no report yet
Fuel system, gasoline
Risk. THIS MAY CAUSE ENGINE HESITATION, LOSS OF POWER, SURGING, AND OTHER SIMILAR SYMPTOMS.
1999 Mercury CougarProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 454 owner complaints about the 1999 Mercury Cougar, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 7 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through December 12, 2017. Updated daily.
Complaints by system
Where the 1999 Mercury Cougar has problems
454 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
99Electrical system4 crash/fire/injury
72Service brakes, hydraulic5 crash/fire/injury
67Engine and engine cooling5 crash/fire/injury
52Visibility
50Power train1 crash/fire/injury
39Fuel system, gasoline
34Structure
34Exterior lighting
31Air bags
17617 other systems11 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 99 | 4 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 72 | 5 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 67 | 5 |
| Visibility | 52 | 0 |
| Power train | 50 | 1 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 39 | 1 |
| Structure | 34 | 2 |
| Exterior lighting | 34 | 0 |
| Air bags | 31 | 17 |
| 17 other systems | 176 | 11 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
7 recalls
1999 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
Risk. THE OPEN CIRCUIT COULD LEAD TO ELECTRICAL ARCING THAT COULD MELT THE CONNECTOR HOUSING MATERIAL CREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A FIRE.
no report yet
Brake lights: switch
Risk. THIS COULD CAUSE EITHER A LOSS OF BRAKE LAMP FUNCTION OR CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED BRAKE LAMPS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
no report yet
12v/24v/48v battery: cables
Risk. THE SHORT COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN A FIRE, STALLING, OR A NO-START CONDITION.
Show 3 more recalls
no report yet
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components
Risk. IF BOTH PCRV'S MALFUNCTION, VEHICLE HANDLING COULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED DURING BRAKING AS A RESULT OF THE REAR WHEELS LOCKING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
no report yet
no report yet
Vehicle speed control
Risk. THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN THE THROTTLE STICKING, BINDING, OR CAUSING HIGH ENGINE RPM.
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.
Mileage at failure
When do electrical system problems start?
70kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 28 electrical system complaints. 71% were reported before 100,000 miles.
Only 28% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.
5under 30k miles20under 100k miles8100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Visibility
9 owners mentioned a cost$1,500median
Middle half: $1,000 – $1,700
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
1999 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
1 investigation
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 1999 Mercury Cougar, and the recalls they led to.
- BLOWER SWITCH/RESISTOR OR WIRING HARNESSLed to recall 01I009000
In owners' words
What Cougar owners report
Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
I GOT IN MY CAR ONE DAY AFTER WORK IN THE PARKING LOT AND STARTED MY CAR AND MY AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON. IT STAYED ON FOR THREE DAYS AND IS NO LONGER ON. IT SEEMS LIKE NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OR PROVIDE SOLUTIONS FOR THE PROBLEM. EVERYTIME I ROLL UP MY WINDOWS, MY LIGHTS DIM AS IF THE BATTERY IS…
I HAVE PROBLEM WITH TRANSMMITION SHIFTING 1ST TO SECOND CHANGES AT 3000RPM BUT WHEN I CHANGE PARK TO DRIVE SHAKES MOTOR BAD, ONE OF THE WIRES START SMOKING I LIKE I PUT TAPE AROUND WIRED BURND. TEMPERATURE IT DOESN'T SHOW BUT WHEN I OPEN THE HOOD THE CAR IS VERY HOT EVERY TIME I TRIED DRIVING IT AT…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MERCURY COUGAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, HOWEVER THE…
Own a 1999 Cougar?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.