1994 Mercury Cougar

TAKATA RECALL.... JUST LOOKING FOR ANY RECALLS ON MY CAR,,,,WHOLE FRONT END FELL OUT..

TRANSMISSION FAILURE, NUMEROUS TIMES. *JB

3RD BRAKE LIGHT/HIGH MOUNT STOP LAMP IN THE REAR WINDOW. THE EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THE BULBS THAT ARE USED CAUSED THE PLASTIC HOUSING THAT THE BULBS ARE IN TO MELT AROUND THE BULB ALONG WITH THE ACTUAL HARNESS THAT THE BULB IS PLUGGED INTO. SINCE I AM NOT THE FIRST OWNER OF MY CAR, I'M SURE THE INCIDENT DATE IS NOT TODAY BUT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM. *JB

I BOUGHT A 1994 MERCURY COUGAR VIN# [XXX]. I WAS THE SECOND OWNER AND IT HAD ONLY 29K ON IT BACK IN JULY 1997. WELL MY TRANSMISSION WENT OUT BEFORE 68K AND THE COUGAR IS RATTLING APART. I HEARD LATER THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 3.8 MOTOR FOR THE BLOWER BY WHICH I'M HAVING NOW BUT BEING OVER 100K THEY SAID IT HAD TO BE BY A CERTAIN DATE AND UNDER 100K BUT I WAS NEVER TOLD OR NOTIFIED. FOUND OUT FROM A MECHANIC FRIEND. DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN DO ABOUT IT. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY BECAUSE THE LOW END SHIFT PLATE WAS FAULTY ON THOSE MODELS TOO. ENGINE KEEPS GETTING HOT AND BURNING OFF RADIATOR FLUID. *JB UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DT: ON 6/21/2005 WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IN CLEAR CONDITIONS ON DRY PAVEMENT THE VEHICLE STALLED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE SPEED WAS ABOUT 5-7 MPH. THERE WERE NO BRAKES, NO ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, NO POWER STEERING, NO ENGINE SOUND, NO LIFE IN THE VEHILCE AT ALL. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS THAT CAME ON. THE VEHILCLE HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES AND 40 MILES BEFORE THIS OCCURRED. THEN, THE VEHICLE SAT FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS.THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING FINE, AND WAS SERVICED A A WEEK PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS PUT ON THE DIAGNOSTIC THAT DAY AND EVERYTHING LOOKED FINE, BESIDES THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAD TO BE REPAIRED, BUT IT WAS NOT THE FUSE THAT HAD TO BE REPAIRED, OWNER WAS UNSURE WHAT COMPONENT CAUSED THE BRAKE LIGHTS TTO FAIL. THERE WERE ALSO NO TAIL LIGHTS .EITHER.THE BACK LIGHTS WERE COMPLETELY OUT. AFTER REPAIR EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL FIRE. WHEN THE CAR STALLED ON 6/21/05, THE VEHICLE STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM HOOD, THEN THERE WAS A MAN WHO CAME TO HELP AND SPRAYED THE FIRE WITH EXTINGUISHER. .*AK

THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE IGNITION STARTER SYSTEM. THE STARTER WAS REMOVED AND INSPECTED BY A STARTER SPECIALIST, HOWEVER NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE STARTER WAS REINSTALLED. THE VEHICLE STILL FAILED TO START. THE IGNITION CYLINDER TURNS ALL THE WAY AROUND ALSO. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING IN THE GARAGE FOR A YEAR DUE TO THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THE CAUSE COULDN'T BE FOUND. *JB

THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS BROKE WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT. *JB

AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE THE CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD BEEPING NOISE COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG COMPARTMENT. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK *NM

CAR OVERHEATS DUE TO A BAD HEAD GASKET. PER FORD'S TSB 00M10, THIS IS A KNOWN DESIGN ISSUE THAT THEY FIXED ONLY IF THERE WAS A PROBLE DURING THE FIRST 7 YEARS AFTER THE WARRANTY INCEPTION DATE FOR 1994 AND 1995 VEHICLES WITH A 3.8L ENGINE. THIS DEFECT CAN EASILY RESULT IN A SAFETY CONCERN DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ENGINE FIRE DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT IF OIL LEAKS ON THE ENGINE WHEN THE GASKET FAILS. *AK

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY VEHICLE WAS REBUILT IN OCTOBER 2001 @ 120000 MILES BECAUSE IT JUMPED OUT OF GEAR DURING ACCELERATION AND WOULD NOT ENGAGE. SINCE THE REBUILD, THE CAR HAS CONTINUED TO HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS SUCH AS SELF-ACCELERATION WHEN CURSE CONTROL IS ENGAGED, SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR AND NOT REENGAGING, OR DOWNSHIFTING DURING ACCELERATION. THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN INTO THREE DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION SHOPS EACH BEING UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN TO A FORD DEALERSHIP BUT, HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE CAR AS A WORK VEHICLE, NOW @ 137K MILES, BUT REFUSE TO CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE.*AK

WE BOUGHT A MERCURY COUGAR 1994 AND DISCOVERED WE HAVE A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. WE JUST FOUND OUT THAT IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND AN ENGINE FOR THE V6 MODEL AT A REASONABLE PRICE. WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THIS 1994 MODEL IS FAMOUS FOR BLOWN HEAD GASKETS. *LA

ENGINE WAS REPLACED AT 87,000 MILES UNDER RECALL FOR HEAD GASKET FAILURE. 30,000 MILES LATER ENGINE HEAD BLEW UP AGAIN DUE TO THE PLACEMENT OF A HELICOIL IN THE RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE. THIS HELICOIL WAS PRESENT IN THE RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE FROM THE FACTORY. I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE, AS THE HEAD SHOULD HAVE BEEN MACHINED BY THE FACTORY NOT JUST HAVE A HELICOIL STUFFED IN. THIS IIS THE CAUSE OF THE NEW FAILURE AND FOR REFUSES TO REPAIR. *NLM

ENGINE WAS REPLACED AT 87,000 MILES UNDER A RECALL. DUE TO A SPARK PLUG THAT BUSTED THROUGH THE ENGINE. 30,000 MILES LATER, ENGINE NEEDED REPLACEMENT AGAIN. *AK

THE HEAD GASKET BLEW DUE TO A FAILED PART IN THE ENGINE. *JB PH *JB

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION REPAIRED THREE TIMES & NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED AGAIN. HELP P.S NO ONE TAKES BETTER CARE OF A CAR THEN ME. *AK

THE ENGINE HAD MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH HEAD GASKET. THIS PROBLEM WAS THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL AND THE WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED. THE CONSUMER NEVER RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE RECALL. *CB *NLM

THE VEHICLES IGNITION SWITCH BROKE. *NLM

WHEN THE CAR IS COLD, THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT RESPOND TO MODERATE TO EXTREME ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSION. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF I AM IN FIRST OR 4TH GEAR OR THE SPEED. THE ENGINE IS SLOW TO RESPOND IN RPMS WHEN I ASK FOR IT, THEN GOES TO 2,000, THEN TO 3,000, BUT WITH NO CHANGE IN VEHICLE VELOCITY. THE CAR RESPONDS RELATIVELY WELL WITH LIGHT, INCREASING DEPRESSION TO THE PEDAL, BUT NOT TO ANYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE A DOWN SHIFT. THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY AFTER 8 MILES OR SO OF CITY DRIVING. *JB

THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN THE VEHICLE OVER HEATED. WHICH WAS CAUSED BY A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. *JB

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS 1994 MERCURY COUGAR WITH 33,465 MILES AS OF MAR 4, 2002. AND THERE WAS A GENERAL RECALL ISSUED ON THE PROBLEM IN QUESTION WHICH INVOLVES THE POTENTIAL FOR A PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE HEAD GASKET(S).AT THE TIME OF THE NOTICE THIS CONDITION WAS NOT EXPERIENCED AND NO ACTION WAS TAKEN. HOWEVER THIS CONDITION HAS NOW DEVELOPED AND IS CAUSING SEVERE ENGINE OVER HEATING. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS VEHICLE INTO THE LOCAL MERCURY DEALER AND THIS HEAD GASKET FAILURE DIAGNOSIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED WITH THE REPAIR REQUIRING A COMPLETE HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE TAKE DOWN AND REBUILD COSTING 1400. AS OF THIS WRITING MY EFFORTS TO HAVE FORD MOTOR CO TO AGREE TO PICK-UP AND/OR AT LEAST ASSIST WITH THE PAYMENT OF THESE RELATED REPAIR FEES HAS BEEN DENIED. AND I WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR REVIEW AND ASSISTANCE IN THIS MATTER.*JB