Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
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).
The issue is with the design flaw for a sunroof on the 1999 Ford Mercury Cougar, which happened about a month ago when trying to open one day. I bought the car with low mileage of 53000, sunroof one of main reason for purchase. Did some research, there is great website that shows thousand plus owners who have had same problem and no help from Ford. Problem is small plastic piece in design of sunroof cannot support roof, therefore breaks and entire roof must be replaced even though part cost a few dollars. The cost to fix vehicle from Ford with labor has been quoted between 1500-2500 dollars, unbelievable for design flaw. Also causes safety issue for some as sunroof is loose on top of roof and will not shut all the way for many owners, but since no injuries have been reported yet, Ford has not recalled faulty design. …
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. …
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. …
The sunroof on my 1999 Mercury Cougar has stopped working. It stopped in the raised position and upon investigating the problem it seems that the plastic pieces on the track have broken. While researching the problem I discovered that this is a known problem and can be dangerous because there have been many reports of the sunroof panel actually flying off the car while moving. Ford/Mercury knows this was a problem because they changed the plastic pieces to aluminum after this manufacture year. It is a shame that someone doesn't make this company fix the problem before someone gets hurt or killed by one of these sunroof's malfunctioning and flying off the car or falling on someone while trying to get it to close. Your attention in this matter would be appreciated.
Tl*- the contact has a 1999 Mercury Cougar with a failure mileage of 107,000. When the contact opened the sun roof she heard a snapping sound. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that she had to replace the sun roof assembly. She felt that this was a very expensive repair for a part that only needed a plastic piece replaced. The current mileage was 137,000 miles. The consumer has provided multiple pages of various customers and the problems of their Mercury cougars which are located on www.cougarsunroof.com and broken sunroof poll. The consumer has also provided the invoice with an estimate for repair. Update 05/09/07
We bought our first Cougar in 2001. It is a 1999. A month after I bought it, the sunroof broke and froze in the up position. I had an extended warranty that was told to us covered this part. When took it in to get looked at, it did not cover it and they said that the sunroof would cost $2000 to fix. Rain, snow, and anything else comes into my car now and the fabric is now ruined. It is utterly ridiculous that this manufacturer made such a faulty product and refuses to do anything to help fix it. I haven't seen a Cougar since with a sunroof that is not broken. Please recall this item!!!
Faulty equipment in the sunroof assembly (plastic pieces that hold the sunroof to the track guides). These pieces also take a considerable amount of "stress" when the sunroof is in the open position. They are supporting most of the weight of the sunroof itself. And also on my car, left side track is broken and jammed. Take a look at www.cougarsunroof.com please take the time to read some of the complaints. They focus around the same problem, as I have described above. I think a recall should be issued for any 1999 and up Mercury Cougar that have sunroofs.
Sunroof failed to close at 40K miles and is stuck open. It will cost about $2K to fix. It rattles when driven and I am afraid it will fly off on the freeway. I am concerned for the safety issue not to mention that all sorts of weather conditions have ruined the interior of the car. I read about this site on a web site devoted to broken Cougar sunroof's ( www.cougarsunroof.com ) and there are over 800 people with the same complaint already. Please look into this before someone does get hurt.
(1) sun roof was closed for about 1 month prior to event. (2) sun roof began to open and stopped, remaining in a partially open position. (3) failure is not corrected. Parts and labour will run $1500. Safety concern in the event of a crash, sun roof in a partially open position May cause additional injuries to passengers. Additionally, concern about sun roof remaining intact in the open position for extended period of time during interstate driving. Possibility that sun roof May dislodge.
Sunroof opens when switch is pushed. Then when switch is pushed the sunroof will not close. You can hear the motor trying to work to close the sunroof but it just never happens. After waitng a few hours to a couple of days and then try to close the sunroof by pushing the switch, the sunroof will close. The dealership said that the entire motor needed to be replaced which doesn't make sense becasue if the motor works to open the sunroof, then it should work to close the sunroof.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Cougar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 1999 Mercury Cougar?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 1999 Mercury Cougar, 10% of the model year's 454 complaints. The component named most often is sun/moon roof assembly (33 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Mercury Cougar window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 1999 Mercury Cougar, though it has 7 recalls for other components. 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 1999 Mercury Cougar window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 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.