IllustrationI HAVE FOUND 3 RECALLS FOR MY CAR, THEY ARE ALL THE EXACT PROBLEMS I AM HAVING, BUT WHEN I SEARCHED FOR OPEN RECALLS IT SAID NONE ARE OPEN FOR MY CAR. I NEED MY CAR REPAIRED AND THE RECALLS COMPLETED.
2002 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
140–25K
1025–50K
2150–75K
1775–100K
13100–150K
4150K+
79 reports with mileage · 16 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 41 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 →
- Power Train. Review the 10 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 reports1 fire reports8 injury reports
Fuel/propulsion System complaints
4 reportsNHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER:04V421000 MANUFACTURER FORD MOTOR COMPANY WAS DRIVING ON A MAIN CITY ST. MY AUTO STOPPED WITH NO POWER IN THE LEFT LANE OF BUSY 4 LANE ST. WOULD NOT START IN NEUTRAL OR PARK, MAN PUSHED IT INTO THE CTR. LANE OUT OF TRAFFIC AREA. POLICEMAN CAME AFTER I CALLED 911, AFTER A FEW MINUTES HE SUGGESTED TAKING …
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NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER:04V421000 MANUFACTURER FORD MOTOR COMPANY WAS DRIVING ON A MAIN CITY ST. MY AUTO STOPPED WITH NO POWER IN THE LEFT LANE OF BUSY 4 LANE ST. WOULD NOT START IN NEUTRAL OR PARK, MAN PUSHED IT INTO THE CTR. LANE OUT OF TRAFFIC AREA. POLICEMAN CAME AFTER I CALLED 911, AFTER A FEW MINUTES HE SUGGESTED TAKING KEY OUT STEPPING ON BRAKE THEN INSERTING KEY BACK IN IGNITION, DID THAT AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP, AND HE FOLLOWED ME TO MY ST. AND I GOT SAFELY HOME. PRIOR TO THIS SHUT DOWN INCIDENT IT HAD STALLED GOING DOWN A HILL HOWEVER PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND IT STARTED UP AGAIN. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT IT HAD BEEN CUTTING OUT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS WHICH I THOUGHT WAS CHEAP GAS, SO CHANGED TO TECTRON. I HAVE CALLED FORD ON 3/15 TWICE AND THEY SAID THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, I THEN RESEARCHED THIS ONLINE AND FOUND THIS SITE AND WANT TO POST EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AS SHOWN BY THE NHTSA ON RECALL ETC. IT DOES SHOW IT IS FOR THE ORIG OWNER, I AM THE 2ND. OWNER HOWEVER THIS HAS OCCURRED WITHIN THE 15YR. LIMITATION YOU HAVE POSTED FOR COMPLAINTS EXPLAINED TO FORD THAT IT MAY HAVE TAKEN THIS LONG FOR THE FILTER TO REACT IN THIS MANNER.
SINCE PURCHASING 2002 MERCURY COUGAR IN JANUARY 2010 THE VEHICLE HESITATES, SURGES, AND STALLS AT ANY RATE OF SPEED. INITIALLY THE PROBLEM WAS RARE, THEN GRADUALLY OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY. THIS NOW HAPPENS AT LEAST WEEKLY, SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY. THIS ISSUE HAS ENDANGERED ME MORE TIMES THAN I CAN CURRENTLY RECALL. REPL…
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SINCE PURCHASING 2002 MERCURY COUGAR IN JANUARY 2010 THE VEHICLE HESITATES, SURGES, AND STALLS AT ANY RATE OF SPEED. INITIALLY THE PROBLEM WAS RARE, THEN GRADUALLY OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY. THIS NOW HAPPENS AT LEAST WEEKLY, SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY. THIS ISSUE HAS ENDANGERED ME MORE TIMES THAN I CAN CURRENTLY RECALL. REPLACED ALTERNATOR, BATTERY, EGR VALVE AND SENSOR, IAC VALVE, AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE ISSUE PERSISTS.
THE CAR GETS A STALLING SENSATION WHEN AT A RED LIGHT, OR A COMPLETE STANDSTILL. IT FEELS LIKE ITS STUTTERING AND UNABLE TO KEEP POWER. CHANGED EGR VALVE, 2 IDLE CONTROL CHANGES, ALONG WITH A TRANSMISSION FLUSH WAS DONE. NOTHING SEEMS TO BE FIXING THE ISSUE. THE CAR ACTS UP AND STALLS IN COLD TEMPERATURES. STALLED AT A RED LIGHT…
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THE CAR GETS A STALLING SENSATION WHEN AT A RED LIGHT, OR A COMPLETE STANDSTILL. IT FEELS LIKE ITS STUTTERING AND UNABLE TO KEEP POWER. CHANGED EGR VALVE, 2 IDLE CONTROL CHANGES, ALONG WITH A TRANSMISSION FLUSH WAS DONE. NOTHING SEEMS TO BE FIXING THE ISSUE. THE CAR ACTS UP AND STALLS IN COLD TEMPERATURES. STALLED AT A RED LIGHT TWICE. HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DIFFERENT CAR SHOPS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. NO ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. *TR
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.