1993 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

KNOWN PROBLEM WITH 3.8 ENGINE.. RECALL ON 94'S AND 95'S BUT NONE ON 93'S. I'VE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE RECALL FORD SENT OUT CONCERNING THE 3.8 LITER ENGINE WITH FAULTY HEAD GASKETS. BOTH OF MINE HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A SIGNIFICANT COST.*AK

THE HEAD GASKET FAILED CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SIEZE UP AND BE DESTROYED, AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS PROVIDED FOR THE 1994 MODEL WITH THE SAME EXACT ENGINE AND SAME PROBLEM. NLM

LOOK AT ALL THE 3.8L HEAD GASKET COMPLAINTS - WHY NO RECALL OR ACTION FROM YOU? *AK

THE HEAD GASKET BLEW DAMAGING THE ENTIRE ENGINE, THE MANUFACTURER EXTENED THE WARRANTY FOR 1994-1995 MODEL VEHICLES BUT NOT THE 1994 COUGAR ALTHOUGH IT HAS THE SAME V6 3.8 ENGINE. NLM

TRAVELING 35MPH WHEN TEMPERATURE LIGHT WOULD GO TO HOT. THIS CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL OUT. HAVE TAKEN TO MECHANIC, AND WAS INFORMED THAT HEAD GASKETS HAD BLOWN. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT HEAD GASKETS. *AK

AIR CONDITIONER SWITCH THAT CONTROLED HEATING AIR MALFUNCTIONED, AND IT MELTED, EXPOSING A POSITIVE TERMINAL. THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE HAZARD. ALSO, SEAT BELT ON PASSENGER'S SIDE WAS NOT OPERABLE. *AK

ENGINE HEAD GASKET REPLACED, 2/7/01 TIMING COVER GASKET REPLACED, VEHICLE BEGAN TO EXHIBIT SAME PROBLEM, ENGINE SMELLING HOT AND SWEET, COOLANT RESERVE TANK NOT HOLDING ANTIFREEZE, IDLE ROUGH AND HESITATION OCCURRING WHEN ACCLERATING/DECELERATING, VEHICLE ONLY DRIVEN 4,000 MILES SINCE HEAD GASKET REPAIR, SERVICE PROGRAM 99B29 DOES NOT INCLUDE 1993 COUGARS. CJ

HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS GO UNANSWERED. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED WITHIN SUMMARY. *AK

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2001 AFTER PREVIOUSLY PAYING CROSSROADS LINCOLN MERCURY DEALER IN INDIANAPOLIS IN JANUARY OF 2000 $1140.82 FOR HEAD GASKET REPAIR AT 59039 MILES, NOW MY CAR WITH 62913 MILES IS BACK AT THE SAME DEALER FOR ANOTHER COOLANT LEAK. THE DEALER HAS CONFIRMED IT IS THE ENGINE FRONT COVER GASKET LEAKING. I DISCOVERED FORD HAS RECALLED 1996 AND 1997 COUGARS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM BUT NOT 1993 COUGARS. SAME STORY WITH THE HEAD GASKET REPAIR NOT BEING COVERED BY FORD'S EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE 3.8L V-6 ENGINES FOR 1993 OWNERS. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF SENDING A LETTER TO WILLIAM FORD AT FORD MOTOR COMPANY ALONG WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF INDIANA. I WILL BE SENDING COPIES TO YOUR ORGANIZATION AND THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY.*AK

IN FALL OF 1999, TOOK CAR TO TWO DIFFERENT LOCAL MECHANICS WITH TEMPTERATURE GAUGE GETTING HOT, LEAKING ANTIFREEZE, ROUGH IDLING, WHITE SMOKE. SPENT OVER $800 FOR TUNE UP, NEW PARTS, WINTERIZING AND SO FORTH. IN JANUARY, 2000 SYMPTONS REOCCURED UNTIL ENGINE LOCKED UP - TOOK TO CROSSROADS LINCOLN MERCURY - CHARGED $1200 FOR HEAD GASKET REPAIR. DEALER INFORMED ME MANY COUGARS HAVE BEEN COMING IN WITH SAME PROBLEM BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. I WAS GIVEN A 12 MONTH, 12,000 MILE WARRANTY (WHICHEVER COMES FIRST) AND NOW ON JANUARY 30TH, 2001 NOTICED THE SAME SYMPTONS AGAIN. HAVE ONLY DRIVEN CAR APPROX 5,000 MILES SINCE FIRST REPAIR BUT MY 12 MONTHS EXPIRED BY A WEEK. NOW CAR HAS SAME SYMTPONS AND AGAIN WILL COST ME $1200 TO HAVE SAME PROBLEM REMEDIED. HAVE TRIED TO SEE IF RECALL IS IN EFFECT BUT CAN NOT FIND ANY INFO ON IT. I FEEL FORD SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR A RECALL CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS LISTED IN THIS COMPLAINT DATABASE CONCERNING BLOWN HEAD GASKETS. *AK