Total Complaints
22 filings
MERCURY COUGAR · model year
1985 MERCURY COUGAR
22 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1985MERCURYCOUGAR carries 22 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1985 COUGAR is electrical system:ignition:switch with 6 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (3) and tires (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 22 investigation files overlapping the 1985 COUGAR. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
22
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 6 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:SOLENOID | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20010129TIRES
GOODYEAR TIRES (P215/70R15) FAILED. *SLC
20010129ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
STARTER AND SOLENOID BURNED OUT. *SLC
20010129ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:SOLENOID
STARTER AND SOLENOID BURNED OUT. *SLC
20010129ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
ECM FAILED. *SLC
20010129VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
INJECTOR ON THE THROTTLE BODY FAILED. SLC
20010123TIRES
GOODYEAR TIRES (P215/70R15) FAILED. *SLC
20010123ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
STARTER AND SOLENOID BURNED OUT. *SLC
20010123ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:SOLENOID
STARTER AND SOLENOID BURNED OUT. *SLC
20010123ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
ECM FAILED. *SLC
20010123VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
INJECTOR ON THE THROTTLE BODY FAILED. SLC
20001221ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
WHILE TRYING TO START VEHICLE IT WOULD NOT START. *AK
19990420ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE STALLS. WHEN CONSUMER REACHES TO 60 MPH VEHICLE WILL SHUTDOWN, AND THE CONSUMER HAS TO COAST OFF THE HIGHWAY TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE REPAIR SHOP, AND DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
19970908VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS VEHICLE WOULD SURGE & ACCELERATE; WOULD HAVE FOOT ON BRAKES AT TIME TO SLOW DOWN. AFTER DRIVING A WHILE WOULD PULL OFF ROAD & TURN VEHICLE OFF & THEN RESTART; NO SIGN OF SURGING/ACCELERATING; PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. TOOK TO DEALER & COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. *AK
19961008ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
BASICALLY THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED, WHEN SWITCH WAS REMOVED BY OWNER THE SWITCH WAS CHARGED AND BURNED. ALSO SOME WIRING WAS BURNED. *AK
19960509LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
HOOD LATCH FAILED DUE TO KINK IN THE RELEASE CABLE.
19960509STRUCTURE:BODY
ROOF LINING FALLING APART, INTERFERING WITH DRIVERS VISION. *DSH
19960502ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, SMOKE IS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. *AK
19960502ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, SMOKE IS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. *AK
19960429ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
WHEN SHE PUT THE KEY INTO IGNITION, THE CAR STRETED TO GET FILLED WITH SMOKE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
19960429ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
WHEN SHE PUT THE KEY INTO IGNITION, THE CAR STRETED TO GET FILLED WITH SMOKE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Compare 1985MERCURYCOUGAR to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1985 MERCURY COUGAR have?▼
The 1985 MERCURY COUGAR has 22 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 MERCURY COUGAR?▼
The most-complained component for the 1985 MERCURY COUGAR is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and TIRES.
Is the 1985 MERCURY COUGAR safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.