1989 MERCURY COUGAR — Owner-Reported Problems
Verdict & Safety Summary
- Crashes 14
- Fires 10
- Injuries 11
- Deaths 0
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 17 | 21.0% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 16 | 19.8% | 8 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 12 | 14.8% | 0 crashes · 7 fires |
| ENGINE | 7 | 8.6% | 1 crashes · 3 fires |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 7 | 8.6% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 | 3.7% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| SUSPENSION | 3 | 3.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VISIBILITY | 2 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 53 | 65.4% | 8 crashes · 8 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 96V071000 was reported 185 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1995-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 1995-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 1995-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 1996-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 1996-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 1996-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 1996-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 1997-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 1997-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 1997-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 1997-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 1998-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1998-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1998-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1998-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1999-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 1999-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1999-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2000-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2000-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2001-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 88V165000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 89V080000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 89V081000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 96V071000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE90001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA90009 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA90034 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE93075 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA93033 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE95019 |
Safety Recalls (4)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 88V165000
- Report date
- Component:
- FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
- Consequence:
- FUEL OR VAPOR COULD LEAK, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLEFIRE.
- Remedy:
- REPLACE FUEL TANK.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 89V080000
- Report date
- Component:
- SUSPENSION
- Consequence:
- THIS COULD RESULT IN REAR SUSPENSION FAILURE AT THEAFFECTED WHEEL WITH AN ADVERSE AFFECT ON CONTROL OF THE CAR, WHICH COULDCAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
- Remedy:
- REPLACE KNUCKLES THAT HAVE THE AFFECTED LOT CODES.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 89V081000
- Report date
- Component:
- SERVICE BRAKES, AIR
- Consequence:
- THIS COULD CAUSE A REDUCTION IN BRAKE PERFORMANCETHAT COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
- Remedy:
- INSTALL ACORN TYPE FRONT SUSPENSION STRUT NUTS TO ELIMINATE STABILIZER BAR TO BRAKE CALIPER CONTACT.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 96V071000
- Report date
- Component:
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Consequence:
- THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
No complaints match the current filters.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.