1994 Mercury Cougar: problems, recalls and reliability

“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”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Feb 2004

“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”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2003

“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”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2003

“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”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Oct 2003

“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”Owner report · Equipment · Apr 2003

“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”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2003

“At 23922 mi. (10/28/1997) dealer replaced transmission fluid to "fix" rumble strip effect when accelerating at 35-40 mph (1.5-2 rpm). Fluid again changed at 53591 (02/13/2001) to try to fix same problem. Transmission fluid changed again at 63677 (2/27/2002). A small leak was mentioned by mechanic. The rumble sound has now been replaced with the transmission not engaging...the engine revs, but no acceleration between 40-50 mph. The problem is intermitent. This could lead to a rear-end collison. Cannot rely on car!*ak”Owner report · Power Train · May 2002