Mercury Cougar Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 185 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the Mercury Cougar across 7 model years. The 1999 model year has the most (67). The words owners use most often: “intake manifold” (18% of reports).
- 185engine and engine cooling complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 5mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,600typical repair cost reported by owners
- 38%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.
- Intake manifold: mentioned in 34 of 185 complaints (18%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the Mercury Cougar at $1,600, and half of them between $870 and $2,100.
Based on 16 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2002–2008), 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 engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 73 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 185 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 5 an injury.
Mercury Cougar engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Cougar | 11 | 12% | 60,000 |
| 2001 Cougar | 11 | 13% | 71,000 |
| 2000 Cougar | 26 | 12% | 59,500 |
| 1999 Cougar | 67 | 15% | 79,000 |
| 1997 Cougar | 30 | 39% | 71,550 |
| 1996 Cougar | 21 | 34% | 80,000 |
| 1995 Cougar | 19 | 17% | 60,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the Mercury Cougar. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Car started hesitating and lost power then stalled out causing traffic to get backed up. *tr
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…
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mercury cougar. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated upon starting the vehicle. In addition, the engine exhibited a loss of power. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed…
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly decreased to 10 mph. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they advised her that all three catalytic converters were clogged and the fdm needed to be replaced. The vehicle…
Tl * the contact owns a 1996 mercury cougar. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking anti freeze abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was advised that the plastic intake manifold was fractured and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Mercury Cougars have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 185 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling 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 engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the Mercury Cougar?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,600 (half paid between $870 and $2,100), from 16 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the Mercury Cougar?
The most frequent phrase is “intake manifold”, in 34 of 185 complaints.
Other Mercury Cougar problems
See all Mercury Cougar problems.