IllustrationTRANSMISSION WAS NOT PERFORMING. WELL. CONSUMER STATED THAT GEARS WERE NOT CHANGING, AND THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A LOUD NOISE. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT BALL JOINTS WERE DEFECTIVE. THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR WAS REPLACED.*AK
1995 Mercury Cougar
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cougar years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 8 of 109 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports4 fire reports4 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
19 reportsBLEW A HEAD GASKET IN MY 1995 MERCURY COUGAR DUE TO A RECALL THAT WAS NOT PERFORMED BY BELL FORD ON MAY 23, 2002 WHEN THE CAR WAS BROUGHT IN FOR THAT REASON ONLY. WHEN I CONTACTED BELL FORD AND MERCURY ON MARCH 27, 2003, NEITHER WILL PAY FOR THE WORK THAT NOW NEEDS TO BE DONE. I AM NOW LEFT WITHOUT A CAR UNTIL IT IS FIXED AND …
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BLEW A HEAD GASKET IN MY 1995 MERCURY COUGAR DUE TO A RECALL THAT WAS NOT PERFORMED BY BELL FORD ON MAY 23, 2002 WHEN THE CAR WAS BROUGHT IN FOR THAT REASON ONLY. WHEN I CONTACTED BELL FORD AND MERCURY ON MARCH 27, 2003, NEITHER WILL PAY FOR THE WORK THAT NOW NEEDS TO BE DONE. I AM NOW LEFT WITHOUT A CAR UNTIL IT IS FIXED AND A LARGE BILL TO PAY WHEN THIS COULD HAVE ALL BEEN AVOIDED IF THE RECALL WAS DONE WHEN MY CAR WAS BROUGHT IN. *NLM
THE ENGINE SEIGE UP CAUSING TO SHUT DOWN AT HIGHWAY SPEED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS
CONSUMER STATED THAT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON AND RPM'S JUMP FROM 2000 TO 3000 CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE ALL POWER. THE DEALER CHANGED MAIN SENSOR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM STOPPED, BUT RPM'S PROBLEM CONTINUED. DEALER CHANGED SPEED SENSOR AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. FINALLY THE HEAD GASKETS WERE REPLACED. *YH …
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CONSUMER STATED THAT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON AND RPM'S JUMP FROM 2000 TO 3000 CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE ALL POWER. THE DEALER CHANGED MAIN SENSOR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM STOPPED, BUT RPM'S PROBLEM CONTINUED. DEALER CHANGED SPEED SENSOR AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. FINALLY THE HEAD GASKETS WERE REPLACED. *YH
A GREEN FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. DEALER WAS CONTACTED, LOCATED CRACKS IN RADIATOR, DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER ANTI-FREEZE WAS LEAKING. *AK *YD
FORD/MERCURY KNEW OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASKETS ON THE 1995 3.8L V-6 ENGINES AND FAILED TO SEND OUT ANY INFORMATION IN A TIMELY MANNER. THIS MEANS THAT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW CARS THAT HAD ALREADY REACHED THE MILEAGE LIMIT THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY UP TO. WE DID NOT RECEIVE NOTIFICATION ABOUT THE PROB…
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FORD/MERCURY KNEW OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASKETS ON THE 1995 3.8L V-6 ENGINES AND FAILED TO SEND OUT ANY INFORMATION IN A TIMELY MANNER. THIS MEANS THAT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW CARS THAT HAD ALREADY REACHED THE MILEAGE LIMIT THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY UP TO. WE DID NOT RECEIVE NOTIFICATION ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASTE UNTIL AFTER THE CAR HAD OVER 100,000 MILES ON IT. SO WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO IS THAT WE GET SHAFTED BECAUSE OF FORD. *AK
SENDING UNIT IN GAS TANK, WINDOW MOTOR DRIVER SIDE,TIMING GASKET LEAKING. *AK
HEAD GASKET FAILURE: DESPITE DILIGENT MAINTENANCE ,FREQUENT OIL CHANGES. *AK
ENGINE HEAD GASKETS ARE LEAKING, AND VEHICLE LOSES POWER. LEAKS ANTI-FREEZE INTO OIL. CAR COULD SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. *AK
ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED WHILE TRAVELING ON THE STREET AT 35 MPH. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM TAIL PIPE. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER SHOP, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER MANUFACTURER'S EXTENDED WARRANTY. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA01001 · Blower Switch/resistor Or Wiring Harness
Opened Jan 5, 2001 · Closed Jul 31, 2001
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System
There is no summary currently available
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System
There is no summary currently available
Electrical System
There is no summary currently available