2001 Mercury Cougar: Reliability Data

103
Total Complaints
76,500mi
Median Mileage
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Top Issue
8
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

49,572 25th Percentile
76,500 Median Mileage
125,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
8
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
7
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
6
TIRES
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
3

Severity Assessment

8
Crashes
8
Fires
6
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER WAS DOING 65 MPH WHEN A TRUCK PULLED IN FRONT AND CONSUMER HIT TRUCK FROM THE REAR. VEHICLE WAS NOT CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS, AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER SAID BUMPER DID NOT HIT HARD ENOUGH.*AK CONSUMER SUSTAINED PERMANENT INJURIES BECAUSE OF ACCIDE..."
"CONSUMER COULD SMELL GAS COMING THROUGH VENTS. FUEL WAS ALSO LEAKING ON GROUND. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT DEALER, BEING INSPECTED. *AK"
"DRIVER DOOR HAS A MAJOR LEAKING PROBLEM WHEN IT RAINS OR IS RUN THROUGH A CAR WASH. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 8 complaints
25th: 46,025 mi Median: 50,850 mi 75th: 66,750 mi
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 7 complaints
25th: 46,750 mi Median: 54,196 mi 75th: 62,044 mi
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 7 complaints
25th: 99,750 mi Median: 109,000 mi 75th: 131,000 mi
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 complaints
25th: 61,350 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 151,000 mi
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 complaints
25th: 114,411 mi Median: 155,322 mi 75th: 173,107 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

OH: 12 MI: 11 IN: 11 PA: 7 CA: 6 GA: 5 FL: 5 NE: 4 IL: 3 NJ: 3

Who Files Complaints?

44.7%
Original Owners
55.3%
Second+ Owners

Mercury Cougar — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
199010411
1991985
19921227
19932367
199417813
199516012
1996774
19971122
199974034
200028320
200212716

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28