Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - CONTROLS/WIRING | |||||
| 041514 | 08/09/2004 | 04189 | 10011159 | Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt | 01/04/2005 |
| 031501 | 07/12/2004 | 04137 | 10009321 | Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt | 09/23/2004 |
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE | |||||
| 01156 | 08/06/2001 | 623944 | Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc | 10/31/2001 | |
| VISIBILITY - SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 99193 | 09/20/1999 | 6090080 | Experiencing a grinding / groaning / squeaking / squealing noise when opening or closing the sunroof. *tt | 03/06/2000 | |
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD | |||||
| 13508 | 11/01/1999 | 614633 | Some vehicles may exhibit a windnoise or whistle from the windshield a-pillar moldings. *tt | 11/29/2000 | |
| 7532 | 11/01/1999 | 610859 | Some vehicles may exhibit a windnoise or whistle from the windshield a-pillar moldings. *tt | 05/16/2000 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 01/16/2001 | 19 | 11/01/2000 | |
| Problems with odometer, gas gauge, turn signals,windows, radio, hazard lights, air bag lights, speedometer.*mr. the mileage and clock were no longer visible. a new battery and alternator were installed prior to the incident. the sun roof leaked constantly and was also fixed prior to the incident. the battery and wrench light were constantly illuminated. this vehicle had been repaired over and over again. consumer had to exit and barely made it home when she entered the driveway, the vehicle completely died. *ph. the air condition was not cold enough, the cigarette lighter was broke, the brakes made a grinding noise, the door locks/latches were inoperative, and the vehicle had a transmission leak. *jb | |||
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||
| 04/18/2003 | 35900 | 2 | 04/20/2002 |
| 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 | |||
| 07/14/2003 | 1 | ||
| Problems with vehicle's engine stalling.*mr defective alarm system and window. invoice states that wrench light came on. *ts | |||
| VISIBILITY - SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/15/2007 | 39000 | 1 | |
| 1. due to the defective design of the sunroof 2. over 1000 owners experienced sunroof that can not open/close. some people even report that the sunroof will pop-off and fly away while driving! see http://cougarsunroof.com. *tr 3. i need to replace the whole sunroof assembly and motors that moves the sunroof. | |||
| 08/30/2008 | 75506 | 1 | |
| Sunroof closing mechanism is defective does not close completely...the failure leaves passenger side on sunroof flopping..i 'm very concerned that sunroof could fly out and crash through another vehicle windshield..i do highway commute everyday and its very unsafe for me i almost crashed on wet highway when i could not close sunroof in sudden downpour when i was driving. on cougarsunroof.com there are 1365 cougar owners who have the same sunroof problems and it was corrected on 2001 cougar models. *tr | |||
| 08/30/2007 | 79000 | 10 | 02/05/2007 |
| 2000 mercury cougar with 76,000 miles on it and the sunroof has failed completely. took the car back to don thompson lincoln mercury and they made me aware that the sunroof was built with a plastic rail to open it, this plastic is to weak for the metal roof it holds and cannot sustain the weight. it was mentioned this has been a common problem, and the price too fix it was $1300 just for the parts. after contacting fod directly they told me nothing could be done because the warranty was no longer in effect, and they apologized for me being stuck with this. still not fixed and when driving over 55 mph the sunroof flies open, causing a loud sound to produce distracting me from driving. the button to open it no longer works, leaks on heavy rainy night which is ruining the interior which will cost more money that i don't have, as it is i can't afford to fix the sunroof. bad choice for ford/mercury. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2006 | 70000 | 1 | 07/09/2005 |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 2000 mercury cougar. the contact stated that the plastic track around the interior of the sun roof was defective. the plastic which held the sunroof in place broke, and there was no other way to hold the sun roof in place without this feature. the failure mileage was 70,000, and the current mileage was 80,000. *ak | |||
| 04/21/2006 | 70000 | 1 | 02/19/2004 |
| Sunroof is stuck open. went to close it and only one side goes down. needs a whole new sunroof. water leaks in when it rains. damaging the interior of the car. *jb | |||
| 04/20/2006 | 70100 | 1 | 11/20/1999 |
| My year 2000 mercury cougar just reached 70,000 miles last week. i went to open my sunroof yesterday and heard a loud cracking noise after pressing the button. the rear end of the sunroof was ajar and the sunroof motor was still in working condition but i could not get the roof to close all of the way. i took it to a private auto repair shop where they took the sunroof apart and found a piece of cracked plastic on the driver's side. they got the roof to close as best as they could, however it still remains ajar and runs the risk of leaking. i was told by the auto repair shop that this could cost me anywhere between $1,000-$2,000 to fix. about 4 years ago, while my vehicle was still covered under its manufacturer's warranty, i was told by my dealership that they were experiencing a lot of problems with the sunroof in the cougars and to use my sunroof often so that maybe it will break while it is still under warranty. i contacted ford yesterday and was told that there are no recalls on the sunroof because they do not consider the problem to be a safety issue and there was nothing that they could do for me. *jb | |||
| 04/14/2006 | 80353 | 1 | 07/01/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20 mph,the sunroof was opened by a power control which partially elevated the sunroof. afterwards, there was a popping sound. the exposed sunroof assembly caught air which ripped the assembly, causing minor damage. the manufacturer was not very helpful, did nothing to satisfy the contact's complains. *ak | |||
| 12/29/2005 | 105703 | 1 | 01/15/2000 |
| I purchased my vehicle new, in 2000. in 2002, after driving the vehicle a total of 38,000 miles, the sunroof assembly broke and needed to be replaced. the dealership i bought the car from covered the work under my extended service plan. just the other day, while driving my car, the sunroof assembly broke again. this time though, the sunroof detached from my vehicle. thankfully, i was driving on a road that had little to no other traffic. had i been driving the vehicle to work during rush hour, the sunroof would have most surely caused an accident. also, it appears that the sunroof assembly failing is a well known problem, as it is documented on www.cougarsunroof.com. if quality is indeed job 1 at ford, why would they not fix an obvious design flaw? *nm | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 39000 | 1 | 02/18/2001 |
| Sun roof broken on my 2000 mercury cougar 1) there was no warning leading up to it breaking. 2) i was opening the sun roof and then a loud pop noise and it wouldn't move. ford used plastic rails for the sun roof and they can't support it. they later corrected the newer model cougars with metal rails but they want me to pay almost $1,000 to let them fix it. 3) it is still broken. i payed more for the sun roof in the first place. they should fix it for free. *jb | |||
| 11/15/2003 | 1 | ||
| When driving driver is unable to close the sunroof when it rains, causing the rain to enter the sun roof, and making it difficult to see the road. *ak | |||
| 08/02/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states whle driving the sun roof hinges broke, consumer will fill in additional information pertaining to the same vehicle. dealer has been notified. nlm | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - MOTOR | |||
| 10/07/2000 | 4 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Lights flicker, then loses electrical power. alternator, 2 batteries, wiper motor, sensor, windshield (stress crack from bottom) replaced. requested on several occasions from bob site lincoln mercury service department that the mercury factory zone manager be contacted, and to have the zone manager contact me. each request was denied. i contacted mercury customer assistance and was told that only the dealership could contact the factory zone managers.*ak | |||