Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Mercury Cougar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
For no reason at all antifreeze started leaking from the plastic intake manifold in my 1997 Cougar with a 4.6l motor. I searched the web and learned that this is a common problem and Ford extended the warranty on some plastic intake manifolds. Found all info I could and copied it for the local Mercury dealer to repair under warranty. Dropped it off for service, only to get a call that my VIN was not one that was awarded the extended 7 year warranty, even though the length of time we owned this Cougar fit the time criteria. Im really disappointed in Ford that they are not covering all of their plastic junk manifolds. I called the 800 number for complaints, but the man said I am sorry I can not help you, but I will type your info in our database. So I am no spending $900.00 to repair a car with 82K miles on it for something I would not have expected to have trouble with. …
1 .heavy loss of coolant,spraying all over engine area continuously and would not maintain proper levels. 2. Car overheating and risk of burning up the engine. 3. Replaced "plastic" manifold,coolant,thermostat and gasket. This manifold was a class action lawsuit against Ford motor company that I contacted after the incident and was told my VIN did not fall into the category. I now looked it up and it certainly does. The outcome of the lawsuit had dates involved and my incident happened seven months after the judges decision of seven years after the warranty. After calling Ford and speaking with 3 "customer service" people their script was the legal decision and they (Ford) was not going to do a thing for me. …
The low coolant warninging light came on and the smell of antifreeze came into the vehicle compartment. The temperature gauge moved to the highest setting. Copious smoke escaped from under the hood of the vehicle. The forward tube of the plastic intake manifold showed a rupture about four inches long on the front of the intake manifold. Reapair cost was $1455, including replacement of the spark plugs, which had been soaked in antifreeze. The texas comission on environmental quality issued a warning to me by letter that a concerned citizen had reported my vehicle was seen emitting excessive smoke and that if I did not take action to repair the vehicle, they would charge me with a violation. The vehicle has been repaired with a new Ford intake manifold that has the forward tube made out of aluminum and the rest plastic. …
Had catastrophic intake manifold failure while on vacation. Fomoco has a recall on this component (97m91) but refused to provide relief. As I understand the recall of this known problem, Ford will only replace when it fails, but it must fail in a specific time frame. This was a silent recall as Ford never publicized it. I had attempted a preventative replacement as I was aware of the inherent problem -- again my local Mercury dealer (king - gaithersburg, md) would only replace when the manifold failed. Well it did while I was on vacation hundreds of miles from home. As this was a known manufactor's problem from the date of installation, replace must be done when the problem first comes to Ford's knowledge. Instead, when issuing the recall (March 1999) Ford chose to ignore the problem until the consumer brings it to the dealership's attention. …
The plastic intake manifold on my 1997 Mercury Cougar failed on 7/13/2004. The coolant leaked into the spark plug socket and grounded the number 2 spark plug, leaked coolant over engine. Left my wife stranded with undriveable car. Subsequent examination of the engine by an ase mechanic revealed a fatigue crack in the intake manifold near the cross-over tube. This is clearly a design flaw. It will cost over $900 to remove and replace the faulty intake manifold. The old part will be available after repairs are affected.
My vehicles became totally disabled on a very busy highway with heavy after hours rush hour traffic. The manifold which is made of plastic broke were the coolant temperature sensor was built in, I also noticed that a few sparkplugs were flooded with coolant. I found out that there was a lawsuit on these vehicles but no one knew about it and only fleet vehicles were covered and not civilian vehicles. I wonder if there is any chance for me to seek a dealership and get reimbursed for these damages.
On 5/19/2004 I had to have towed and replace defective cracked plastic intake manifold on a 1997 Mercury xr7 Cougar and hadn't been previously informed of any recalls then recently I had to replace yet another defective manifold (2nd car ) this shop informed me of a class action that I should have been informed of previously that should have taken care of the auto above however as the notification program never notified me on either car.
The consumer received a recall well over seven years ago, at the time of the recall the consumer was not experiencing any problem with the intake manifold mentioned in the letter. While driving the vehicle, the radiator leaked antifreeze onto the street. The vehicle was towed and according to the recall letter the manifold is cracked......
The manifold cracked in the same location, overheating the car for the second time. The intake manifold was made of plastic and was recalled. The new manifold was also made of plastic and over time it also failed. The consumer feels the dealer should have installed the new re-designed two piece, half plastic half metal manifold.
I have a 1997 Mercury Cougar. After seeing a low coolant light, and stopping the car, I opened the hood and had coolant everywhere! The car was towed to a repair shop and I was told it was a cracked intake manifold. After further research I have found this is a continual problem with Ford produced automobiles.
Engine complaints in other Cougar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1997 Mercury Cougar?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1997 Mercury Cougar, 41% of the model year's 76 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Mercury Cougar engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1997 Mercury Cougar. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Mercury Cougar engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.