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1988 Mercury CougarProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 55 owner complaints about the 1988 Mercury Cougar, most often about the seat belts. It is covered by 1 safety recall.

58
CarFlaw IndexSolid year27% below the Cougar median · #12 of 18 years by complaints
Safety recalls1Free fix at dealersOwner complaints5519 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage75kSeat belts, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 22, 2005. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1988 Mercury Cougar has problems

55 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Seat belts161
Electrical system125
Vehicle speed control107
Engine and engine cooling61
Visibility40
Service brakes, hydraulic30
Exterior lighting30
Tires20
Seats20
4 other systems51

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

1 recall

1988 Mercury Cougar recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

–no report yet

Electrical system: ignition

Recall 96V-071 · Apr 25, 1996 · 7,900,000 vehicles

Risk. THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Mercury.

Best & worst years

1988 vs. every other Cougar year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Cougar median. How we score

'67'68'69'70'71'72'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'80'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
5 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1988 Mercury Cougar, and the recalls they led to.

  1. THROTTLE STICKINGEA90009 · closed Feb 28, 1991
    No recall
  2. FAULTY SEAT BELT BUCKLESEA95021 · closed Sep 30, 1997
    No recall
  3. FLOORMAT/ACCEL PEDAL INTRFPE88097 · closed Dec 2, 1988
    No recall
  4. THROTTLE STICKINGPE90001 · closed Feb 2, 1990
    No recall
  5. FAULTY SEATBELT BUCKLESPE95019 · closed Jul 31, 1995
    No recall
In owners' words

What Cougar owners report

Recent seat belts complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

THE RIGHT SELTBELT BUCKLE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FAILS OFTEN. FORD NO LONGER SUPPLIES THESE BUCKLES, AND THEY ARE VERY SCARCE IN WRECKING YARDS.*AK
Complaint 10100078 · Nov 17, 2004 · 75,000 miles
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE. IT LOCKED IN POSITION. THE RED RELEASE BUTTON WAS SOLID HARD WHEN ATTEMPTING TO RELEASE.*AK
Complaint 800607 · Aug 7, 1996
IGN. SW. RECALL WORK DONE PREVIOUSLY 2 TIMES BY GALPIN LINCOLN-MERCURY. SEAT BELT FAILURE REPORTED BOTH TO GALPIN LINCOLN-MERCURY AND FORD MOTOR CORP. BECAUSE OF NO DOCUMENTED RECALL, THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR IT. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING EVER SINCE WITHOUT SHOULDER BELT PROTECTION.
Complaint 731200 · Sep 12, 2000

Own a 1988 Cougar?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.