1999 Mercury Cougar V6 from North America - Comments

I agree with all on the death trap that we all purchased because the car looked great on the outside.

My wife actually bought the car a year before we got together. Before we paid for the vehicle, the blower motor and blower motor switch went out, which cost an arm and leg, one of the remotes stopped working, the fuel filter had to be replaced, and we had to replace some resistors.

Two months after finishing paying for it, the fly wheel and starter had to be replaced, and what amazed me is that the motor had to be pulled to do it.

The spark plugs and wire had to be changed, which I was use to doing with my vehicle, but could not on this one.

The fly wheel had teeth missing again.

The alternator went out twice.

The tie rod and power steering had to be replaced.

A/C went out again, and when I took it in to get it checked, the mechanic told me the cheapest way to fix it was to sell it. He had the car three days and worked long and hard and could not get it running again. He told me no charge because he has never failed at fixing cars in 12 years until he got ours.

The transaxle light is now on and it is starting to lose power, the gauges and speedometer don't work.

I tried to convince my wife to sell it after the first 1500 dollar repair fee, but she was set on keeping it and we have put another paid for vehicle into repairing this one when I look back on the repair cost. She finally bought into selling when she was told it would take 5000 dollars to fix the catalyst converter, since they have three under there and 2000 to fix the electrical system. She thinks we can still get 3000 for it now with all the issues. I will settle for just getting back the cosmetic cost we put in.

We had to buy a new set rims because it was cheaper than buying one rim to match the other alloy cougar rims. Ford should send everyone a tolerance check for just owning one of those cars.

Owner of 99 v6 cougar. Just wondering if anyone knows where the heck the starter is?

Thanx.

I have had my Cougar since December of 1998 and while I haven't had quite as many problems as those that I've read, (maybe because I only have 75,000 miles on it) I definitely have had my share of problems NOT due to poor maintenance.

I think my car is ready for me to replace it's alternator for the 3rd time. If I don't drive it for 4 days or more it is usually dead. I get the battery checked (which I have replaced twice) and that is fine. I just replaced the alternator in June of 2007 and now another one? I only drive like 7500 miles a year.

I too have had the trunk strut woes but just paid out and replaced them.

I have had a fog light that consistently burns out within 2 days of replacing it. Dealership said it would cost a lot and take a long time for them to check the entire line for any shorts. OK...

I have an overhead "Light Out" signal that is always illuminated but goes off every time I hit the brakes...huh?

I hate the cup-holder as well after each spill of countless beverages it ruined a bunch of cassettes (hey it was 1998/99) and anything else I had sitting around the center console. I bought a cheap cup holder that you cram between the seat and the center console and never a spill since.

I have a different start noise issue (or "false-start" issue) that I have had since the very first year. Occasionally (+/- twice a month) I will go to start my car and I will get a screech noise and no start. Everyone who hears it says my starter is going but it continues to live and not seem to be getting worse almost 10 years later.

I, too have gone through more tires than I expected and yes I have alignments, so I think it is just a design flaw somehow. I have also gone through more brake maintenance than what I view as typical.

But overall the alternator / battery biz is killing me.

Sorry for the huge post, just frustrated.

I have a 2000 Mercury Cougar and am very pleased with the car. I purchased it in April of 2005, and live in Winnipeg, MB, Canada - so my first winter with it I experienced the full 'winter-effect' however a good set of Hankook winter tires (225/45/16) fit just fine on the factory wheels and took care of any winter problems. The combination 5 spd manual and traction control will allow me to get through most winter conditions until we get a 2 or 3 foot dump - then I have to just call in sick to work until the road is ploughed.

As for the battery/alternator problems, I to went through that; by my third replacement alternator my mechanic did a bit of research and found the the problem is faulty wiring around the alternator. An easy fix is to splice the red positive and wire it to the ground, it does not take care of all the 'flickering' but it helps a lot and makes the alternator work perfectly. That simple solution has kept that alternator going just fine for over a year now (whereas the previous replacements went after 2 months) and I am running two small subs in the hatch. I have not had to replace the battery as of yet - after 3 years I am still waiting on that one.

I have had to replace the tie-end rods, have the bushings re-packed and have had to get multiple wheel alignments - but Winnipeg roads are HORRIBLE! But I understand the car does have a 'sport' suspension and few other cars can corner at the speeds the Cougar can go around corners. Although replacement parts are expensive, and it does seem that Ford made thing as difficult as possible to replace anything.

Overall, it lives up to the name Cougar - a high maintenance red-head that requires time and energy - and cannot be ignored 3 - 4 days / week and be expected to perform. Sorry for the rant, but to me the car is worth the hassle for the driving experience it gives back. Maybe I will change my mind when I clear 100,000 miles and if the the problems start to pile up - I'm only at 130,000 KMS right now (about 81,250 Miles) and look forward to driving it every day.

Hi, I am planning to buy 1999 Mercury Cougar, so could any one suggest what I should check before I buy, and is it safe to buy that car at 113,000 miles?

So I too bought a 1999 car. The car had a little over 123k miles and got it about 2 weeks ago. I like the car, and well honestly I don't have as many problems as the other people who got their cars earlier and newer. Everything within the car works fine. It could just be that the car was well taken care of by its previous owners. But... the car does have a problem and it could be worth over 1k dollars of repair. I hope to only have to pay that much money now, and not have to pay more money in the future. I still plan to keep the car and I'm hoping to use it for a while.