Mercury Cougar Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems
Owners have filed 139 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the Mercury Cougar across 7 model years. The 1999 model year has the most (72). The words owners use most often: “applying brakes” (9% of reports).
- 139service brakes, hydraulic complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 14mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 34%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.
- Applying brakes: mentioned in 12 of 139 complaints (9%)
- Grinding noise: mentioned in 8 of 139 complaints (6%)
- Rotors pads: mentioned in 7 of 139 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems happen?
Based on 15 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 139 complaints, 14 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 4 an injury.
Mercury Cougar service brakes, hydraulic complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Cougar | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2001 Cougar | 3 | 4% | 46,444 |
| 2000 Cougar | 10 | 5% | 46,726 |
| 1999 Cougar | 72 | 16% | 62,200 |
| 1997 Cougar | 9 | 12% | 60,000 |
| 1996 Cougar | 6 | 10% | 40,327 |
| 1995 Cougar | 38 | 35% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components
Model years: 1999, 2000
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (abs). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
Risk: If both pcrv's malfunction, vehicle handling could be adversely affected during braking as a result of the rear wheels locking, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install improved pcrv's in the rear brake system. This recall was expanded in september 2000 to include 1999 and 2000 ford contour, mercury mystique and cougar vehicles.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Bought car at dealer on 02/05/01 since then i've had to repair car on too many occasions. Here some of the repairs i've had to do on this car ever since i bought it. On 3/01: brakes, 10/01: dealership replaced battery and performed a recall,12/01: dealership replaced alternator, 05/02: brake pads…
Vehicle quitting in intersection and car losing all power entering garage. Vibration and pulling to right at highway speeds. Egr valve replaced twice. *tr
Brakes continue to grind even after replacement. Transmission surges and hesitates upon acceleration causing unexpected increases in speed. Transmission also slips in and out of gears randomly. All of these problems could lead to a serious accident. *tr
Recall of brake pressure control. Ford service center states repair was done on 12-19-2000, but there is no records to confirm. In addition, the fuel system recall, ford states that there isn't one on my vehicle, however, my vechicle displays the same symptoms described under recall 04v421000 and…
Dt: without warning while stepping on brake the car will accelerate, and the engine will rev up. Caller has to stomp on brake hard to get it to stay still. Car can be in gear or in park when this happens. Dealer has not been contacted yet. Manufacturer has not been contacted yet. Every time he has…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Mercury Cougars have service brakes, hydraulic problems?
No. NHTSA has 139 owner complaints about service brakes, hydraulic 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 service brakes, hydraulic?
Yes: 1 safety recall list service brakes, hydraulic. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the Mercury Cougar?
The most frequent phrase is “applying brakes”, in 12 of 139 complaints, followed by “grinding noise” (8).
Other Mercury Cougar problems
See all Mercury Cougar problems.