Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Mercury Cougar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
To whom it May concern: (management) I was driving on a residential street and was honked at by another driver who told me that my brakes lights were not working. I had a friend of mine that is a certified repair person look at it and he said it wasn't the light or the fuse or the brake switch under the pedal and that he was 95% sure it was the stop lamp extension harness that has bronze terminals at the brake lamp switch connector. I bought this car in 2004 and under a recall had the blower switch resistor repaired under the recall. The reason the recalls for this car are not showing up is because the recalls are more than 15 years old & they don't keep track after that. I have never had this problem with this car before but I have had over $9,000 worth of repairs on it since I've owned it not including the normal oil changes and tune up. …
1999 Cougar battery connection problems or something faulty. Sometimes while I'm driving my car just goes dead. It's done that a lot lately. I now have a new battery but the same thing happens and I'm scared when it happens on the freeway . Tonight I was driving on the freeway and it went dead! I had no lights , I had no tail lights,no head lights ,no blinkers and no emergency lights and the car close behind me had to slam on breaks cause there was no emergency lane, no side of the road just a guard rail! I was in the middle of the road . Brand new battery just goes dead like it did many times on the older battery it's not the alternator either...something is not making a connection. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact also stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was able to start after several attempts, however the vehicle failed after the contact drove for a couple of miles. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the alternator and fuel pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 01V031000 (electrical system) or 04V421000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
I own a 1999 Mercury Cougar. I just bought the car in January of 2003 with 32,000 miles on the car. Two weeks after purchasing the car the alternator died, which is a common problem with this car, and the dealership replaced the alternator. But two or three weeks after that, my power sunroof broke, which is also a very common problem, and because the car was not under warranty anymore it cost me over $1200.00 with labor to fix. I have since learned that there are many Cougar owners that have had the sunroof break because the 1999 and 2000 cougars were made with plastic rails that easily break. The 2001 and 2002 cougars were made with metal rails and work fine. …
I also own a 99 Cougar and have had nothing but issues, but I love the way the car drives when it works correctly. I have also replaced the alternator and it's also on its 5th window motor, which still does not work correctly. I have replaced almost every sensor possible, too. Of course when I have questioned Mercury on these issues, they claim that it's not a common problem with the cougars. I have heard from others on the tire issues, but luckily mine has not had any issues with tires. The newest issue with mine is the headlamps. I was in some heavy rain water in the beginning of oct. 2006 and they leaked and had puddles inside of them. I took it to be serviced by Mercury and I have not had my car back for 3.5 months! In talking with Ford I have found out that they have not made any headlamps for the 99 Cougar since jan. 2006 and they are on a nation wide backorder. …
The battery seemed low on the car, indicated by interior lights not being very illuminated, but then dashboard lights started flashing and windows rolled up very slowly. I charged the battery for many hours and it took a charge, so I could get to the Mercury dealer. It died when I got there and they were closed, so I had to jump it and move to a safe location to leave overnight. This had happened twice before in the past 2 1/2 years, so I new it was the alternator again! That's three alternators in 2 1/2 years. This time I am out of warranty and am expected to pay $550 for a recurring problem that clearly will happen again. The dealer can not tell me why this is occuring, and Ford "customer service" could care less. After researching this problem on the internet, it seems that many Cougar owners have experienced this problem continually. …
Dt: contact owns a 1999 Mercury Cougar. He has been looking on the internet and found recalls 04v4210000, 04v4210000,1v0320000, and 01v0310000 . He called the manufacturer, and they told him that this vehicle was not included in these recalls due to VIN although the contact's vehicle experienced the same failure as described in aforementioned recalls. While driving and accelerating the vehicle surged. He had not noticed this when the cruise control was on. But, noticed this immediately after purchasing the vehicle from an auction on 9-18-05. Also, the left rear tail lamp blew out three times in a short time frame. He bought the extended life bulbs, but they still blew out. However, some of the lights worked on the dashboard. . The engine light did not come on when he first started the vehicle. The contact noticed this 10-04-05.
I have owned my 99 Cougar for 7 years now I bought it used and everything worked fine the first year but late within the last 3 years I have changed the alternator 3 times starter 4 times and the battery 3 times just recently my car refused to start so I figured it was the starter cause every fall and winter one of the 3 mentioned goes out well I replaced the starter and it wont start now I checked the battery and that is good I also checked the cables and they are good , and just today I found a few recalls on my car online so I went to the Ford website to see if the recalls where listed but they are not . Does that mean the previous owner did the recalls ? And if so why is the same problem occurring and what can the dealership do or will do ? What recourse do I have if the dealership refuses to fix my car under the recall?
Recall id#8389 (feb 06, 2001) electrical system, battery cables. 1999 Mercury Cougar 2.5l v6 (70263 miles). Just picked up car after paying $3500 in repairs for headgasket, etc. Mechanic mentioned a bearing in the alternator is going and should be replaced soon. That would be the third alternator in this car. I am the original owner, vehicle purchased April 17, 2000. Alternator #1 jan 15, 2003 (21672 miles) - covered by warranty (vehicle broke down on interstate). Alternator #2 car again died on the interstate with no warning, no "idiot lights. 09/20/2005 (47,791 miles). Paid for myself. Now, 2/24/09 (70,263 miles) need another new alternator! Help!! How do I get this covered, I just got laid off, just paid $3500.00 in other repairs and cannot believe I need another alternator!
3/21/05 vehicle taken to Lincoln Mercury driveability concern by>>( my wife)>>>check engine light on, they fond intake gaskets leaking vac & bank 2 also monitor are very active need tune up and plug wires and tires... My wife gave them all technical service bulletins diagnostic trouble codes po420 & po430 paper....also,told them 99-Mercury Cougar 2.5l engine stall and have inability to start car...they kept paper, and told her she need new battery cables!!!! Call manufacturer on TSB and recall, we was told there was no recall on our vehicle I.d. Number....etc........consumer reports used car buying guide fond recall ---99-00 Mercury Cougar with 2.5l v6 engine----natsa number #01i009000 please help.............
Related recalls
Electrical system
On certain my 1996-1998 passenger vehicles built at the kansas city, cuautitlan assembly plants or on my 1999 passenger vehcles built at the automotive alliance international assembly plants, the rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new heater blower resistor and a new wire jumper harness. Owner notification began August 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not…
Electrical system › 12V/24V/48V battery › Cables
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 2.5l v6 engines. The battery cable was misrouted and its attachment to the alternator cable was under-torqued. If misrouted, the cable could contact the power steering line and the insulation could wear, resulting in an electrical short.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the battery cable to the alternator for damage and, if it is damaged, will replace the cable. Additionally, the routing of the cable will be corrected, as necessary, and a routing clip will be…
NHTSA investigations
Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness
There is no summary currently available
Electrical complaints in other Cougar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1999 Mercury Cougar?
NHTSA has 99 complaints about the electrical system of the 1999 Mercury Cougar, 22% of the model year's 454 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery › cables (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Mercury Cougar electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 01V-230 (electrical system, Jul 9, 2001); NHTSA recall 01V-031 (cables, Feb 6, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Mercury Cougar electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 3 injuries and 1 death to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.