IllustrationTHE SUNROOF JUST RELEASED FROM THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF I71 DOING 65MPH AND I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OF COUGAR
2001 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
40–25K
1325–50K
1050–75K
775–100K
10100–150K
7150K+
51 reports with mileage · 31 unknown
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.
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports6 fire reports5 injury reports
Structure complaints
5 reportsI OPENED MY MOONROOF ONE DAY AND IT MADE A NOISE SO I LOOKED AT IT AND IT LOOKED TO BE OFF TRACK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SO WE TRIED TO SHUT IT AND IT WOULD NOT SHUT ALL THE WAY SO WHEN IT RAINED, IT RAINED IN MY CAR. FINALLY TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT THE PLASTIC CLIP WAS BROKE AND HAD TO FORCE IT CLOSED SO NOW WH…
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I OPENED MY MOONROOF ONE DAY AND IT MADE A NOISE SO I LOOKED AT IT AND IT LOOKED TO BE OFF TRACK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SO WE TRIED TO SHUT IT AND IT WOULD NOT SHUT ALL THE WAY SO WHEN IT RAINED, IT RAINED IN MY CAR. FINALLY TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT THE PLASTIC CLIP WAS BROKE AND HAD TO FORCE IT CLOSED SO NOW WHEN I GO DOWN THE ROAD IT OPENS SOME AND COULD EVENTUALLY FLY OFF, IT IS A DISTRACTION WHEN I AM DRIVING BECAUSE IT MAKES NOISE AND RIGHT NOW IT IS COLD OUT AND IT RAINS IN IT. THE REPAIR GUY TOLD ME THAT SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HAVE CAME IN FOR THE SAME REASONS THIS COULD CAUSE A PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. THESE COMPANY'S NOW DAYS MAKE THEIR PARTS SO CHEAP AND THEN SALE THEM FOR A LOT OF MONEY, THEY NEED TO RE-THINK WHAT THEY ARE DOING BEFORE THEY LOOSE ALL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS, NO WONDER THERE ARE SEVERAL PLACES HAVING TO CLOSE. THE REPAIR GUY ALSO TOLD ME THAT IF I DO GET IT REPAIRED THEN I WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO GET IT REPLACED AGAIN BECAUSE THEY ARE MADE SO CHEAP. *JB
DT: THE SUN ROOF I BROKE. THE SUN ROOF WOULD NOT CLOSE. THE PROBLEM STARTED ON OCTOBER 2, 2005. AND WHEN THE CONTACT TOOK IT IN TO BE REPAIRED, THEY HAD TO BREAK THE ATTACHMENTS TO GET IT TO CLOSE. AFTERWARDS , THERE WAS STILL A CRACK BETWEEN THE SUN ROOF AND THE REST OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ALLOWS WIND TO COME THROUGH WHILE …
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DT: THE SUN ROOF I BROKE. THE SUN ROOF WOULD NOT CLOSE. THE PROBLEM STARTED ON OCTOBER 2, 2005. AND WHEN THE CONTACT TOOK IT IN TO BE REPAIRED, THEY HAD TO BREAK THE ATTACHMENTS TO GET IT TO CLOSE. AFTERWARDS , THERE WAS STILL A CRACK BETWEEN THE SUN ROOF AND THE REST OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ALLOWS WIND TO COME THROUGH WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING. SHE HAD TO TAPE IT DOWN TO KEEP IT FROM FLYING OFF. WHEN SHE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID IT WAS NOT A MANUFACTURE R'S DEFECT, AND THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR HERSELF. *AK
THE METAL SUNROOF ON MY 2001 MERCURY COUGAR BROKE FREE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHILE DRIVING. FORD APPARENTLY USED PLASTIC PARTS IN THE ASSEMBLY WHICH HOLDS THE METAL SUNROOF TO THE CAR. THESE PARTS FAILED AFTER ONLY 26,500 MILES. IF THE DRIVER SIDE ASSEMBLY HAD ALSO BROKEN, THE METAL ROOF COULD HAVE FLOWN OFF THE CAR AND HIT A…
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THE METAL SUNROOF ON MY 2001 MERCURY COUGAR BROKE FREE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHILE DRIVING. FORD APPARENTLY USED PLASTIC PARTS IN THE ASSEMBLY WHICH HOLDS THE METAL SUNROOF TO THE CAR. THESE PARTS FAILED AFTER ONLY 26,500 MILES. IF THE DRIVER SIDE ASSEMBLY HAD ALSO BROKEN, THE METAL ROOF COULD HAVE FLOWN OFF THE CAR AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. A COMPLAINT WEBSITE (WWW.COUGARSUNROOF.COM) CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 800 COMPLAINTS OF 1999-02 COUGAR METAL SUNROOF'S FAILING IN A SIMILAR FASHION. SEVERAL OF THESE COMPLAINTS NOTE THAT THE METAL SUNROOF ACTUALLY FLEW OFF THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY. FORD CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS DEFECT, BUT NO RECALL OR SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO BE INJURED OR DIE IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY THESE DEFECTIVE METAL SUNROOF'S BEFORE A RECALL IS ISSUED? *JB
DRIVER DOOR HAS A MAJOR LEAKING PROBLEM WHEN IT RAINS OR IS RUN THROUGH A CAR WASH. *AK
Official recalls
104V421000 · Fuel System, Gasoline
Aug 30, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, CONTAMINATION OF THE FILTER IN THE FUEL DELIVERY MODULE (FDM) CAN REDUCE, AND EVENTUALLY BLOCK, THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS MAY CAUSE ENGINE HESITATION, LOSS OF POWER, SURGING, AND OTHER SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. OVER TIME, THE FILTER MAY BECOME SUFFICIENTLY BLOCKED TO CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: THIS ACTION IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN AND IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE SAFETY ACT. ALL OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FDM WITH A NEW DESIGN AT NO CHARGE IF THE OWNER REPORTS THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS ANY OF THE IDENTIFIED SYMPTOMS. THE FREE REPLACEMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, WITH NO MILEAGE LIMIT. THE CAMPAIGN BEGAN ON APRIL 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.