MERCURY · vehicle model
MERCURY COUGAR
2,645 NHTSA complaints and 5 safety recalls across model years 1973–2002.
- Complaints
- 2,645
- Recalls
- 5
- Model years
- 24
The MERCURYCOUGAR appears in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database with 2,645 consumer safety complaints and 5 recall campaigns across 24 model years (1973–2002). That averages roughly 110 complaints per model year. Report counts can differ between model years for many reasons; this dataset does not establish the cause of a difference.
Complaint volume on a nameplate alone is not a reliability verdict: a long-running bestseller can accumulate more filings than a low-volume niche model because more vehicles are on the road. The table below shows report counts and published NHTSA crash-test ratings side by side for each model year. The filing-year histogram shows the timing of submitted reports, not a causal trend.
NHTSA has 22 investigation files tied to this model. Investigation records, complaint reports, and recall campaigns each provide different context. Use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and the underlying notices to research a specific vehicle; PlainCars does not infer a vehicle-risk or pricing conclusion from these records.
Complaints by Year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 127 |
| 2001 | 103 |
| 2000 | 283 |
| 1999 | 740 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1997 | 112 |
| 1996 | 77 |
| 1995 | 160 |
| 1994 | 178 |
| 1993 | 236 |
| 1992 | 122 |
| 1991 | 98 |
| 1990 | 104 |
| 1989 | 104 |
| 1988 | 72 |
| 1987 | 49 |
| 1986 | 20 |
| 1985 | 22 |
| 1984 | 25 |
| 1983 | 2 |
| 1982 | 2 |
| 1980 | 3 |
| 1978 | 2 |
| 1973 | 3 |
Complaint Filing Trend
NHTSA complaint volume by year filed (not model year).
Year filed (bar labels show the complaint count).
Compare MERCURYCOUGAR to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Extended Braking Distance
Extended Braking Distance
Loss of headlights
Loss of headlamp/exterior lighting
Loss of Steering Control
Floor mat interference with accelerator
Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment
Idle instability
Transmission Torque Converter Failure
REAR LIFTGATE GLASS HATCH FAILURE
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is the MERCURY COUGAR?▼
What years of MERCURY COUGAR are available?▼
Does the MERCURY COUGAR have safety ratings?▼
What are the most common MERCURY COUGAR complaints?▼
How do I check if my MERCURY COUGAR has been recalled?▼
Data sources
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. MERCURY COUGAR totals are aggregated from the linked NHTSA model-year rows; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.