AI Damage1999 Mercury Cougar: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Mercury Cougar filed 454 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 454
- involving a crash
- 23
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 22% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 15% of all complaints
- 4 Visibility 11% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 7% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 7% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 99 complaints (22% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 77 complaints (17% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 67 complaints (15% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 52 complaints (11% of all).
- Powertrain: 50 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.5 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 3 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 5 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 454 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 77 | 5 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 67 | 5 | 0 |
| Visibility | 52 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 50 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 43 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 34 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 31 | 12 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 31 | 3 | 0 |
| Tires | 27 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 15 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Cougar stalled on busy freeway ending in rear totaled car collision. The driver's seat went completely down and upon seats in the backseat. This was two defects. Injuries were neck and back pains, three bumps to the head resulting in two black eyes.
The car stalled in the fast lane on a busy freeway. The consequence was a small truck rear-ended the back of the car and it was totaled. One person had busted lip in truck and one in the car had busted forehead and blackened eyes with back injuries and the other one had back and stomach extreme pains and legs. 3.
Dt*: the consumer stated while driving on an icy road, the rear brakes failed and the consumer hit into a curb. The throttle has stuck intermittently since august of 2005. The dealership was unable to duplicate the problem.
While driving between 35 to 40 mph vehicle stalled. This caused loss of steering and brake power. Consumer lost the control of the vehicle, and was involved in a front end collision. Upon impact, neither of the air bags deployed.
Consumer was traveling approximately 45-50 mph and was hit on driver's side which caused vehicle to crash head-on into a pole. Both driver and passenger air bags did not deploy. Ts jg
I hit the car in front of me traveling at 40mph, my seatbelt did not restrain me, my lip hit the steering wheel which made my teeth go all the way through. The air bags did not deploy either, so my head broke the windsheild.
Engine light came on I thaugh it would be an electrical problem, it was not.the car would jump and accelerate when stoping at traffic lights and stopped traffic when I would press on the gas lightly. Dealership said it would be $2000. To fix. I did not extend my ford warranty.
She was traveling at approximately 45 mph at the time of the initial brake failure. Fortunately no one was injured (although my grand daughter's head did strike the windshield) and very little damage was done to either vehicle.
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 839 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 2% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cougar has 73 complaints (26 years in the data). This year has 454, above average.
What to check before buying
- 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.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
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 199173 sources
- Cougar 199292 sources
- Cougar 1993195 sources
- Cougar 1994137 sources
- Cougar 1995109 sources
- Cougar 199662 sources
- Cougar 199776 sources
- Cougar 2000211 sources
- Cougar 200182 sources
- Cougar 200295 sources
- Cougar 99994 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Mercury Cougar?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, service brakes, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 454. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (11%), stalls while driving (10%), knocking, grinding or other noise (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 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 1999 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 1999 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.