AI Damage1991 Mercury Cougar: common problems
Owners of the 1991 Mercury Cougar filed 73 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 73
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 23% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 15% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 12% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 6 Exterior lighting 11% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 17 complaints (23% of all).
- Electrical system: 11 complaints (15% of all).
- Service brakes: 11 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 9 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 9 complaints (12% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 73 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Air bag did not deploy upon a left turn 45 degree contact to left front.
Inability to push brake pedal down, resulted in an accident.
Headlights go out for various intervals and is preceded by flickering and/or blinking which causes loss of visibility which increases my risk of a crash. Also note a burning smell from vents when this happens. My vehicle is a 1991 cougar and I went online to see if there was a recall for this problem.
The headlights and instrument panel lights dimmed and the headlights began to flicker. The dealer stated that the circuit breaker had a short circuit. Recall number 99v275000 (exterior lighting:headlights:switch) was found. The current and failure mileages were 141,000.
Dt: the contact stated car was revving when starting it up. When putting it in drive in went down somewhat. It felt like it was going to take off by itself. This happened on 8-31-05. Back in 1998 the contact was having the same problem. She took it to a dealer, and they replaced a chip that had broken under the hood.
But ever so often without any warning the engine will stall, and then it will crank right up. Lucky for me it hasn't stalled while I was making a left turn with a semi barreling down on me.
While driving 15-20 mph vehicle began to overheat, consumer pulled into service station to have vehicle inspected, the service mechanic stated that the head gaskets had blown. Dealer has yet to be contatced. Please provide further details.
Headlights go off while driving, brakes continue to make noise, key switch prob. Recall repair, heater blows cold, car died after excel. Restarted and drove 50 ft. Died again and know in shop & been told gaskets or busted head.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,331 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 12% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cougar has 73 complaints (26 years in the data). This year has 73, about average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
- Cougar 198417 sources
- Cougar 198510 sources
- Cougar 198613 sources
- Cougar 198733 sources
- Cougar 198855 sources
- Cougar 198981 sources
- Cougar 199086 sources
- Cougar 199292 sources
- Cougar 1993195 sources
- Cougar 1994137 sources
- Cougar 1995109 sources
- Cougar 199662 sources
- Cougar 199776 sources
- Cougar 1999454 sources
- Cougar 2000211 sources
- Cougar 200182 sources
- Cougar 200295 sources
- Cougar 99994 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1991 Mercury Cougar?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, electrical system, service brakes. Total complaints: 73. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (11%), smoke, burning smell, fire (11%), seat belts (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 Mercury Cougar?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1991 Mercury Cougar from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1991 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.