IllustrationWAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40MPH WHEN ENGINE HEAD GASKETS BLEW OUT. WILL BE TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER. *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
What owners actually said
109 reportsWHILE SHIFTING GEARS, THE GEAR LEVER CAME OFF IN DRIVER'S HAND. ALSO, OVERDRIVE FAILED TO WORK. THE GASKETS BLEW UP.
SEAT BACK BROKE DURING REAR END COLLISION CAUSING INJURY TO THE DRIVER.
HEAD GASKET FAILED CAUSING DAMAGE TO OTHER ENGINE COMPONENTS.
TRANSMISSION SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT THE GEAR SHIFT BEING APPLIED. DEALER SAYS NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION.*AK
CAR VIBRATED DURING STOPPING ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK AND TOLD THEM THE BRAKES WERE VIBRATING, BUT THEY SAID THEY TURNED THE DISKS,BUT IT DID NOT HELP. LATER I RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY ORDERED A STEERING COMPUTER, STILL DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. THEY THEN REPLACE THE STEERING CYLINDER.…
Read full complaint
CAR VIBRATED DURING STOPPING ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK AND TOLD THEM THE BRAKES WERE VIBRATING, BUT THEY SAID THEY TURNED THE DISKS,BUT IT DID NOT HELP. LATER I RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY ORDERED A STEERING COMPUTER, STILL DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. THEY THEN REPLACE THE STEERING CYLINDER. NO HELP. I FINIALLY TOOK THE BRAKES DISKS OFF MYSELF AND HAD TO PAY TO HAVE THEM TURNED AND WHICH HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR NOW. AFTER REVIEWING THE COMPLAINTS OF OTHER DRIVERS OF THIS MODEL, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM, BUT NO RECALL HAS EVERY COME TO FIX A VERY BAD HANDLING PROBLEM WITH THE 1995 MERCURY COUGAR. I FEEL THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD REQUIRE THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM.
THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE SQUEAKS WHEN APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WILL PULL TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. TAKEN TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE THIRD GEAR EXPLODED. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *AK
THE DEFECTIVE MANUAL LOCK SWITCH IN TRANSMISSION SYSTEM LOCKS UP WHEN THERE IS MOISTURE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE IN NUETRAL, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. DEALER HAS A NEWLY DESIGNED MANUAL LOCK SWITCH. *AK
HEAD GASKET FAILED. (QCAW)
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