8th Sep 2006, 23:01

I have had my 99 cougar for 6 years & cannot wait to get rid of it. It was new when I got it, but these past 3 years have been awful. And by the way---mine is bad just because it's bad, not because of servicing, because my dad is a mechanic & has ALWAYS taken the best care of it. Here's the major problems I have had:

-at 100,000 miles had to have the transmission completely rebuilt (1700$). People at transmission place said they've seen A lot of cougars with the same problem

-In the summer, my floorboards get soaked from the air-conditioning not running out right, and all the water condenses in the floor

-check engine light has been on for as long as I can remember

-had to replace the battery several times

-had to have the starter replaced because it was making an awful screeching noise when I tried to crank it... this was done 2 months ago and it's STILL making the noise... and it's not the flywheel, the shop says I need another new starter!

-and now nothing in the steering wheel works (air-bag, cruise control, horn) --and it's not wiring, so the steering wheel will have to come completely off to be fixed (which will be VERY costly)

-the windshield wipers have always been awful, and washer fluid refuses to work right

So these are the big things, other little things have happened too. But my car only has 101,000 miles on it, so it shouldn't have all these problems, especially since it's been well taken care of!

12th Sep 2006, 11:49

After reading the other comments, I thought I would share my experiences with my 99 V6 Cougar. I have owned this car for 5 years, previous to that my sister owned it. I too take my car in for its oil changes and services. However I have had many problems with it. I have replaced the Alternator, over 1000 dollars for electrical repairs (the car would just turn off, turns out that the anti-theft is too close to the windshield wiper wires), serpentine belt, battery, tire, all the brake (rotors, pads, shoes), the conrtol arm on the front right of the car, have had all the "new" brake rotors re-worked again. Things I have been told to start saving for are all new belts, the front left control arm, and the rear suspension. Other than the seemingly endless repairs, I still love the car and driving it...

12th Sep 2006, 12:33

I have many problems with my 99' Cougar. My twin sister and I both have matching 99' cougars that we purchased in 02. We both have gone through at least 5-8 O2 sensors, and 100's of dollars worth of work done on them in the past. I recently had $300 of work done to my car because it would not stay started or kept stalling out. 2 weeks later I am now having to spend $1130 on a new catalytic converter. Along with that both of our cars left window has gone out. If my sister uses her over head light her alarm goes off, along with randomly going off. My sisters locks only work half of the time. I would say my check engine light comes on about once every 3 months. I do take very good care of my car. So it's not my negligence causing the problems. It's a cute car, but in the end I don't think its worth it.

16th Sep 2006, 16:13

I have a 2000 cougar and have had some problems like fan blowers and fan resistors and power window problems no big deal, but I have a big problem with the electrical system. When the airbag light comes on the guages go dead then the car goes dead and then it will not start, I know it is draining something, but the battery light does not come. Is it the alternator please help if you can battery is fully charged and after it drops dead and I put a load test on it, it shows 12 volts. thanks for your time.

22nd Sep 2006, 19:51

For anyone saying the "Trick" is to take good care of your vehicle, you have been very lucky. I purchased my '99 Cougar V6 in January of 2005 and since then have had nothing but problems. The car is super cute, but that is about all that it has going for it. For anyone who purchased a '99, you have just learned the valuable lesson I did... never buy a first year model of any vehicle, car companies need a year or two to work out all of the problems. Even if you take great care of this car, all the mechanics that have worked on my Coug agree that the 99 is just a poorly made vehicle. Especially the V6, the engine is far too big for this car. Against all my best interests I purchased a ford product and I will never buy ford again. I do not even need to mention my car troubles because they are typical of the car;alternator, driver side windows, tranny, power steering, tires, sunroof, hood latch. Though I will not complain about the trunk button or the cup holder, because that is pretty petty.

25th Sep 2006, 17:05

Would the person who posted the comment about his/her Mercury Cougar's gauges going to zero, the airbag light coming on & the car going dead please email me at Jennifer.Avery@duke.edu? I had the same problem today & would love to hear what was wrong with your car.

My 99 Cougar has been nothing but headaches. I've spent almost 2k in repairs each year for the last 4 years. I've had it all - 2 alternator replacements, catalytic converter, defunct sunroof, hood latch, electrical system, 2 batteries, 3 O2 sensors. I bought the car from a family member & thought that would save me headaches. I was wrong...

An update on 11/7/2007 - The problem referenced above was a faulty alternator. Believe it or not, I replaced that part 3 times in 3 years. I do want to share an experience that I had with the alternator part, itself. I strongly advise any cougar owner who needs to replace the alternator to buy a brand new part from Ford. I bought one from Advanced Auto, thinking that I would save money. Well, it didn't. Every time I brought the inoperable alternator back to Advanced Auto to ask for a replacement (they guarantee their parts for 5 years or something), they insisted on talking with my mechanic to see if it was the part or something else causing the alternator to fail. Well, it was always the part itself, so luckily I only had to pay for installation.

10th Oct 2006, 16:12

I would like to comment that I have owned my 1999 Mercury Cougar V6 since spring of 2001 and have had very minimal problems with it. The left front wheel bearing got replaced in the fall of 2001, the alternator died in the summer of 2002, and the brakes were replace in the spring of 2003...new rotors and pads all around. I must say that the brakes I purchased were Motorcraft brakes from the dealership, and they are still going strong... plenty of life left on them. The tire situation is annoying as far as the odd sizing is concerned. The reason the tires wear out so quickly is because the alignment on these cars is not fully adjustable, i.e. the caster/camber cannot be changed. If you have been paying for an alignment and they did not tell you this, you are getting ripped off. The only way you can have this changed it purchase an aftermarket caster/camber kit. I do have the problem with the brake wear light in the overhead console staying on all the time even though the brakes are good. No big deal to me. My trunk release works great, the seat works great, all the windows work fine, and I must admit, I am a hard driver. I don't know if I am lucky or what, but some of the problems the rest of you are talking about are bad... maybe think about going to a different garage and getting a second opinion.