Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
04V421000FORD MOTOR COMPANYfrom 05/25/1999 to 11/30/2001V (Vehicle)8860004/16/2004MFRFORD MOTOR COMPANY08/30/200408/30/2004
Defect SummaryOn 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 SummaryThis 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.
Corrective SummaryThis 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.
NotesFord recall no. 04n02.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
039805/12/200310002780Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with diagnostic trouble codes p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457, p1442 or check fuel cap lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0457. *tt09/17/2003
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY
04N0205/01/200410007005Engine hesitation, loss of power, surging, and other similar symptoms as a result of contamination of the fuel pump. this program extends the coverage of the fuel delivery module (fdm). *tt *mj05/21/2004

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
08/17/201130025
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while driving at approximately 20 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated the fuel delivery module needed to be replaced. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline) that may be related to the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle had not been repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 30,028.vf
08/17/201130025
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while driving at approximately 20 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated the fuel delivery module had to be replaced. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline) that may be related to the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 30,028. ds
01/22/2011116000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact stated there was engine hesitation, loss of power and surgin whenever she depresses the accelerator pedal to move the vehicle. the dealer was contacted and stated there was a recall nhtsa campaign id number: 04v421000; component: fuel system, gasoline. but her vin was no included. the manufacturer was contacted who stated her vin was not on the recall list. they offered no other assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 116,000....mw
06/28/2011110000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact stated while driving, at various speeds, the vehicle would stall, or surge forward. the manufacturer was notified, and the contact was informed that vehicle was not included in the recall under, s04v421000(fuel system, gasoline). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 110,000, and the current mileage was 115,000. rds
06/07/2011120000
 2002 v6 mercury cougar chugs and stalls out at or below half tank of gas. engine light diagnostic read out indicates replacing fuel pump, regulator, pressure sensor, or o2 sensor. have replaced fuel pump however issue remains. called ford regarding recall in aug 2004, but am told that my vin# was not affected by this recall. reading the description of the recall sounds all too familiar though.
05/05/200320000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact was driving approximately 60-65 mph when the vehicle became hesitant and would decelerate independently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where he was advised that the air conditioning clutch would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired yet the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken to a second dealer where unknown repairs were made. the vehicle was repaired several times but to no avail. most recently, the contact was advised that the fuel pump would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline) and was advised by the dealer and the manufacturer that his vehicle was not included. the contact stated the consequence stated in the recall was the same exact failure he had experienced since 2003. the failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.
05/05/200320000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while driving approximately 60-65 mph he noticed that the vehicle was having difficulty getting enough fuel and no warning lights illuminated on the dashboard. he stated the vehicle would slow down and then speed up. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the failure. the dealer advised him him that the air condition clutch needed to be replaced, and it was replaced under warranty. the failure continued and the vehicle was taken to another dealer. the contact was not sure what the dealer repaired. the vehicle was repair several times but he was deployed and does not know what was done to the vehicle. the failure continued the vehicle was taken to the dealer again and he was advised that the fuel pumps needs to be replaced. the vehicle was not reapired. the contact referenced recall nhtsa campaign id number: 04v421000(fuel system, gasoline) and he was advised by the dealer and the manufacturer that his vehicle was not part of the recall. the contact stated the consequence referenced in the recall was the same as the failure he was experiencing. the contact stated the failure had been on going since 2003. the failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. vwb
02/12/201162000
 My 2002 mercury cougar has lost power, shuttered, misfired, and essentially broke down the same week i paid it off! my 2002 mercury cougar was included in the recall so i took it to a local dealership and they said my vin number was not part of the recall? hundreds of people have complained about this problem and ford is refusing to fix certain vin number that they claim are not affected, how is this possible? there are waay to many 2002 cougars with the same problem. ford is refusing to fix the problem and now i have a car that does not run. this car has had a problem with stalling and shuttering since day 8 of purchase
03/01/2010
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact stated that the vehicle would stall intermittently without warning. she was able to locate a recall for the exact same failure for her year, make and model vehicle. the dealer stated that her vin was not included in the recall campaign and any repairs would be at her expense (nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000: fuel system, gasoline. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 72,000.
12/01/20091270001
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. he stated that the vehicle began to hesitate and lose power. the failure was identical to nhtsa campaign id number: 04v421000; however, the manufacturer informed the contact this his vin did not apply to the recall. the current and failure mileages were 127,000. updated 12/30/09 *cn the fuel filter was replaced. updated 12/30/09*jb
02/14/200988500
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the contact heard a loud noise and experienced a low power response when the accelerator pedal was depressed. there was also engine hesitation and the check engine warning indicator illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the fuel delivery module failed. the technician stated that the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline), although the failures were identical. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 88,500 and current mileage was 89,000.
01/01/200861500107/14/2007
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while driving 15 mph, the vehicle began to hesitate and then stall. occasionally, once the vehicle is started, the engine revs randomly and loudly, and does not run smoothly. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the contact discovered nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline), but his vin was not included in the recall. he believes that if the failures are identical, his vehicle should be included in the recall. the failure mileage was 61,500 and current mileage was 63,000. updated 07/15/08 *bf updated 07/15/08. *jb
02/08/2008850001
 I have a 2002 mercury cougar that has severe stalling, rough idle and extreme surging while driving of at idle. the vehicle has stalled while my daughter was driving many times. i did a search and found campaign #04v421000 on your website and this car exhibits all the signs detailed out in the campaign. i called my dealer (dave knapp ford) and the service manager did a vin search and said this vehicle wasn't included in this campaign. my complaint is that my vehicle fits these symptoms to a t and that, i believe that is should be covered, especially if it's a known problem! by the way, this has been occurring for several months now and i am fearing for my daughters safety. thank you. *tr
02/01/200884000103/22/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact stated that the vehicle began to lose power while driving, which made it difficult to steer the vehicle. he experienced difficultly pulling the vehicle to the side of the road. after approximately 15 minutes, the vehicle was able to be restarted and operated normally. he drove the vehicle home and later called the dealer. the dealer advised him to bring in the vehicle and they made repairs at the cost of $697. the failure was identified as being included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline). the failure could cause engine hesitation, loss of power, surging, and other similar symptoms. over time, the filter may become sufficiently blocked and cause the engine to stall. the failure mileage was 84,000 and current mileage was 86,000. updated 07/16/08*lj the bushings and clutch were worn. the fuel pump and fuel sender were replaced. the engine light was on. the dealer replaced a leaking intake. updated 07/16/08
01/28/200850000312/20/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while idling, the engine revs and the vehicle accelerates on its own. the dealer stated that no recalls were available; however, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign id number 99v194000 (vehicle speed control). in addition, the check engine light remains illuminated for weeks at a time. nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline) was referenced. the contact stated that when the vehicle is started and the doors are shut, the power door locks automatically lock. also, the doors automatically lock while driving. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 99v226000 (latches/locks/linkages: doors:latch). the current mileage was 114,000 and failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
06/10/200550000707/29/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle shuttered rapidly, the check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle completely stalled. the local dealer reset the p-codes. several months later, the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to another dealer. the dealer stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline). the vehicle has not been repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 50,000 and current mileage was 69,000.
08/13/200780000107/20/2004
 My car is hesitating, with surging and loss of power, just as the recall states. however, upon calling ford and dealerships, i find out that although the recall that has been issued is for my car and has the exact problems that are stated, according to ford there is no recall and it will not be fixed. *tr
07/27/2007108/10/2005
 I discovered info regarding recall on my 2002 mercury cougar fuel system on line after researching sluggishness and egr failure in emissions test. i called ford for info on recall and discovered they will not honor it on my vehicle. *jb
03/28/200798900305/13/2006
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact's vehicle had the same problems stated in recall # 04v421000, regarding the fuel system. the contact stated that the vehicle had a slow start and stalled when backing out of the driveway. the vehicle was kept parked for one day and then restarted by the contact. after a week of driving the vehicle it stalled while idling at a stop sign. the contact stated that this was an intermittent failure, and that the vehicle always had a slow start. the dealer stated that the vin excluded the vehicle from the recall. the current mileage was 99,000 and failure mileage was 98,900.*ak
05/01/20051
 The consumer requested reimbursement for having the fuel pump replaced on her 2002 mercury cougar. *mr recall campaign# 04v421000. the vehicle died while in motion and the engine light had come on. *sc
07/28/2004107/17/2002
 6 months after i bought the car i noticed that after fueling that the fuel gauge still stayed on empty after a while it corrected itself but after that now everytime that i put fuel in the car it registers either empty or only half full. the dealership told me that cougars are known for theri fuel pump problems. upon further inspection of the car they stated that they could find nothing wrong and to watch and not overfill the tank. to this day the fuel gauge is still wrong. after that the paint on the hood of the car started peeling. i took it to the dealership and after some harsh words and weeks of waiting they took it in and repainted the hood which now is a slightly different color that the rest of the car. then 6 months after that the car started hesitating on acceleration and would spit and splutter and quit in the middle of the road. i took it to the dealership and they put it on the machine and found that a component in the computer was out so they replaced it. then one day as i was driving it my break pedal went almost all the way to the floor. i almost hit several cars trying to get it stopped i had it taken to a nearby garage and i had no break pads on the front or the back of the car also i had to have my rotors replaced( which is not covered by a warranty) however, there was no grinding no warning, nothing to indicate that a car with only 20,000 miles on it would have brake problems. after those were fixed i was driving to class one evening in heavy rush hour traffic and turned to into a parking lot my steering wheel immediately made this loud popping noise and locked to the left and sent me into a 360 degree spin into a crowded parking lot. i had the car towed to the dealership where it now sits unable to drive because the steering wheel and front wheels are locked to the left with no explanation of why it happened.*ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY
04/14/2009112000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact stated that the fuel delivery module (fdm) reduced and eventually blocked the flow of fuel to the engine. the vehicle lost power while driving 50 mph. the vehicle was repaired twice, but the failure still persists. the manufacturer stated that the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline). the failure mileage was 112,000 and current mileage was 113,184.
05/02/20077700032706/11/2006
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the current and failure mileage were 77,000. while driving the vehicle the contact tried to accelerate but the vehicle took a long to shift up to speed. often times the vehicle would stutter and hesitate. the vehicle had been taken to the dealer, and was told that the vehicle was not included in recall 04v421000 due to the vin. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP
01/11/200898583301/07/2008
 Purchased this used vehicle -- 3 days later, car would not start -- motor turned over, if was not getting gas. brought gas to the car, it had only 1/4 of a tank, put more gas in, it eventually started. took it for a diagnostic test -- fuel pump not functioning correctly. recall 04n02 was issued for this model/yr car, not this vehicle vin number, therefore ford will not stand behind this car problem and pay to have it fixed. *tr
12/24/200745000101/01/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the contact was unable to start the vehicle after it was parked overnight. the dealer stated that the fuel pump caused the failure. as of december 28, 2007, the dealer had not replaced the fuel pump. the dealer stated that his vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump). the current and failure mileages were 45,000.
10/12/200774500301/31/2003
 Loss of power, surging, so i took to dealer they changed fuel pump supposedly and filter and transmission fluid. one week later i took it back because it continued to do the same, they said they checked a wire to fuel pump and changed a spark plug, and here it is another week with the same symptoms. *tr
12/04/20066000010003/15/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury cougar. while driving at any rate of speed, the vehicle will hesitate, surge, and lose power. the dealer stated that the vehicle is not a part of recall # 04v421000 (fuel system, gasoline). the vin and # of cylinders were unknown. the current mileage is 69,470 and failure mileage was 60,000.
03/07/200640868108/19/2002
 I own a 2002 mercury cougar vin 1zwft61l725610750. in 2/06 my car began to intermittently hesitate when accelerating. over a few week's time, the problem worsened to the point that the car would hesitate, then surge ahead, and couldn't be controlled. on 3/7/06, i was driving on i-95 in s. fla., and my car hesitated and surged in rush hour traffic. the surging caused a near miss with the car ahead of me. the car sputtered and i pulled off to the side of the interstate. on the shoulder, the car backfired, then shut off. i turned off the ignition, waited 15 minutes, then restarted the car. the engine ran, so i continued on my way. within 15 minutes, the hesitation and surging started again. at this point, i drove straight home. along the way, the car shut off 3 more times. once home, i contacted my dealer, maroone lincoln mercury in n. palm beach, fla. the service advisor told me that my car was not covered under any recall, and i would have to pay for repairs. i then contacted ford motor company who made note of my complaint and told me of a safety bulletin for the 2002 mercury cougar fuel delivery module. however, i was told my car would not be repaired under the safety campaign bulletin. i contacted a local repair shop, wynn performance in belle glade, fla. for their diagnosis. wynn performance verified that my car was hesitating and surging and that a safety bulletin existed for my car's model year. wynn performance obtained a genuine ford motor company fuel delivery module and replaced the defective unit. the technician pointed out that the old module and the new unit had significant differences in design. i tested the car and was satisfied that it worked correctly. to this day, my car does not surge or hesitate. replacing the fuel delivery module corrected the problem, but i incurred more than $400 in out-of-pocket expenses for the safety upgrade. i am upset that ford motor company and maroone lincoln mercury disregarded my safety and ignored their bulletin. *nm
10/15/20023000108/01/2002
 Dt: the contact stated fuel pump failed and he had it replaced once. there was nhtsa 04v421000. however this vehicle was not included in the recall. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer informed him the recall did not include this vehicle due to vin. *ak
10/17/200589500111/01/2002
 Dt: the contact stated there was recall 04v4210000 concerning fuel pump failure for the year, make, and model of vehicle, but, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. the car was leaking as though it was running out of gasoline. the service dealer stated the fuel pump and fuel filter needed to be replaced. the service dealer replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. this did remedy the problem. the service dealer and manufacturer concluded that this specific vehicle was not included in the recall.*ak
09/30/200542000102/02/2004
 Dt: the consumer owns a 2002 mercury cougar. the consumer stated that the vehicle hesitated intermittently followed by a loss of power. while the consumer's daughter was driving the vehicle it stalled in the middle of traffic. none of the warning indicators informed the consumer's daughter that the engine was going to stall. the vehicle would not restart, it was towed home. the vehicle was later towed to a local repair shop ,and the mechanic determined that the fuel pump needed to be replaced, and there was no gasoline flowing to the engine. recall 04v421000 had been issued for this year, make, and model, but the consumer's vehicle was not included due to vin. the consumer would have to pay to have the vehicle repaired. *sc *ak
10/10/2002600003
 I have a 2002 cougar with 60k miles and i've already replaced the fuel pump,power steering pump, and now the heater core is clogged. although lincoln/mercury is the only one to work on the car, the warranty wont cover a clog. they will cover a leak...but not a clogg. how asinine is that? fidelity warranty service is a joke! *nm
4
 While driving 75 mph vehicle stalled. consumer tried to restart vehicle, but was unable to restart it. vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that fuel pump needed to be replaced. consumer had fuell pump replaced four times. *ak
02/04/20042001/21/2002
 As listed i have a 2002 mercury cougar and i have experienced all of the problems (fuel pump, steering column, airbags.......) i have had the car towed three times and have been to the dealer on 20 occasions.*ak
07/15/200317136301/18/2003
 Fuel pump was replaced twice because fuel gauge was not reading correctly. after the second replacement, while driving 70 mph, vehicle shut down and wouldn't restart. vehicle was towed to the dealer, who stated that fuel pump needed to be replaced again. *ak *nm
07/08/2003230001
 Fuel pump had failed, causing te vehicle to shut off. dealer notified. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY
06/06/2002411/01/2001
 On approx. the 15th of march, my daughter lost all power in car while driving through lunch traffic in town and was nearly rearended by a petroluem tanker. we brought car in to dealership. they ran a battery test and b/c that came back fine they refused to do any further testing. she was having problems getting the key to turn over to start car. they fixed that problem at the same time. on the 15th of may, the car came out of the shop for the 2nd time after it had lost power twice on her while driving again.her. the dealership contacted ford headquarters for recalls. none had been posted, but ford said if they check the fuel filter at the bottem of the fuel tank we would probably find the problem with losing all power(braking, steering, ect.) was that the filter was clogged therefore no gas was getting to the motor and thus this was why the car was losing power. they replaced the fuel pump and said that was a temporary fix for approx the next 3000 miles(for it was happening about every 3000 miles). and that we would have to bring the car in every 3000 miles to remain safe from losing power when it became clogged again. we decided that since ford knew about the problem and refused to do a recall to fix the problem that anyone in my family who drove or rode in the car would be putting their life in danger so we tried to trade the car. the dealership wanted us to pay a $6,000 deficit so we decided to keep the car until we could complete the lemon law process. three weeks later, my daughter stated she had got really bad gas mileage(15 miles took 1/4 of a tank she measured it) the day before and she was afraid that the car was going to lose power again. it was a friday so the car couldn't go to the dealership til the following week. that night, the 6th of june.she lost brakes and steering while going around a curve. the car hit something in the ditch and rolled 1.5x's to rest upside down. no airbags deployed.seatbeat held her in car.pictures of car and scene avail. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
07/01/2009850001
 2002 cougar exhibits engine hesitation, loss of power, surging, and other similar symptoms. your website shows a extended warranty for this as our mechanic says we need a new fuel pump. ford denies the car is covered. *tr
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP
03/18/2008900004007/17/2002
 Engine hesitation, loss of power, surging and stalling leading to near misses in traffic ,at stop lights & while turning a corner. ford and their dealers claim that their recall # 04v421000 has expired and does not apply. *tr
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
08/09/200439450105/07/2002
 The plastic tube that runs from vmv valve through th esteel line to the fuel tank (which houses the gas emissions) is ruptured. according to an independent mechanic this is a faulty design by the manufacturer (lincoln-mercury) that after the tube is replaced, it will continue to happen because it will rub against the oxygen sensor plug which gets very hot.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - STORAGE - FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM
03/25/2004505002
 With the vehicle running fuel gauge failed. consumer did not know how much fuel the vehicle had. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak