25th May 2007, 13:28
Well, I have a 1999 Cougar that I bought from a friend with 94K miles on it. For her, she told me that it was a good car and she experienced no big problems other than an alternator and a battery that she replaced about a year ago. HOWEVER, after reading all these comments it really makes me nervous. My Cougar has a V6 with a manual transmission. The clutch seems to be in good shape and the car runs good... no weird noises or anything. Do you guys think that it will be okay? I don't really have the money to go out and buy a brand new car just yet. This car will be used to get me back and forth to work in when I get a job in early fall. Once I get a job I'm saving up for a Tiburon GT because I love that car and they have killer warranties. I really hope my car holds up.
4th Jul 2007, 18:38
Same issue on the 1999 Cougar V6 auto: Catalytic converter plugged up. Bought free flow cat (from TruBentz) for $115, 5 bolts (cut the old ones off), easy insall if on jacks.
As to 3 cats? There is one catalytic converter on the 2.5 liter V6, right after the y pip and the flex pipe. Plus muffler in the back and a resonator.
11th Jul 2007, 19:04
My 99 Cougar just broke down on me when I was going up camping.
The battery light came on so, I stopped at a shop, and they tested the battery, and said it was bad. I bought a new one, and as soon as they started to hook it up it, started to smoke from the other side of the car. They unhooked the battery, did some more tests on it, and the alternator was the problem; shorting out the battery. The weird thing is that the alternator was just replaced a year ago!!
My check engine light is always on. My mechanic can't find anything wrong with that. Sometimes you put supreme gas in it and the light goes off.
The battery has been replaced twice now.
All together the Mercury Cougar is a bad design, but I LOVE MY COUGAR!
16th Jul 2007, 22:54
Hello all. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR CLUTCH IS BAD?
I have a 99 V6 Cougar with 100,000 miles.
21st Jul 2007, 20:30
I love my cougar... but like many of you I am experiencing the problems with the battery cable and alternator. the altenator was replaced a short time before I got it. I was wondering if anybody has a problem with they're car dying while driving?
20th Aug 2007, 14:48
The 1999 Mercury Cougar V6, with auto transmission (sold at 91,000 miles, bought used at 15,000 miles) had the following problems:
-Oil leaks on the intake manifold
-Faulty battery cable which could cause engine fires (replaced free at Ford/Mercury Dealership)
-Check engine light keeps going on and off due to catalytic converter problems (oil)
-Disk brakes squeak even when using Motorcraft (Ford) parts/brake pads
-Transmission whining until it warms up after 5 minutes on the road
-Firestone tires made especially for this model car lasts only 15K to 20K miles. Good handling tire, but rough on the ride and bumps on the road!
-Trunk latch on hatchback always need alignment to open properly
-AM/FM/CD unit burned out after 70K miles
-Various check engine "codes" have stumped the certified Ford and Goodyear techs. At times, they could not find anything wrong. They reset the unit to clear the codes.
Bottom line, if you have at least $1,000 per year budget to spend on maintaining this Cougar model, buy it. If you don't, spend your dollars on a sporty 2 door Honda, Toyota, Nissan, or Acura. They are designed better and will last many more miles than the 1999 Cougar!
22nd Aug 2007, 19:33
Alright, first of all, no matter what year, make and model you type into Google and search, you will find a large quantity of negative feedbacks --- try it!
Anyways I am a master tech and I have owned a 99 Mercury Cougar since 2001. I bought the car with 52k on it, and currently the odometer reads 150k, and I am still putting 100 miles on a day.
The majority of these issues most of you are having is HACKS. That is the term used to describe a individual that knows just enough about a car to get themselves into trouble. I know it is not cheap to get a quality diagnostic, but remember you get what you pay for! If you are depending on the local flunky working at Autozone to diag your car, then that is a big no no! They are not trained to do this, and in many states they have had legal battles in the courts to continue to do this. They do it for free because they know you will buy the part they tell you to buy! In turn they have no legal obligation to be right! Just ask them, they will tell you. The problem is no one asks them!
Also don't take your car to the local redneck and expect him to diag it with a Haynes manual and a voltage meter; it's not going to happen! Suck it up, pay the money and have it diagnosed correctly! If the repair doesn't fix the problem, take it back to them and tell them to keep it until they get it right. If they won't, call the state you live in and ask for the automotive repair bureau. Also you could call the BBB (Better Business Bureau). I hate HACKS; they give the rest of us a bad name.
By the way my car, has no light on and no drivability issues whatsoever. If any of you need help, I am willing to answer your questions; Email them to me at JKAITLYN03@msn.com. That is a zero before the three.
8th Nov 2007, 20:28
I have a 1999 4cyl (2.0 I think) and I have no big problems.
1- blinkers are acting up.. the control module keeps coming loose. No big deal.
2- sunroof doesn't work. Going to take it to a glass shop and have them take out the metal panel and replace it with glass. I don't need it to open so it should be cheaper to fix. Right now its closed and its fine.
The most serious and most confusing.. NEED INPUT!!!
3- You have 3 dials on the dash. *heat control on the left *Vent selector in the middle * and fan speed.
I have no heat.. well kind of. If you crank up the heat to max and turn fans on, but keep the fan selector OFF... and turn it on when the car heats up, I have heat for about a minute.. You have to keep turning it off and on again and the heat only lasts about a minute.
Any ideas.
Rad hoses are hot. Engine temp is hot. Rad is topped up and clean.
I live in Ontario and winter is here.. please hurry!!!
29th Apr 2007, 18:25
I purchased my cougar new in 1998. It was fine for about 2 years when the alternator started acting up. Replaced alternator twice since. The alternator is a poor design and its best to buy a genuine Ford remanufactured unit. Everything else is junk (Autozone, Pep Boys, etc.). The dash lights always flickered on this car since day one. I believe that the entire electrical system is poorly engineered and there isn't really a solution. My latest problem is a hard pull to the right when I brake. Took car to three different mechanics who all said that the brake system is fine. They have never seen a vehicle pull like this and say car is unsafe. Bottom line- THIS CAR SUCKS.