2000 Mercury Cougar

FLASHING BATTERY LIGHT. LIGHTS WOULD DIM DURING ACCELERATIONS OR REVVING OF ENGINE. ALTERNATOR FAILS CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. SAFETY ISSUE, I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO REPAIR SHOP, MECHANIC STATES HE HAS RESEARCHED THIS AND SAYS THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OF CAR. BATTERY LIGHT STILL STAYS ON AND LIGHTS DIM ON ACCELERATION AFTER REPLACED ALTERNATOR. *TR

2000 MERCURY COUGAR V 6 AUTO -55000 MI - STEADY STATE CRUISING AFTER 10 MI 'WARM UP' - A FREQUENT , PROBLEM - LIKE OK FOR 3 OR 4 MILE , THEN 2 OR 3 TIMES WILL JERK OR SHUDDER , THEN OK FOR 3 OR 4 MI - HARD JERK , ENGINE TACH JUMPS FROM 2800 > 4000 RPM , BACK TO 2800. SEEMS MOSTLY AT STEADY 70 MPH OR SO , DOES DO IT SOMETIMES AT 40. SEEMS HARDLY EVER ON SHORT DRIVE , LIKE 8 MI TO WORK IN MORNING. TRANS CAN'T FIND CORRECT GEAR ? COMPUTER ? DEALER , AFTERMARKET SHOP COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. NEW FUEL FILTER , TRANS OIL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCURY COUGAR. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PROCEED FROM A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE STALLED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY CABLES WERE MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY. A MECHANIC CONCLUDED THAT THE CABLE MADE CONTACT WITH THE POWER STEERING LINE WHICH CAUSED THE INSULATION TO WEAR, AND THUS AN AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED IN REFERENCE TO RECALL # 01V031000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BATTERY:CABLES). SINCE HIS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL, HE WAS INELIGIBLE FOR A FREE REMEDY. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, AND HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF SENDING THEM CORRESPONDENCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 110,000.

THE LIGHTS ON THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF MY CAR HAVE BEEN FLICKERING SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM AN INDIVIDUAL A FEW YEARS AGO. LAST WEEK I SMELLED BURNING WIRES WHILE DRIVING AND ME AND MY HUSBAND PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND HE INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM AS TO WHERE THE SMELL WAS COMING FROM. HE NOTICED THE BATTERY CABLES WERE HOT AND MELTED INSULATION ON THEM AT THE BATTERY POSTS. NOW INSTEAD OF A FLICKERING ALTERNATOR LIGHT,HEADLIGHTS,AND DASH LIGHTS, I HAVE AN ALTERNATOR LIGHT THAT STAYS ON AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS STILL FLICKERING. WE TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC BECAUSE THE CAR QUIT RUNNING,APPARENTLY BECAUSE THE BATTERY WENT DEAD. THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR WHICH COST ME 320.00. I STILL HAVE FLICKERING LIGHTS AND THE ALTERNATOR LIGHT IS STILL ON. I TOOK IT TO HAVE THE ALTERNATOR CHECKED EVEN THOUGH IT WAS BRAND NEW,JUST TO BE SURE AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A WIRING PROBLEM,THAT THE CHARGE FROM THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT GETTING BACK TO THE BATTERY. ALL FUSES WERE CHECKED AND TO MY UNDERSTANDING MY CAR IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY RECALLS ACCORDING TO THE VIN I FURNISHED FORD. I WANT THIS FIXED ,AND I SEE ON ALL THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE CHECKING THE WEB FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS,THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY MERCURY COUGAR OWNER OF THIS YEAR MODEL THAT CAN'T SEEM TO GET ANY HELP WITH AN APPARENT SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO I HAVE A SUNROOF THAT HAS TO BE TAPED DOWN TO KEEP IT FROM BLOWING OUT OF THE CAR AND LEAKS WHEN IT RAINS IF IT DOESN'T HAVE TAPE ON THE SEAMS. *TR

TL*THE 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.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCURY COUGAR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THERE WAS A MODERATE LOSS OF POWER IN THE VEHICLE AND A BURNING ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE ALTERNATOR BATTERY CABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. RECENTLY,THE CONTACT OBSERVED AN EXCESSIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE READING FROM THE VOLTAGE OF THE ALTERNATOR. ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR THE IDENTICAL FAILURES. THERE WERE NO RESOLUTIONS. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED FAILURES IDENTICAL TO THE ONES MENTIONED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 01V031000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BATTERY:CABLES). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THEM BATTERY LIGHT. A NEW BATTERY WAS INSTALLED BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS THE BATTERY AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. ALTERNATOR WAS CHECKED AND FOUND TO BE IN PERFECT ORDER. EVENTUALLY ONE DAY ALL THE PANEL LIGHTS JUST WENT DIM AND THE CAR SHUT OFF TOTALLY. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED AN ALTERNATOR AT THE COST OF $550. I AGREED. GOT THE CAR DROVE IT FROM THE DEALER THE ENGINE LIGHTS AND BATTERY LIGHTS CAME BACK ON THAT VERY SAME DAY. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT TAKES TIME FOR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO ADJUST. I DROVE IT FOR ONE WEEK AND THE CAR SHUT OFF AGAIN. I HAD IT TOWED AGAIN. DEALER SAID IT WAS FIXED AND THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. IT'S HAS HAPPENED OVER AND OVER AGAIN SINCE THEM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCURY COUGAR. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 55-60 MPH, ALL OF THE VEHICLE LIGHTS BEGAN FLICKERING. THE VEHICLE FAILED THREE TIMES AND WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED, THE VEHICLE LIGHTS STILL FLICKERED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 01V031000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: BATTERY: CABLES). THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 67,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCURY COUGAR. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND IT WAS JUMPED BY AAA. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THEY STATED THAT THE CABLE THAT CONNECTED THE BATTERY TO THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 01V031000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BATTERY:CABLES), EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED WITHIN THE MANUFACTURE DATES. THE VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN APRIL OF 2000. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 118,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCURY COUGAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE ALTERNATOR BATTERY CABLE. WHEN THE BATTERY SHORTS OUT, IT CATCHES FIRE AND ALSO SHORTS OUT THE ALTERNATOR. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CABLE CAUGHT FIRE, BUT IT EXTINGUISHED ON ITS OWN. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE CONTACT PAID FOR THE REPAIR AND WANTS TO BE REIMBURSED. FORD REFUSES TO REIMBURSE HIM AND ADVISED HIM TO CALL NHTSA. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 65,000.