1997 Mercury Cougar Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cougar years
- Fewer complaints than other years 6th of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 76 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Mercury Cougar. That ranks 6th out of 8 Cougar model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (30 complaints, 39%), typically at around 71,550 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 2 fires, 2 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 76owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Mercury Cougar problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 30 | 39% | 71,550 | — | — |
| Power Train | 10 | 13% | 156,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 12% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 11% | 55,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 6 | 8% | 58,970 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 4 | 5% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 3% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 88,075 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Mercury Cougar recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 1997 Mercury Cougar.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness (EA01001) — opened Jan 5, 2001, closed Jul 31, 2001, led to recall 01I009000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My vehicles became totally disabled on a very busy highway with heavy after hours rush hour traffic. The manifold which is made of plastic broke were the coolant temperature sensor was built in, i also noticed that a few sparkplugs were flooded with coolant. I found out that there was a lawsuit on…
On 5/19/2004 i had to have towed and replace defective cracked plastic intake manifold on a 1997 mercury xr7 cougar and hadn't been previously informed of any recalls then recently i had to replace yet another defective manifold (2nd car ) this shop informed me of a class action that i should have…
Fuel was noted leaking from fuel lines just aft of the passenger side door. Upon further investigation, fuel was seem running down the fuel lines and side of fuel tank. Leak was caused by fuel lines chaffing through on top of tank. Car had 51,000 miles on it. *tt
I understand there was a class action suit due to a faulty intake manifold on many ford cars with a 4.6 liter engine. I or my kids have owned a 1997 mercury cougar since new. Recently this car which had been in storage for several years was given to my son who is laid off and attempting to complete…
Intake manifold crack and anti-freeze spilling out and a lot of steam smoke while i was driving,car in shop now a it will cost me $600.00 to fix. *tr
Other Mercury Cougar years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 Cougar | 95 | 1 |
| 2001 Cougar | 82 | 1 |
| 2000 Cougar | 211 | 3 |
| 1999 Cougar | 454 | 7 |
| 1998 Cougar | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | 76 | 0 |
| 1996 Cougar | 62 | 2 |
| 1995 Cougar | 109 | 0 |
See all Mercury Cougar problems by year, every Mercury model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Mercury Cougar?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, power train, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 30 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Mercury Cougar?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 1997 Mercury Cougar a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cougar model years, the 1997 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.