20th Nov 2007, 21:39

Almost a year and a half ago, my daughter totaled her 99 Honda Civic and the insurance company gave us $7000. Thank God, she suffered only minor injuries. Like now, the gas prices were way up so unfortunately we couldn't find anything comparable to what she had for that. So... we bought this 99 Cougar with 98k miles. Beautiful car, she loves it. However, the individual we bought it from never came clean on the dashboard lights not working because we bought it from him on a sunny day and never noticed. This is very worrisome as she has had several speeding tickets at night b/c she can't see the dashboard. (No excuse according to the law) :(' Also, the sunroof stopped working right at 100,000 miles so we feel he knew that too. Overall, the car runs really well.

Our biggest concern... we had to just buy new tires...AGAIN, second set in 1 1/2 years... she probably puts no more than 100 miles a week on the average. We would really appreciate feedback on the dash lights never working and quickly worn tires. An alignment was done and they said it could be the roads, but she drives I-20 all the way in from college and drives very little around her school/work schedule. The radio is also quirky and front seat passenger cannot roll down the window. I appreciate any comments, thanks!

5th Dec 2007, 06:54

Interesting, I'm in the UK and our Cougars tend to have the following

Dash dials all sweep when the ign turned on = low battery.

'The rattle of death' = dead big ends.

Wishbone bush failure.

Aircon clutch causes what feels like a missfire, switch it off and it runs real smooth.

No one seems to suffer from US based problems

Our Cougars were all US built.

Alternative tires are

225/50/16 or 205/55/16 mixing sizes upsets the ABS and traction control systems above 60mph = the power gets cut, the brakes come on etc.

17th Dec 2007, 09:59

I have a 99 cougar with 75,000 miles and have had no major problems with it. I just have to let it warm up properly before driving, drive it easy and bring it in every 3,000 miles for a checkup. I don't allow time for problems to build. You just have to take take extra preventative care and treat the engine like it is fragile. You can beat the cougar problems this way...

20th Dec 2007, 23:37

My 99' 2.5l V6 manual, got stuck in 2nd gear today on the way home from work. Not looking forward to seeing what this will cost me... My light has been on for two years. So did anybody confirm any recalls that can help us all out?

Offtheright@yahoo.com.

3rd Feb 2008, 11:07

Like many others, my check engine light is on AGAIN and I am $1000 in the hole and not ready to put more. At first review it was the DPFE so they replaced that and a few hundred miles later it came back on. So I took it to another mechanic who said at 69K miles it needs a tune up to replace plugs (which mercury claims to be 100K plugs) and wires. The tune up made the car run better, but now a few hundred miles the darn light is on again. I am at my wits end, car is in nice shape and want to keep it longer (1999, but great body shape since I've babied this car). Any ideas?

25th Feb 2008, 10:38

I have a 2000 cougar with 86,000 miles. I purchased the car a few years ago and it had 54,000 miles. I have had no major problems with the vehicle. I change the oil every 3 months and I've replaced the battery and 4 tires. The only problem is the CHECK ENGINE light goes on and off every few weeks. I've had electrical tape over the light for the past year, so it hasn't bothered me too much. About 2 weeks ago, I took the tape off and had a mechanic service the vehicle. They were able to get the light off by cleaning something. It remained off for 1.5 weeks and then came back on. I just purchased electrical tape for 50 cents and put it over the light again. Problem solved!

25th Feb 2008, 13:30

I have a 1999. Just last week, my car started hesitating when accelerating. The mechanic replaced the O2 sensors since he said they were malfunctioning. It did not fix the issue. It only made the engine light be OFF for 1 day and a half.

Now, after reading this site, I will get all the 3 fuel parts replaced, and hopefully it will take care of the problem, before it leaves me stranded. Of course, I called Ford, and they said my car is not part of the recalled. :(

I will post again after I get my car fixed to let you know if the issue has been taken care of. Even with all its issues, I still like my car a lot! Wish me luck!

28th Feb 2008, 13:56

UPDATE:

After replacing the complete fuel system the issue still exist. Could it be the computer? Or maybe water in the gas? Any input would be great!

24th Mar 2008, 17:20

Wow...where to begin?

I bought my car 3.5 years ago used. It only had 60,000 miles, now it's well over 146,000. In that time, I have replaced:

-three batteries

-the alternator

-too many front tires to mention

-the serpentine belt (4 times)

-the water pump, hoses and belt

-the ac compressor and manifold

-the engine mounts

-the brakes (twice)

-the passenger window motor

-had to jimmy rig the moon roof so I could get it shut (the rain is a deterrent to leaving it open all the time) and it remains broken

-spark plugs and wires

-various sensors, etc.

Currently, I need to replace my brakes (again), just got another set of tires, have a massive oil leak that no one seems to be able to find, need new rack bushings, inner and outer tie rods, and the heat doesn't work. The check engine light is always on, no matter what sensors I change or what I get cleaned. Also, when I try to coast, the engine will buzz until I hit the gas again. Not a big issue unless you are braking for traffic.

Still...can't afford to replace it right now. Just finished paying off the bank and still owe a friend money for the down payment. Can't believe how much money I've spent on this car, especially since I do most of the work myself!!

24th Mar 2008, 22:02

I just had the tranny re-built on my 99 Cougar. The check engine light is out for the moment but that will probably change soon (it always does).

I had the Bank running lean issue, but it went away for the most part when I replaced the mass air flow sensor.

She keeps slipping gears as soon as she gets warmed up. The only way I have found that the car seems to go reliably is in the five minutes before it is fully warm. After that it just bucks a lot.

She's at 127k at the moment. I've only had her about a year, but I've taken care of her as best I could. I use tecktron every 4 tanks or so, and I get the oil changed every 3,000 on the dot.

Every time I try to drive above 40mph (80kph) she starts to either fall out of gear or over rev. I wonder if the problem is (and no I'm not a mechanic) that when the car gets it's infamous oil leaks, it messes with the alternator, which stops delivering enough power to the computer and causing all the sensor problems?

If any one has any thoughts, please respond, and good luck.