1990 Mercury Cougar problems
Owners have filed 104 complaints about the 1990 Mercury Cougar with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 20.2% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of vehicle speed control at 18.3%.
Complaints104
Crashes11
Fires9
Injuries6
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 20.2% · 21
Vehicle speed control 18.3% · 19
Seat belts 15.4% · 16
Service brakes, hydraulic 8.7% · 9
Engine and engine cooling 8.7% · 9
Exterior lighting 4.8% · 5
Fuel system, gasoline 4.8% · 5
Latches/locks/linkages 4.8% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 11 describe a crash, 9 describe a fire and 6 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 10 model years of the Mercury Cougar in this data, 1990 draws comparatively few complaints; 1999 is the outlier year.
Filings are rising — 7 in the last three years against 4 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 89,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 1990 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated smoke emitted from underneath the hood when the engine was turned on and within seconds the engine was on fire. The fire department advised the fire originated at a fuse box located in the battery and alternator area. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 89,000. Electrical system · reported at 89,000 miles
Heavy traffic on state highway engine overheating alarm activated,incident has occured twice,in traffic,everything had to be turned off and I had to pull off of highway, other complaint dash panel lights out with definitely electrical issue,almost will not start,this occured while driving and now eill not come back on at all Electrical system · reported at 60,000 miles
Two years ago the consumer received a recall letter nhtsa # 96v071000. Dealer replaced the ignition switch. One year later the recalled component failed and this time an independent shop replaced the ignition switch. Once again the ignition switch needs to be replaced. The dealer has been notified. Electrical system
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…