2002 MERCURY COUGAR — Owner-Reported Problems
Verdict & Safety Summary
- Crashes 9
- Fires 1
- Injuries 12
- 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM | 40 | 43.0% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| ENGINE | 17 | 18.3% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 8 | 8.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VISIBILITY | 6 | 6.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 5 | 5.4% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| SEAT BELTS | 3 | 3.2% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 2.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 2.2% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 1.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 67 | 72.0% | 5 crashes · 1 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
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 04V421000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E022000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08E033000 |
Safety Recalls (3)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 04V421000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THIS MAY CAUSE ENGINE HESITATION, LOSS OF POWER, SURGING, AND OTHER SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. OVER TIME, THE FILTER MAY BECOME SUFFICIENTLY BLOCKED TO CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- THIS ACTION IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN AND IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE SAFETY ACT. ALL OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FDM WITH A NEW DESIGN AT NO CHARGE IF THE OWNER REPORTS THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS ANY OF THE IDENTIFIED SYMPTOMS. THE FREE REPLACEMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, WITH NO MILEAGE LIMIT. THE CAMPAIGN BEGAN ON APRIL 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 06E022000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN LEAD TO A DECREASE IN BRAKE LINE PRESSURE AND AN INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- AFFINIA (BRAKE PARTS, INC.) WILL REPLACE THE SUBJECT BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2006. OWNERS CAN CONTACT AFFINA GROUP CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-323-0354.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 08E033000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THE NUTS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGING FOR THESE BALL JOINT ASSEMBLIES ARE MISSING THE INTENDED PREVAILING TORQUE (SELF-LOCKING) FEATURE. IF THE INCORRECT NUT WAS TO BECOME LOOSE, THE JOINING MEMBERS MAY LOOSEN LEADING TO A SEPARATION OF THE BALL JOINT. THIS MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- FEDERAL MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE PARTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 22, 2008. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FEDERAL MOGUL AT 877-489-6659.
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
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.