2000 Mercury Cougar

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WHEN THE FUEL LEVEL WAS AT 1/4 FULL, THE VEHICLE STALLED. CURRENTLY WHEN THE FUEL LEVEL IS 1/2 FULL, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL. A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL IT WAS FILLED WITH GAS. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED AT ANY SPEED ON ALL ROAD TYPES. (THIS PROBLEM ALSO APPLIED TO THE CONSUMERS SECOND VEHICLE WHICH THE SAME MAKE/MODEL/YEAR, VIN# [XXX], WITH THE ODOMETER READING OF 60K MILES) *SC *JB INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, BLINKS 7 TIMES PAUSES AND REPEATS UNTIL VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED. TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP MULITPLE TIMES STARTING WITH 2 YEARS AGO, BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY COULD NOT CHECK IT UNLESS IT WAS BLINKING AT THE TIME. WAS ADVISED TO BRING IT BACK WHILE IT'S BLINKING. BLINKING USUALLY OCCURS ON MY WAY TO WORK OR AFTER THE DEALERSHIP HOURS. I HAVE LOOKED THIS PROBLEM UP IN MY REPAIR MANUAL CD AND FOUND THE PROBLEM WAS THAT ONE OF THE AIRBAG SENSORS WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MY SAFETY IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT IF THE AIR BAG WILL DEPLOY OR NOT WITH THIS PROBLEM. I KNOW MULTIPLE OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE WITH THIS PROBLEM AND ONE WHO HAS THIS PROBLEM AND WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY FOR A 100 MPH IMPACT. MY AIR BAG LIGHT CONTINUES WITH THIS PROBLEM.*AK

THE CAR WOULD STALL WITHOUT WARNING ONE TIME LEAVING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. THIS TIME ON A SLIGHT HILL I SAT STALLED WITH HAZARD LIGHTS & HEADLIGHTS ON BUT GOT REAR ENDED BY A MOTORIST TRAVELING 50 MPH. HAD PROBLEM LOOKED AT & THOUGHT IT WAS REPAIRED BUT HAPPENED AGAIN. CAR IS NOW TOTALED. AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND GAS SHUT OFF VALVE DIDN'T WORK BECAUSE MUCH LATER AT TOW YARD CAR WAS STARTED. IT COULD OF BEEN MY DEATH! 6 DAYS IN HOSPITAL & NO CAR.*AK

POWER WINDOWS DIDN'T WORK AS FAST, AND EVENTUALLY THE CAR WOULDN'T START. THE SAME THING HAPPENED NOT TWO MONTHS LATER. IT TOOK EIGHT DAYS TO FIX THE ALTERNATOR, WHICH HAD BEEN REPAIRED BY THAT SAME DEALER BEFORE AND ONLY TOOK 2 DAYS. THE DAY I GOT IT OUT OF THE SHOP THE SUNROOF BROKE. AND THEN ON MARCH 29, ON MY WAY TO WORK IN THE MORNING, AS I WAS EXITING THE RAMP ONTO THE HIGHWAY THE RPMS SHOT WAY UP AND THE CAR "LURCHED " A FEW TIMES BEFORE FINALLY DYING. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED A WRECKER. ONCE AT THE REPAIR SHOP IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS BEING LOW IN GAS, CAUSING THE FUEL PUMP TO OVERHEAT. THEY ALSO FOUND THAT THE BOLT HOLDING THE MOTOR TO THE MOTORCARRIAGE WAS MISSING, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM THEM ON WHY. THE CAR PRESENTLY ONLY HAS 44,376 MILES ON IT, AND ONE COMPLAINT HAS ALREADY BEEN FILED WITH FORD.*AK

MY 2000 MERCURY COUGAR STARTING LEAKING POWER STEERING FLUID RAPIDLY AT APPROXIMATELY 54,000 MILES. TWO MECHANICS STATED THAT THE ENTIRE RACK AND PINON ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE OF AN INTERNAL SEAL. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. IT HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED WITH ALL MANUFACTURER-RECOMMEDED SERVICES, OIL CHANGES, TIRE ROTATION, ETC. *AK

SICKLY SWEET SMELL WHEN AIR CONDITIONER ON. INITIALLY CHECKED FOR POSSIBLE FLUID LEAKAGE FROM AIR CONDITIONER. THAT WAS NOT IT. LATER TRACED TO TOXIC MOLD IN A TRAPPED AREA OF THE AIR CONDITIONING PATH. DEALER SPRAYED IN FUNGICIDE WHICH WORKED FOR A SHORT WHILE. ON ONE OCCASION I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND INTO THE HOUSE AND COULD SMELL THIS SICKLY SWEET SMELL ON MY BREATH. THE DAY AFTER I STARTED COUGHING AND IT TOOK 3 MONTHS OF INTENSIVE MEDICAL TO GET IT CLEANED UP. THEN I GOT ANOTHER WHIFF AND STARTED COUGHING AGAIN. I DISCOVER THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, BUT NOT ADMITTED. VOLVO RUNS A SPECIAL DRYING CYCLE IN THEIR AIR CONDITIONING TO AVOID THIS MOLD PROBLEM. I ALSO HEAR MERCEDES HAS A SIMILAR PROBLEM.