AI Damage2002 Mercury Cougar: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Mercury Cougar filed 95 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 95
- involving a crash
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 47% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 9% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 7% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel/propulsion system 4% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 45 complaints (47% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 11 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 10 complaints (11% of all).
- Engine: 9 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 7 complaints (7% of all), 5 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 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 95 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | 45 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| Visibility | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 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.
Driving on freeway, car next to me came into my lane towards my car, I hit my brakes resulting in my vehicle swerving and hitting the median head on at high speed, air bags did not deploy upon impact.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph in a driveway, there was a sudden increase in the acceleration. The vehicle failed to decelerate even as the contact applied the brakes. The contact was unable to control the failure and crashed into a house.
The air bags failed to deploy. The road conditions were normal. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. A police report was filed. The driver was transported via ambulance to the emergency room. She was not wearing a seat belt and sustained a head injury and received stitches to her lip.
My daughter hit the back of a school bus in may of 2006 in which the air bags did not deploy. Last night she barely scraped her rim on a curb and both air bags went off and cracked the windshield.
During this, the driver seat belt did not restrain, and the air bags did not deploy.
The vehicle hesitated to accelerate, then it accelerated in full throttle. This resulted in an accident. Please provide more details. Ph
While driving wheel locks,(which wheel unknown)which causes the brake pad to wear on one side before the other(side unknown). Please provide more details. Ph
On the 15th of may, the car came out of the shop for the 2nd time after it had lost power twice on her while driving again.her. The dealership contacted ford headquarters for recalls.
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 3,695 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cougar has 73 complaints (26 years in the data). This year has 95, above average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine 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 199173 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 99994 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Mercury Cougar?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, engine and cooling, powertrain. Total complaints: 95. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (25%), fuel system, fuel smell (24%), hesitation when accelerating (23%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.