2000 Mercury Cougar V6 from North America
Summary:
Good car despite problems.
Faults:
On the first evening of having the car in my possession it began making a loud humming noise. We thought it was the air filter box vibrating, but it turns out that the car takes in too much air causing it to hum.
Then the car began shutting off when I would stop in traffic, but would immediately turn back on upon igniting.
Soon after that I was going 65pmh down the highway and my car just turned off and it wouldn't do anything. So I took it to the dealership where they said that a fuse had blown.
2 weeks later my car breaks down again and like before it doesn't do anything. I had it towed once again to the dealership and the same fuses had blown which had just been replaced. Why? Because of a wire in the trunk that was rubbed raw by my spare tire which also caused my computer to blow.
Months and tons of money later my car wouldn't idle. I could get the car started only if my foot remained on the gas pedal. It turns out the idle control valve had gone bad.
Just two days after the idle control valve failed so did my fuel pump.
General Comments:
My 2000 Cougar, despite all of its problems, is a good car. It gets me where I need to go & it gets me there fast.
I didn't post these problems to discourage anybody from buying a Cougar, but I would definitely have the car looked at by a professional before you purchase one.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 16th November, 2004
16th Mar 2005, 15:35
The 'fuel pump problem' you describe may actually be a warped gas tank. I had this problem with my 2k Cougar and my 2k Contour (mechanical twins). Ford corporate claims they've never heard of it, and apparently few dealers know about it. The bottom of the tank distorts, and the engine gets low fuel pressure. This could trip the light you're seeing. My cars all acted up with between 1/4 and 1/2 a tank.