Mercury Cougar Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 191 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the Mercury Cougar across 8 model years. The 1999 model year has the most (99). The words owners use most often: “electrical battery cables” (6% of reports).
- 191electrical system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- $1,600typical repair cost reported by owners
- 40%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Electrical battery cables: mentioned in 12 of 191 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the Mercury Cougar at $1,600, and half of them between $1,250 and $2,800.
Based on 10 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2002–2009), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 79 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 191 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 17 a fire, 4 an injury.
Mercury Cougar electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Cougar | 4 | 4% | 135,613 |
| 2001 Cougar | 12 | 15% | 81,500 |
| 2000 Cougar | 63 | 30% | 65,000 |
| 1999 Cougar | 99 | 22% | 70,132 |
| 1998 Cougar | 1 | 100% | — |
| 1997 Cougar | 4 | 5% | 75,000 |
| 1996 Cougar | 3 | 5% | 40,550 |
| 1995 Cougar | 5 | 5% | 7 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Electrical system
Model years: 1999
Problem: On certain my 1996-1998 passenger vehicles built at the kansas city, cuautitlan assembly plants or on my 1999 passenger vehcles built at the automotive alliance international assembly plants, the rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector. The damage could, over time, cause increased resistance in the connector and, due to subsequent terminal relaxation, result in an open circuit condition.
Risk: The open circuit could lead to electrical arcing that could melt the connector housing material creasing the potential for a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a new heater blower resistor and a new wire jumper harness. Owner notification began august 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cables
Model years: 1999, 2000
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 2.5l v6 engines. The battery cable was misrouted and its attachment to the alternator cable was under-torqued. If misrouted, the cable could contact the power steering line and the insulation could wear, resulting in an electrical short.
Risk: The short could potentially result in a fire, stalling, or a no-start condition.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the battery cable to the alternator for damage and, if it is damaged, will replace the cable. Additionally, the routing of the cable will be corrected, as necessary, and a routing clip will be added. Also the torque on the alternator attachment of the cable will be checked and, as required, will be tightened to specification. Owner notification began march 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I was driving along hwy about 40 miles an hour when car engine stops. This stops power steering, brakes etc. To stop working and you have a hard time pulling off the road. Waited about 10 minutes and car cools down a little. It will then start up again and you can go again for about 1/2 mile or so…
Battery light is on and has for awhile. Lights keep blowing fuses. And today i had to rip out a headlight or the car would have set on fire. *tr
Well headlight wiring harness is dry rotted like crazy the car looses power while excelerating when below 3/4 of a tank brake fluid/clutch fluid is leaking don't know why and the battery light is on
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury cougar. The contact stated that the battery failed and multiple warning indicators, including the check engine indicator, illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics to have the battery replaced. After multiple incorrect diagnostics, it…
Nhtsa campaign number:04v421000 manufacturer ford motor company was driving on a main city st. My auto stopped with no power in the left lane of busy 4 lane st. Would not start in neutral or park, man pushed it into the ctr. Lane out of traffic area. Policeman came after i called 911, after a few…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Mercury Cougars have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 191 owner complaints about electrical system for the Mercury Cougar. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Mercury Cougar electrical system?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the Mercury Cougar?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,600 (half paid between $1,250 and $2,800), from 10 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the Mercury Cougar?
The most frequent phrase is “electrical battery cables”, in 12 of 191 complaints.
Other Mercury Cougar problems
See all Mercury Cougar problems.