1999 Mercury Cougar V6 Automatic from North America - Comments

Oh the HORROR!! I have a green 2000 v6 cougar. The special edition one with leather seats. I would encourage anyone in their right mind not to ever EVER buy this car. It's like a beauty queen with bipolar disorder... fun to look at, but you start to see issues after a few days. So lets begin.

-After getting her I realized that she wasn't starting correctly. She got a new alternator. Ofcourse with that we had to get a new battery. Luckily my dad worked at the dealership so they did that for free.

-New brakes basically every 2 years since I've had her. Front brakes are the worst. HORRIBLE break dust! You have to clean the rims almost constantly.

-New cadalitic converter. To pass emissions.

-Coolant light is constantly on even though there is plenty of coolant. Apparently this is due to an issue with the 'sensor'. Expect every single sensor in your car to go out and to pay $200 to fix them.

-Check engine light on (this is due to a defect with the car, so this is all cougars from 1999 on... and no they won't recall them or fix them for free)

-Another new alternator, July 2007.

-AND ANOTHER new alternator, June 2008.

-Have to hold down the trunk button while pulling on the trunk to open it. If you lose your keyless entry you will never be able to open the trunk without another person being present.

-Uses Frion like crazy. Air conditioner has to be re-charged at least twice each summer even though there are no leaks.

-Bucket seats so only 4 people can sit in the car at once.

-Passenger window goes down very very very slowly.

-If you are sitting in the car for a while with the ignition off but with the keys in it and then you get out, the alarm goes off.

-If you have to jump start the car, the alarm goes off. After a while the alarm will stop, but the emergency flashers will stay on untill you turn off the car.

-And, ofcourse, THE CRAPPIEST CUP HOLDER IN THE WORLD!!! If I have a drink in the car and I turn a corner at 15mph it spills all over me.

That's all I can think of right now but I'm sure I could go on.

I bought a 99 model with a V6/auto trans for my daughter with 76,000 miles on it. The car was in excellent condition.

Within a few months the moon roof mechanism broke. I couldn't close the roof; I had to pay the dealership to close it. Repair will cost $1200 - not worth it. After researching the problem on-line I found that the 99-00 cars have a faulty plastic roller mechanism, but Mercury fixed it on the 01-02 cars by using an aluminum mechanism (and they won't offer a rebate to help with replacement costs).

Since buying the car I have experienced many of the issues as other owners. This car eats brake pads, rotors, and tires and generates constant front brake dust buildup on the wheels.

I put new Dunlops on it shortly after purchasing it, and did not get 20,000 mile out of them. There are no front end problems to cause them to wear this fast.

I replaced the front brake rotors and and had to have them resurfaced before the car got 125,000 miles.

The brake sensor light remains on, even with new pads, rotors, etc.

I have replaced the alternator and the water pump.

If you pull the hood latch too far, it will pull the cable grommet out of a clip inside the kick panel, and it is heck to put it back in place.

The engine warning light stays on, and my mechanic said the diagnostic check points to a catalytic converter EGR error. However, after reading everyone's entries I am not going to replace it if it isn't guaranteed fix.

The car still drives good, with the exception of a noise from the rear end whenever you hit a bump. It sounds like a loose muffler mount, but everything seems to be tight. Has anyone else experienced this?

At one point in time gas mileage wasn't an issue at 20-22 mpg, but now that gas prices are unreal, it isn't an economical ride.

The best thing the car has going for it is the body styling. The Cougars are sharp little cars, but not worth the high maintenance costs.

I have an automatic black Cougar V6! bought it for 3500$ with 165,000 km on it, and have had it for about 5 months!

It's a beauty; zero problems and added a nice short ram intake and it sounds beautiful!

This is an amazing car; never had any problems at all and no repairs.

I have changed the side markers to black smoked, and put front and back light covers on, so all the yellow is gone, and also put on a new muffler next thing is rims.

COUGAR ALL DAY EVERYDAY; best car I've owned.

I've recently inherited my little brother's 99 Cougar, Duratec V6, 5 spd, 125k miles. Also have a 99 Taurus and am figuring out which to keep and which to sell. I get 30 MPG freeway out of the Cougar which is a real plus, though nowhere near that in the city. Haven't had a manual trans for a few yrs and it's admittedly peppy and fun (though I made the mistake of driving my brothers 08 Bullitt Mustang first).

I've gotta say some of the people complaining here must've never bought a used car ever. Considering this was the first model year for these cars and that it's now 2008, you really must expect some problems. So far I've gotten all the warning lights out except the wrench at the top and taken off the sill faux wood paneling on the inside.

I'll trade a broken sunroof, dumb cupholder and slow window any day versus some of the major issues I've had with used cars. I think this is my 28th or 29th used car (only owned 2 brand new ones) and remarkably solid for the miles on it. I love it when people say thing like I'll never buy another X ever, as if that particular used car represents an entire company. I think I'd be out of safe companies by now. Never owned a Jaguar, maybe they are the one good company. Except I can't keep track of who owns who these days. Sorry to ramble. Seems like a solid car so far.

I got my 1999 Mercury Cougar in 2004. It was a birthday gift, after having brain surgery. I was estatic!

About 4 months later the motor went out. It was replaced, then the alternator went out and was replaced. Today it is out again, this makes the third time.

Also there is a foul smell. My A/C never worked until now. But now I am afraid to use it because of the alternator. And I am extremely allergic to the sun, and do not want to sun shade it in fear it will all be a waste of money.

My Cougar is sentimental to me. Don't know whether to keep pumping money into it, or just go ahead and put out its misery?

I've read so many stinking posts and am mad that we're all having pretty much the same problems with the 99' model.

I just bought mine last year, and so what if it's 10 years old, it shouldn't be costing so much to fix it, and it sure as heck shouldn't be so costly to fix.

My tires are rusting to the rotors, and now the catalytic converter is out, making the car sputter and shimmy.

The coolant light stays on if you park on a hill. You have to stop, turn the car off then back on, and it goes off.

Also, when it's hot out, the radio takes like 5 minutes to come on. Also, there's been smoke coming out from under the hood once in a while, but I can't figure out where, somewhere near the top left is all I know.

I have owned a 2000 Ford Cougar V6 manual here in the UK for the past year. I have only suffered one problem with the car and that was right at the beginning (alternator overcharging at high revs). The lights pulsing syndrome is a known Ford fault with the V6 model (see Ford fix 00-25-6 for repair schedule).

Not had moon roof problem as rare UK option which you don't see many of. Yep, probably quite hard on discs (rotors) and pads but so are Fiesta and Puma (UK) models so nothing new. The hood cable problem is an easy fix - just don't pull the cable too hard once you have it back in place! Not had the trunk opening problems - always worked first time. The car handles brilliantly, does not unduly wear tyres (sorry tires!) and is rock solid and stable at speed (have regularly cruised at 110mph - cops permitting!) The electrics have always worked.

I can't see how they are so expensive to repair in the US as it shares most of the underpinnings with the Mondeo and there are plenty in the UK as they were the most popular cars with sales reps for many years so parts are relatively cheap. I do know a bit about this as I work for an auto factors. The only scary parts are the front wishbones which are Cougar only. The Cougar is a way more popular car in the States than it is in the UK. The main reason I bought her is because she is basically a Mondeo with a fancy body - something different from the norm but with Mondeo reliability.

All in all a very satisfying car to own.