1991 Mercury Cougar engine problems

17 complaints (23% of all complaints for this car).

owner complaints: 17
of this car's complaints: 23%
crashes: 0
recalls: 0

Which part fails

Engine
12
Engine: gasoline
3
Exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)
1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k

25k-50k

50k-75k

75k-100k

100k-125k

125k-150k

150k-175k

175k-200k

200k+

Mercury Cougar engine problems in other years

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 1991 Mercury Cougar owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Feb 3, 2006 · Engine · FL

This is the second time it has had a blown head gasket. It is not fixed yet because I can't afford it.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Engine, Visibility · 95,000 miles · GA

The car starts and runs well. But ever so often without any warning the engine will stall, and then it will crank right up. Lucky for me it hasn't stalled while I was making a left turn with a semi barreling down on me.

Filed Jun 28, 2002 · Engine · IL

Vehicle was acting sluggish and white moke came form tailpipe. Vehicle was going 35mph and overheated, causing driver to pull over. Consumer indicated that continuing to drive will cause head to warp. Dealer was notified. *ak

Filed Feb 1, 2002 · Engine · NY

Consumer complains of head gasket failure.

Filed Jan 9, 2002 · Engine · NY

While driving 15-20 MPH vehicle began to overheat, consumer pulled into service station to have vehicle inspected, the service mechanic stated that the head gaskets had blown. Dealer has yet to be contatced. Please provide further details.

Filed Dec 22, 2000 · Engine · OK

Headlights go off while driving, brakes continue to make noise, key switch prob. Recall repair, heater blows cold, car died after excel. Restarted and drove 50 ft. Died again and know in shop & been told gaskets or busted head. I love this car and have taken extra care, engine and car keep spotless, car is never left outside. All took place within 1 mo. Is it all tied together with one thing?

Filed Jul 25, 2000 · Engine · MI

When consumer took vehicle to dealer for check up,technician found that engine had a blown head gasket wich happened without a warning.

Filed Jul 7, 2000 · Engine · IN

No summary listed for above vehicle.

Filed May 15, 2000 · Engine · IN

No summary listed for above vehicle.

Filed Apr 29, 2000 · Engine, Seat belts · IA

The head gasket went bad even after routine regular maintenance and only 80,000 miles on the vehicle. According to a local dealership and several mechanics this is extremely common. I was fortunate because the heads and block were not cracked unlike the majority of the ones that are serviced. It seems that if the 3.8 liter has this problem then maybe there is a design flaw or quality problem with the gasket. The other problem is when having this fixed, the steering pump front gasket usually breaks when the belt is removed, this should not happen. If I had known about this design flaw in this engine I would have never purchased this or any ford vehicles with a 3.8 liter engine. Also why don't the seat belts lock?

Questions about the 1991 Mercury Cougar engine

Does the 1991 Mercury Cougar have engine problems?

Owners have filed 17 complaints about the engine of the 1991 Mercury Cougar, 23% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.

At what mileage do 1991 Mercury Cougar engine problems start?

Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.

Was there a recall on the 1991 Mercury Cougar engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Mercury Cougar have bad engine?

The Mercury Cougar model years with the most engine complaints are 1993 (105 complaints), 1999 (70 complaints) and 1994 (32 complaints).