25th Jul 2006, 13:53
I just replaced my pump at 110k. Died outside of a halfway house for crack addicts...
Also had to replace the front tie rods and other pieces. About $1000. Plus the emergency brake for $250.
All together, I have put about $2500 in 6 years into the old girl. Better than a lot of cars friends have.
12th Dec 2006, 20:52
My daughter has a 2000 Cougar she bought new. The same day it was bought the headlights quit working. Dealer fixed that (some switch or cable change). The car has 100000+ miles now, but has run sloppy for some time. The alternator was just replaced as well as the battery (#3...) Prior to replacing the alt & battery, the lighting system "flickered." This occurred with all lights, inside and out. After replacing the alt & battery, charging and starting problems went away, but lights continue to flicker. Almost looks like police lites. Anybody have any suggestions??? Electrical problems and many brake jobs seem to plague this car!
16th Dec 2006, 08:43
Our daughter has a 2000 Cougar and is experiencing trouble with the sunroof opening. The sunroof was functioning fine until one day it just wouldn't open. It doesn't make any clicking noise like it has bad gears. It moves slightly to open on one side, but seems to be stuck. A repairman told us we need a new track. Any suggestions on this problem and if it is the track where we could fine a reasonable used track?
10th Jan 2007, 23:28
I drove a 1998 Mercury Tracer for five years. At one point the A/C stopped blowing cold air and the car began to run poorly. The engine began to sputter and stall so I took it to a mechanic. He plugged it into a machine and told me it was a weak fuel pump. Cost about $600 to replace. When they gave my car back it ran just as poorly as before. They didn't even bother to test drive the vehicle to see if they fixed the problem. I took matters into my own hands and replaced the spark plugs and wires. Cost about $50. The vehicle ran perfectly. I assumed the A/C would be too expensive to fix so I left it alone for a long time. When we finally took it to a reputable mechanic he instantly new that it was just a bad ground wire. Cost about $200 to fix. Not bad at all. I recently bought a 2000 Cougar and have been watching it closely. It runs great and now I know that Ford/Mercury vehicles are not real sophisticated and should be cheap to repair. I believe it will run for a long time.
5th Feb 2007, 15:49
I have a 2000 Mercury Cougar, the heater and A/C do not work and haven't for 3 years. We can't figure out why it doesn't.We keep replacing the fuses, but when you try to turn it on, it blows the fuse and then the headlights don't work. Every time we take it to get looked at, they say "your car has a mechanical problem and it will cost you almost $1000. to fix." But they never tell us anything that's wrong with a heating/cooling system. We had to fix the intake manifold because it was leaking. And they said that there is something wrong with the transmission.
There are problems with the hatch, when you unlock it and go to shut the it will lock itself. The sunroof doesn't work, and the doors will unlock and lock on their own not like some cars are made to, they do it on its own at any time. When you lock up the car to go into a store or something, they sometimes unlock themselves.
Do you have any thoughts on what possibly wrong with my car?
E-mail me with any comments at: lily11289@aol.com
16th Mar 2007, 15:06
I have a 2000 Cougar and had the Fuel Pump go as well after 109k.
Just replaced the brakes 119k and the hand brake cables.
All in all a decent car after 7 years, still no rust and the engine purrrs nicely with the RAM air intake.
2nd Apr 2007, 14:07
I have a 2000 Mercury Cougar. Two weeks after buying it (I bought it used two years ago) I had to replace the oxygen sensor. Three weeks after buying it, I had transmission trouble. Five weeks into it, (of course, after the warranty ran out) The cat converters had to be changed. I've been through two alternators, 3 batteries, and still have problems with flickering lights. At night, my headlights look like strobe lights. My latest: This morning I was leaving for work and stuck my key in the ignition, and it wouldn't turn. I pulled out my key, and it was bent. Every time I stick my key in the ignition, it bends, and my car won't start. I am so sick of this Cougar.
24th Apr 2007, 14:18
I had to get my engine replaced, after that was done my lights began to flicker like yours. I took it to ford (who didn't do the engine swap) and they said there was a TSB (technical service bulletin) about that. There is a spot in the alt. cable that has strong resistance to the current flow. They cut that part out, rewired a wiring harness and said it was working fine. I pick it up today at 5 so I hope it works. My alt. was surging between 13 and 14.5 volts causing the lights to flicker.
1st Jun 2007, 19:56
I've had a 2000 mercury cougar for about 6 months and it has only ran for 2! I can't get in to the driver's side door, even with the key. It will start up and run, but I need to get it back to Ohio (from Georgia) and I don't want it dying on the road. I know it's something electrical because the key-less entry does absolutely nothing. If you know what this problem is would you please be so generous to e-mail me at joshhodapp@yahoo.com!
Thank You!:)
19th Jul 2007, 21:53
I have had a 2000 Mercury Cougar since 2001, and have had continuous problems with the car stalling, especially when on a slope. This would occur say, once every few months and when the fuel was low. Also have had problems with the battery and brakes. Just had the fuel pump replaced under recall notice. Am going to proceed to get the brakes and electrical system/battery/cables fixed under recall also.
For more information go to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation website www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls
18th Jul 2006, 00:05
My car too has been having problems. I just had the fuel pump replaced after 56,000 miles and now my alternator is acting up. I can't believe I've spent over 1000 bucks in the past two weeks. I had the alternator replaced and my controls are going crazy. My trunk won't open unless I do it manually. If you pull down on the springs in the trunk where the trunk latches to the frame, this problem is temporarily fixed. My controls on the driver's side will not open the passenger window. This car is too much trouble for its own good. I am ready for a new car, or one that works!