Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Mercury Cougar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My car stalled while in the middle of a busy intersection while in motion. Later find out that I need a new fuel pump. Was not aware it was under recall. Paid to have it fixed in July of 2009. Repair shop failed to put my VIN, mileage, and correct year of vehicle on invoice resulting in not being able to get my money back from Ford. Recall was good through January 31, 2010. My car once again stalled while at a stop light sparks and small flames when attempting to start after stalling. Electrical problem, and Ford is doing nothing about it. I replaced the battery and still no crank or clicking. Also listed as a recall. Spend $651.02 to have fuel pump fixed and now can't get my money back because repair shop did not fill out invoice correctly. Now will have to possibly pay over a $1,000.00 to fix the electrical issue... …
Takata inflatorsi have a 2000. Mercury. Coguar. When. I bought the. Car it ran tgood, then. In 2014. I had to. Pay 1000. To get a. Fuel pump put in. And. That only lasted. 2yrs. Now the fuel pump went out . I don't. Have. That kind of money .I live on as. When I pay my bills I'm. Broke. I looked up recalls. And its the fuel system on the car. It just stops. Even in traffic. I don't see what my credit. Has anything. To do with getting help. Fixing my car if it has a recall. On the fuel system.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. While refueling the vehicle, the fuel pump would only allow 1-2 gallons to enter the fuel tank before shutting off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Having so many problems with the fuel systems. I have put fuelput a new fuel pump in gas tank 2 yes. Ago. Put fuel pressure sensor this year. Put new fuel regulator this year now when driving it will just stop. And wouldn't startup
Purchased 2000 Mercury Cougar 13 nov. 2000. Since the time of purchase, on five different occasions the said vehicle has sputtered and stalled in the middle of traffic do to lack of fuel comsumption. While under warrenty dealer has changed the fuel pump once. As of this day, on three November 2003, I myself changed another fuel pump on said vehicle. I've noticed in other complaints that this is an on going problem with this vehicle, and as far as I know nothing is being done by the dealer to correct this problem. Today is 10 nov. 2003 and said vehicle has stalled again. I noticed that the fuel pump fuse was blown and changed it also installed a new pump relay. There seems to be and electrical problem within ths system, which in turn causes the pump to burn up. The average price of a fuel pump for this vehicle is three hundred dollars or more which doesn't include labor for installation. …
My 2000 Mercury Cougar suddenly started sputtering, bucking, and in less than two minutes stopped in traffic. It would crank but not start. I had to have it pushed off the road out of traffic. It was taken to a repair shop where the mechanic told me it was a faulty fuel pump system. When looking online for recalls or safety improvement campaigns, on the Ford website, they acknowledged that cougars have had problems with the fuel pump system. The website did not specify any model year. When looking on another website and searching recalls, the 2000 Cougar had no recalls or safety improvement campaigns. What is interesting to me is that the other three model years, 1999, 2001, and 2002, all had recalls on the fuel pump system. Ford motor company issued an extended manufacturer's warranty on the fuel pump system for those three model years until December 2010. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The battery was replaced and the contact received a jump start before he was able to start the vehicle. The vehicle remained on for a few minutes before stalling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was advised that the alternator would need to be replaced. The alternator was replaced. The contact was able to drive the vehicle but found that the headlights were intermittently dimming. The contact was advised by the dealer and manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 01V031000 (electrical system: battery: cables). The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate and that fuel was not traveling to the engine correctly even with a full tank of fuel. …
Every year approximately the same time, the fuel pump in my 2000 Cougar goes out. I reported this problem to Ford corp. Every time. On June 14, 2001 I mailed a letter to them stating the continuous problem with the fuel pump in the Cougar. The first time wasmarch 25, 2001 - while driving my car home form church, my car stopped in the middle of the street. I had the car towed to winner Lincoln-Mercury, they replaced the fuel pump and returned it to me on March 29, 2001. 2nd time on April 26, 2002 while driving home from work, my car just stopped in the middle of traffic. I called for a tow truck to tow the vehicle to winner Lincoln-Mercury again. Winner replaced the fuel pump again and returned the car to me on April 29, 2002, approximately a year after the first fuel pump was replaced, winner replaced the fuel pump again. …
Tl contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated that the battery cables leading from the battery to the alternator caused shortages. All of the electrical components flickered inside and outside the vehicle. He took the vehicle to a certified mechanic, who confirmed that there was a short somewhere in the vehicle. In addition, he noticed a failure within the fuel injection system. The RPM's would rev to a high degree and then decrease very quickly, which occasionally caused the vehicle to stall. The RPM's fluctuated when shutting off the vehicle or revving. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id numbers 01V031000 (electrical system:battery:cables) and 04V421000 (fuel system, gasoline). The current mileage was approximately 106,000 and failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
There appears to be a widespread problem with fuel tank warpage on 2000 Mercury cougars. The tank is molded plastic and can distort. This distortion occurs without warning or noticeable incident. Once distorted, the car will suddenly fail to be able to access the last quarter tank of fuel and will suddenly lose power or stall. The dealer from whom I purchased the car diagnosed the problem and replaced the tank and fuel sender; however, subsequent discussions on internet groups related to the car or maker reveal that there are a significant number of people experiencing the same symptoms whose local dealers are either ignorant of the problem or unwilling to fix the problem at the factory's expense.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline
On certain passenger vehicles, contamination of the filter in the fuel delivery module (fdm) can reduce, and eventually block, the flow of fuel to the engine.
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…
Fuel System complaints in other Cougar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2000 Mercury Cougar?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2000 Mercury Cougar, 22% of the model year's 211 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (24 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Mercury Cougar fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-421 (fuel system, gasoline, Aug 30, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Mercury Cougar fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion 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.