2000 MERCURY COUGAR Complaints

MY DAUGHTER'S CAR IS HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. IT IS EXACTLY AS MENTIONED IN NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN 01V031000. THE DEALER WON'T FIX THE PROBLEM AS A RECALL BECAUSE IS WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIXED AT THE TIME OF THE RECALL BEFORE MY DAUGHTER BOUGHT THE CAR. IT IS A 2000 MERCURY COUGAR. FORD HAS TOLD HER IT WAS REPAIRED AND WHAT DEALER REPAIRED IT IN NEW JERSEY. SHE IS IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN COLLEGE , AND TOOK VEHICLE TO A DEALER THERE. THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T DO RECALL REPAIRS. SHE CALLED THE DEALER IN NEW JERSEY THAT FORD TOLD HER DID THE WORK, AND THEY TOLD HER THAT SOMETIMES RECALL WORK HAS TO BE REDONE, BUT THE WARRANTY WAS ONLY FOR ONE YEAR. I DON'T FEEL SHE SHOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THE WORK DONE IF IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH MERCURY COUGARS, AND HER CAR WAS ONE THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. I WISH FORD COULD AT LEAST HELP HER PARTIALLY WITH THE REPAIRS. THE RECALL SAID THE CAR MIGHT CATCH ON FIRE. I HOPE THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO HER OR ANYONE OWNING A COUGAR.*AK

I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE NEW, IN 2000. IN 2002, AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE A TOTAL OF 38,000 MILES, THE SUNROOF ASSEMBLY BROKE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM COVERED THE WORK UNDER MY EXTENDED SERVICE PLAN. JUST THE OTHER DAY, WHILE DRIVING MY CAR, THE SUNROOF ASSEMBLY BROKE AGAIN. THIS TIME THOUGH, THE SUNROOF DETACHED FROM MY VEHICLE. THANKFULLY, I WAS DRIVING ON A ROAD THAT HAD LITTLE TO NO OTHER TRAFFIC. HAD I BEEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE TO WORK DURING RUSH HOUR, THE SUNROOF WOULD HAVE MOST SURELY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, IT APPEARS THAT THE SUNROOF ASSEMBLY FAILING IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM, AS IT IS DOCUMENTED ON WWW.COUGARSUNROOF.COM. IF QUALITY IS INDEED JOB 1 AT FORD, WHY WOULD THEY NOT FIX AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW? *NM

HEADLAMPS FLICKER- WHEN MY HEADLAMPS ,"FLICKER", THEY GET SO DIM THAT I AM CONCERNED I WILL NOT SEE ITEMS IN THE PATH OF MY MOVING VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD TWO NEAR MISSES; ONE WITH AN ANIMAL AT LARGE, THE OTHER MUCH MORE SERIOUS, AND A PEDESTRIAN IN A CROSSWALK. THE ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENT WAS DONE 2 TIMES, BATTERY REPLACEMENT DONE ONCE. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE ATTENTION OF MY SERVICE ADVISOR AT FORD HE STATED THAT THIS IS ONLY A BULLETIN BECAUSE IT IS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE LIGHTS DO NOT GO COMPLETELY OUT. MY CHILDREN WHOM RIDE IN THIS CAR AND THE PEDESTRIAN THAT I COULD NOT SEE WOULD DEEM THIS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN RIGHT ALONG WITH MYSELF AND OTHER PASSENGERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM IN MY VEHICLE. I ONLY DRIVE MY CAR AFTER DARK BECAUSE I HAVE NO OTHER CAR. *JB

MERCURY COUGAR 2000 STARTED TO GIVE ME PROBLEMS WITHIN THE LAST WEEK: LIGHTS FLICKERING,LOSS OF POWER, STALLING. CURRENTLY IN A GARAGE GETTING A NEW ALTERNATOR INSTALLED. NOT UNDER WARRANTY. I FORTUNATELY FOUND ON THE WEB THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, BUT DON'T BELIEVE THIS WILL RESOLVE THE ISSUE AS IT HASN'T FOR ANYONE ELSE. I READ COUNTLESS REPORTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM ON THE WEB. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE CAME OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. ALL FOUR LUGS: BOLTS SNAPPED OFF. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, BUT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE FRONT AND BACK CORNER PANEL, BUMPER, HOOD, AND DOOR. *AK

2000 MERCURY COUGAR STALLED DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL PUMP. *TS AFTER THE FUEL PUMP WAS INSTALLED, THE CONSUMERS DAUGHTER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE STALLING PROBLEMS. THE CONSUMER LEARNED THERE WAS RECALL , THE CONSUMER DID RECEIVE A REBATE AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FUEL PUMP THAT WAS SOLD TO THE CONSUMER WAS THE SAME ONE THAT HAD BEEN RECALLED. THE DEALER DID AGREE THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS BAD, HOWEVER THEY WANTED OVER $500.00 TO REPLACE IT. *JB

INTERIOR LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS AND GAUGES DIM AND BRIGHTEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. *TS ON ONE OCCASION THE CONSUMER'S WIFE COULDN'T SEE A CURB DUE TO THE LIGHT FLICKERING. AS A RESULT SHE RAN OVER THE CURB WHICH CAUSED A FLAT TIRE AND RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE RUNNING INTO A DITCH. *NM

MY VEHICLE HAS NOT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT OR A CRASH YET, BUT IT SOON COULD. THE THROTTLE/ ACCELERATOR HAS BEEN STICKING ON MY 2000 MERCURY COUGAR SINCE SOON AFTER I BOUGHT IT IN OCTOBER OF 2003. IT STARTED WITH THE RPMS REVVING UP TO 2 OR 3 AS I WAS COMING TO A STOP. THIS HAPPENED ONCE EVERY COUPLE WEEKS OR SO. THE RPMS DO NOT GO DOWN UNTIL AFTER I HAVE COMPLETELY STOPPED. IT HAS SINCE BECAME MORE FREQUENT (CLOSE TO EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR) AND SIGNIFICANT(RPMS GO TO 3 OR 4). I TOOK IT TO THE LINCOLN MERCURY DEALERSHIP SOON AFTER I FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM IN APRIL 2003. THEY REPAIRED A BLOWN AIR VALVE. THE PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN WITHIN A MONTH OF THE REPAIR. I THEN TOOK IT BACK IN JUNE 2003 AND REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY CLEANED THE THROTTLE. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH. IN MAY 2004 I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR A CONTAMINATED FUEL PUMP. THINKING THIS WAS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEMS I HAD THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED. THE PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN WITHIN A MONTH. NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD TO PUT MORE MONEY INTO MY CAR, I WAITED A YEAR BEFORE TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. UPON EMISSIONS INSPECTION IN SEPTEMBER 2005 THEY FAILED IT BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I TOOK IT BACK A WEEK LATER AND THEY PASSED IT. THE LIGHT WAS OFF THEN. IT HAS BEEN GOING ON AND OFF ON ITS OWN SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING THE ACCELERATOR STUCK MAKING MY CAR STAY AT 40 MPH EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE GAS. I RESEARCHED A 1999 RECALL THAT SEEMS TO FIT THE EXACT DESCRIPTION OF MY CARS PROBLEM, BUT FORD INSISTS THAT COULDN'T BE POSSIBLE. *NM

DT: 2000 MERCURY COUGAR. THE CONSUMER FOUND RECALL 01V031000 FOR THE ELECTRIC BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES IN THE LAST WEEK, AND THE ALTERNATOR HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE. HOWEVER, PROBLEM RECURRED. . WHEN SHE CONTACTED MERCURY THEY STATED THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. THE VEHICLE WILL START. BUT WHEN SHE TURNED ON THE AIR CONDITIONER OR RADIO THE VEHICLE STALLED. BOTH THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR HAVE BEEN CHECKED TO SEE IF THEY WERE THE PROBLEM. TWO MECHANICS STATED THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WERE FINE. IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THE EMISSION SYSTEM LIGHT ON THE VEHICLE KEPT COMING ON. FORD STATED THEY KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM AND THAT COULD BE CHECKED. *AK

THE DEALERSHIP DIDN'T FOLLOW THE PROPER PROCEDURE/SPECIFICATION WHEN PERFORMING THE FUEL DELIVERY MODULE RECALL 04N02, BECAUSE OF THIS THE RUSTED FUEL TANK STRAPS WENT UN NOTICED. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE STRAPS DRAGGING WHILE DRIVING WHICH COULD OF RESULTED IN A FIRE. *JB