1997 Mercury Cougar

HAD CATASTROPHIC INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE WHILE ON VACATION. FOMOCO HAS A RECALL ON THIS COMPONENT (97M91) BUT REFUSED TO PROVIDE RELIEF. AS I UNDERSTAND THE RECALL OF THIS KNOWN PROBLEM, FORD WILL ONLY REPLACE WHEN IT FAILS, BUT IT MUST FAIL IN A SPECIFIC TIME FRAME. THIS WAS A SILENT RECALL AS FORD NEVER PUBLICIZED IT. I HAD ATTEMPTED A PREVENTATIVE REPLACEMENT AS I WAS AWARE OF THE INHERENT PROBLEM -- AGAIN MY LOCAL MERCURY DEALER (KING - GAITHERSBURG, MD) WOULD ONLY REPLACE WHEN THE MANIFOLD FAILED. WELL IT DID WHILE I WAS ON VACATION HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM HOME. AS THIS WAS A KNOWN MANUFACTOR'S PROBLEM FROM THE DATE OF INSTALLATION, REPLACE MUST BE DONE WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST COMES TO FORD'S KNOWLEDGE. INSTEAD, WHEN ISSUING THE RECALL (MARCH 1999) FORD CHOSE TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM UNTIL THE CONSUMER BRINGS IT TO THE DEALERSHIP'S ATTENTION. ONLY THEN WOULD THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECALL EXISTED. *AK

THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD ON MY 1997 MERCURY COUGAR FAILED ON 7/13/2004. THE COOLANT LEAKED INTO THE SPARK PLUG SOCKET AND GROUNDED THE NUMBER 2 SPARK PLUG, LEAKED COOLANT OVER ENGINE. LEFT MY WIFE STRANDED WITH UNDRIVEABLE CAR. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE BY AN ASE MECHANIC REVEALED A FATIGUE CRACK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD NEAR THE CROSS-OVER TUBE. THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW. IT WILL COST OVER $900 TO REMOVE AND REPLACE THE FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE OLD PART WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER REPAIRS ARE AFFECTED. *LA

NO WARNING, DRIVING TO WORK UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS WHEN STEAM AND COOLANT (WHICH COULD BE SMELLED) CAME OUT FROM UNDER HOOD, LIMITING MY VISION. I HAD TO STOP AND LOW COOLANT LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED HOME. TOOK CAR TO A CORNER MECHANIC WHO INFORMED US THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD CRACKED AND IT WOULD COST US $1,200. WE WERE SKEPTICAL BECAUSE ON OTHER VEHICLES WE HAVE, THIS PART IS CAST SO IT DOESN'T BREAK. WE THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED AGAIN TO A REPUTABLE MECHANIC THAT WE HAVE USED BEFORE AND HE ALSO SAID THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS BROKEN. HE THEN HAD TO ORDER A NEW FORD PART THAT COST US $589.17 PLUS LABOR OF $249.60 AND WRECKER RUN OF $38.40, FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF $923.12. UPON CHECKING WITH FORD.COM, WE FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO SEVERAL OTHERS AND UPON SPEAKING WITH SOMEONE OVER THE PHONE WE WERE INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM, SERVICE BULLETIN 97M91" THAT WOULD HAVE REPLACED THIS DEFECTIVE PART AT NO COST TO US, IF THE PART WOULD HAVE BROKEN IN THE MONTH OF MAY, INSTEAD OF JUNE 19, WHEN IT OCCURRED. WE WERE NEVER AWARE OF SUCH A PROGRAM AND ARE EXTREMELY DISTRESSED THAT SUCH A REPUTABLE COMPANY AS FORD WOULD NOT MAKE THIS AN UNLIMITED WARRANTY KNOWING THAT THE PART WILL FAIL AND THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART IS MADE OF ALUMINUM WHICH IS DEPENDABLE. WHY WAS THIS NOT USED DURING MANUFACTURING OF THE AUTOMOBILE? SURELY, THE COST THEN WOULD HAVE BEEN MINIMAL TO FORD. COULD THIS POSSIBLY BE REASON WHY IT WAS NOT MADE A VOLUNTARY RECALL? WE WANT TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THIS PART, CONSIDERING WE WERE ONLY 3 WEEKS OUT OF "97M91."*AK

FOR NO REASON AT ALL ANTIFREEZE STARTED LEAKING FROM THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD IN MY 1997 COUGAR WITH A 4.6L MOTOR. I SEARCHED THE WEB AND LEARNED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND FORD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON SOME PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS. FOUND ALL INFO I COULD AND COPIED IT FOR THE LOCAL MERCURY DEALER TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. DROPPED IT OFF FOR SERVICE, ONLY TO GET A CALL THAT MY VIN WAS NOT ONE THAT WAS AWARDED THE EXTENDED 7 YEAR WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH THE LENGTH OF TIME WE OWNED THIS COUGAR FIT THE TIME CRITERIA. IM REALLY DISAPPOINTED IN FORD THAT THEY ARE NOT COVERING ALL OF THEIR PLASTIC JUNK MANIFOLDS. I CALLED THE 800 NUMBER FOR COMPLAINTS, BUT THE MAN SAID I AM SORRY I CAN NOT HELP YOU, BUT I WILL TYPE YOUR INFO IN OUR DATABASE. SO I AM NO SPENDING $900.00 TO REPAIR A CAR WITH 82K MILES ON IT FOR SOMETHING I WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED TO HAVE TROUBLE WITH. TO PROVE THAT THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM, THEY NOW REPLACE THE ORIGINAL MANIFOLD WITH A NEW PART NUMBER, AND DESIGN. THEY ADMIT IT WAS A BAD DEAL, BUT STILL WILL NOT HELP ME. I TOLD THEM THAT WHILE THEY WERE TYPING MY COMPLAINT, ALSO TYPE THAT THIS IS MY LAST FORD, AND ALSO MY FAMILIES LAST FORD. IT'S A SAD TESTAMENT FOR THE USA WORKERS. HENRY FORD WOULD NOT BE PLEASED. THANK YOU, [XXX]. *NM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I HAVE A 1997 MERCURY COUGAR. I FEW WEEKS AGO I STARTED SMELLING ANTI-FREEZE AND I NOTICED MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS OVER THE HALF WAY MARK. THEN MY "LOW COOLANT" LIGHT CAME ON. I ADDED SOME ANTI-FREEZE UNTIL I COULD GET THE CAR INTO MY MECHANIC. AFTER CHECKING OUT MY CAR, HE SAID I HAD A CRACKED INTAKE MANIFOLD. I LEFT THE CAR FOR TWO DAYS AND WHEN HE CALLED ME TO PICK IT UP, HE HIT ME WITH A $875 BILL. WOW!!! I DON'T HAVE $875, SO I HAD TO BORROW IT! I NEED MY CAR. THEN TWO DAYS AFTER I GET THE CAR FIXED, I'M TALKING TO A FRIEND AND HE TELLS ME THERE WAS A RECALL ON 1997 4.6 LITER ENGINES IN THE MERCURY COUGARS. I WENT TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER AND EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T HELP ME AND GAVE ME A 1-800 FOR FORD. I CALLED FORD. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T HELP ME BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET THE WORK DONE AT A FORD/LINCOLN/MERCURY DEALER. SO EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY PARTICULAR CAR, FOR THE PARTICULAR PROBLEM I HAD, I CAN'T GET REIMBURSED FOR THE WORK. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHERE TO GO FROM HERE??? EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO THE PROPERTY, THANK GOD, THE PROBLEM STILL COST ME TIME, MONEY AND WAS AN INCONVENIENCE. I FEEL THAT SINCE IT WAS A RECALL, I SHOULD AT LEAST BE REIMBURSED FOR THE PARTS.*AK

THE LOW COOLANT WARNINGING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE CAME INTO THE VEHICLE COMPARTMENT. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE MOVED TO THE HIGHEST SETTING. COPIOUS SMOKE ESCAPED FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE FORWARD TUBE OF THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD SHOWED A RUPTURE ABOUT FOUR INCHES LONG ON THE FRONT OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. REAPAIR COST WAS $1455, INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF THE SPARK PLUGS, WHICH HAD BEEN SOAKED IN ANTIFREEZE. THE TEXAS COMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ISSUED A WARNING TO ME BY LETTER THAT A CONCERNED CITIZEN HAD REPORTED MY VEHICLE WAS SEEN EMITTING EXCESSIVE SMOKE AND THAT IF I DID NOT TAKE ACTION TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE, THEY WOULD CHARGE ME WITH A VIOLATION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED WITH A NEW FORD INTAKE MANIFOLD THAT HAS THE FORWARD TUBE MADE OUT OF ALUMINUM AND THE REST PLASTIC. FORD REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS MODEL SAYING THAT HUMAN LIFE HAS NOT BEEN ENDANGERED. *AK