1999 Ford Cougar from North America - Comments

To start the alternator has been replace at about 40,000 miles. the check engine light has come on and off for the last 5 years the tires are expensive and wear easily!! I found out the other day there are 8 recalls on this cougar!! the back hatch door sticks when I press the button or use the key for those who say don't be lazy and use your key!! the torque converter is slipping the dpfe sensor needs to be replaced and the egr passages are blocked. the cd player does not work. the radio will shut on and off when it wants! the radio will not tune right at all! the rubber in the cup holders have dry rotted and the one next to the driver will dump on you! it will cut out if you get below a half a tank of gas- period! I had one of the recalls fixed and still crossing my fingers! it was the fuel pump recall! the windows squeek and sometimes do not work! the steering wheel controls do not work at all! the rubber on the windows are dry rotted and I am just waiting on them to leak! the front vent piece on the dash has come off and I am waiting on it to slam into my face! the whole dash shakes so bad when you get over 80mph you think the transmission is going to fall out from underneath you! I steamed cleaned the seats, changed th windshield wipers and got the oil changed and I am about to do a tune up to make myself feel better about this car! the car is out of alignment and the tires need to be rotated and balanced -so that's next! so with all that is wrong with this car I pray for me and my 16 month old's life everyday!! we got stuck/given with this car untill we can afford to get a new one! we have a 2007 tacoma right now and have owned with in my family 12 toyotas previously that have had no major problems untill about 250,000 miles!! the cougar is the worst car ever made!!

So go ahead and drive those sh.. pile toyota's. I have a 10 year old Cougar and it drives like a dream! Easy to fix, cheap parts, all you have to do is put some gas in!

P.s. I've had NONE of the problems you say you've had.

I had a 1999 Mercury Cougar for 7 months, and got rid of it the first chance that I got. Everything that you have said is the truth. My cougar only had 110,000 miles when I sold it, and I had to drop about 2 grand in the thing right after I got it.

If you still have it I would keep a close eye on the intake manifold runner control module; it is the little metal box under the plastic that says 2.5 liter 24 valve. Mine went out, and you will know when it does, cause soon after you start the car, it will shut right back off, and if you don't fix it right away, it will fry your cats. I know cause I thought I could hold off for a week for money (cause a new one is $300 dollars!), but if you can find one at a junk yard, I got mine for $50, but I waited a week and it turned worse and I would have to replace all 4 of the cats, so I said screw that and sold the piece of crap.

My EGR was also plugged, and the power steering pump went right after I got it. I did all the work myself, and it saved me a lot of hassle and money.

If I was you, and you liked the style of the Cougar, the only thing wrong with the car is the engine. If you would like to stay with the Cougar, find one with the 2.0 zetech engine; it comes in some Cougars and you will get a very reliable Mazda engine that is very fast and well built. Those engines come in a variety of Ford and Mercury cars, and it has VCT (variable cam timing), which means when the rpm's get around 3000 you will feel a boost and it will sit you back in your seat.

If you want something more reliable than the 2.5 and Toyota, then get the zetech, and if you want parts for it go to zxtuner.com and they will have anything you need.