COATING EXCEPT THE LINE TO THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL. ON THIS LINE THE PLASTIC COATING STARTS AT THE VALVE AND STOPS JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE BATTERY. THE LINE BROKE AT THE POINT WHERE THE COATING STOPS AND IS HEAVILY CORRODED BY BATTERY ACID FOR SEVERAL INCHES. I AM A MECHANICAL ENGINEER INVESTIGATING THIS ACCIDENT FOR ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A COPY OF MY REPORT. *AK

I BOUGHT MY COUGAR IN 1997. AT 6,113 MILES THE FRONT ROTORS WERE WARPED AND HAD TO BE TURNED . AT 8,788 MILES THE ROTERS HAD TO BE REPLACED. AT 15,718 MILES THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AGAIN AND HAD TO BE TURNED AGAIN. AT 16,992 MILES THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AGAIN AND TURNED ONCE AGAIN. AT 20,990 MILES MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES,PREMIUM AFTERMARKET ROTORS AND PADS WERE ORDERED AND WERE INSTALLED AT 21,461 MILES.THEN AT 26,402 THE BRAKE PROBLEM CONTINUES THE ROTORS WERE TURNED AGAIN. I HAVE TRIED TO BE PATIENT WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT CENTROPLEX FORD BUT THE LAST TIME THEY TURNED THE ROTORS THEY SAID THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND I AM VERY CONCERNED. MY WARRANTY WILL RUN OUT SOON AND I WOULD LIKE MY BRAKES FIXED FOR GOOD .