Mercury Cougar grinding brakes problems

Filed Jul 9, 2010 · Transmission · 128,300 miles · CA

Loud grinding noise from the manual transmission occurs when car is down shifted to first gear coming to a stop, or shifted to first not being at a complete stop, the shift lever "pops out of gear" and admitting a very loud grinding noise. Preventing this would be coming to a complete stop from neutral, then after stopping completely proceed to engage clutch and put car into first gear. First gear sometimes hard to shift into, might be a shift linkage problem. Sounds like the manual transmission grinding with a loud winding squeal.

Filed Oct 13, 2007 · Brakes, Transmission · 73,000 miles · FL

Brakes continue to grind even after replacement. Transmission surges and hesitates upon acceleration causing unexpected increases in speed. Transmission also slips in and out of gears randomly. All of these problems could lead to a serious accident.

Filed Feb 1, 2007 · Brakes · OH · crash · 1 injury

I bought a 199 ford mercury cougar and was in an accident on dec. 8th, 2006 when I tried to apply brakes they started moving on their own and the movement was braking up and down I was unable to stop and wrecked and I bought this vehicle from a car lot. This car constantly when cold does this and it also squeaks like there is too much pressure on the whole car, the brakes are still having that shuttering problem. Can this be fixed?-I bought the vehicle at the end of last year... It has since done the same things with the braking again and it scares me but it only does it when it is cold out ... *nm updated

Filed Jun 10, 2005 · Transmission · CA

My 2002 mercury cougar, started grinding in the third gear. I took it to my dealer and they quoted me 1500.00-2500.00 as an estimate repair. I was unable to afford the cost, so I had to drive skipping the third gear position. The saftey issue involved is that it is hard to get on the california ramps at a good speed to keep from causing a wreck. Come to find out, mercury made third gear wrong when it was built in the factory. Supposedly, a lot of mercury cougars are coming back with the same problems in third gear. I feel that it is mercury's duty to recall this issue with the transmissions. It was their fault in the first place, and they should fix the problem. Thank the lord that nothing has happened to me or someone else with this issue (as far as a wreck). But there are other cougars out there.

Filed Sep 16, 2004 · Electrical · NJ

Consumer complaint: odi case number: 10070550 component: other details: exhibiting a starter grinding noise and / or lack of starter drive engagement (from tsb). The flywheel defect first appeared in june 2001 when the cougar was under warranty in years and mileage. When the defect surfaced, the cougar would not kick-over immediately, however this occurred very infrequently. At the time, there was no consistent problem to recognize and rectify. Over the ensuing months the problem continued to occur intermittently. At this point, I recognized there was a possible mechanical problem. The problem I was experiencing was caused by a defective flywheel. Its teeth were soft and the defect had worn away the starter. The flywheel had to be replaced along with the starter motor and in order to complete this repair the transmission had to first be removed. Cause: result: occurences: 1injuries: 0 fail date: 10/15/2002deaths: 0 mcs check date: 4/25/2004 I inquired on the cost for the fly wheel, which has just been relayed to me by my mechanic, that it is not the starter. The transmission specialist said the cost would be $1,030.00 or so. I have a 1999 mercury cougar.

Filed Aug 1, 2004 · Brakes, Electrical · WV

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.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · 21,224 miles · PA

Exhibiting a starter grinding noise and / or lack of starter drive engagement (from tsb). The flywheel defect first appeared in june 2001 when the cougar was under warranty in years and mileage. When the defect surfaced, the cougar would not kick-over immediately, however this occurred very infrequently. At the time, there was no consistent problem to recognize and rectify. Over the ensuing months the problem continued to occur intermittently. At this point, I recognized there was a possible mechanical problem. The problem I was experiencing was caused by a defective flywheel. Its teeth were soft and the defect had worn away the starter. The flywheel had to be replaced along with the starter motor and in order to complete this repair the transmission had to first be removed.

Filed Nov 5, 2003 · Suspension · WA

Lower left ball joint broke when vehicle hit a pot hole. *mr the vehicle stopped immediately grinding to a halt. The consumer inspected the vehicle and found the left wheel rim with extensive grinding damage and wear on the outside left front tire and the inside of the right front tire. *scc

Filed Oct 2, 2003 · Engine · 79,000 miles · OH

While driving at 40 MPH driver heard a loud squealing noise. Driver pulled over and parked, and then vehicle was towed to dealer. Mechanic stated that motor needed replacing.

Filed Aug 1, 2003 · Acceleration, Brakes · NJ

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.