During periodic maintenance the dealer discovered the passenger side fuel tank strap had corroded and broke. Likely cause was the salt and chemicals applied to the roads during the winter. The driver side strap was intact but would likely fail in the future. I was informed the fuel tank straps were special order since they do not normally fail. Returned the next day to have both straps replaced. Fortunately the issue was discovered before the tank separated from the vehicle. This is the same issue with Ford trucks of the same vintage.

- Prescott, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated that when accelerating at any speed, the vehicle would hesitate and stall without warning. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and made the contact aware of NHTSA campaign id number: 04V421000 (fuel system, gasoline), but advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 140,000 and the current mileage was 141,000.

- West Columbia, SC, USA

My 2000 Mercury Cougar suddenly started sputtering, bucking, and in less than two minutes stopped in traffic. It would crank but not start. I had to have it pushed off the road out of traffic. It was taken to a repair shop where the mechanic told me it was a faulty fuel pump system. When looking online for recalls or safety improvement campaigns, on the Ford website, they acknowledged that Cougar have had problems with the fuel pump system. The website did not specify any model year. When looking on another website and searching recalls, the 2000 Cougar had no recalls or safety improvement campaigns. What is interesting to me is that the other three model years, 1999, 2001, and 2002, all had recalls on the fuel pump system. Ford Motor Company issued an extended manufacturer's warranty on the fuel pump system for those three model years until December 2010. My husband and I both called Ford Motor Company regarding our problem and were told that we were sent a notice regarding the extended warranty and we should have had it fixed before the warranty ended. Our car was not covered under the warranty therefore we did not receive a notice. They basically said sorry, you are on your own for the $600+ repair bill and have a great day. When a car is only made for four years and three of those four have a safety problem that causes the car to stop suddenly it stands to reason that the fourth model year made with the same parts would have the same problem.

- Fountain, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The battery was replaced and the contact received a jump start before he was able to start the vehicle. The vehicle remained on for a few minutes before stalling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was advised that the alternator would need to be replaced. The alternator was replaced. The contact was able to drive the vehicle but found that the headlights were intermittently dimming. The contact was advised by the dealer and manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 01V031000 (electrical system: Battery: Cables). The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate and that fuel was not traveling to the engine correctly even with a full tank of fuel. The dealer and manufacturer both advised that contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 04V421000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

- Salem, OR, USA

My car stalled while in the middle of a busy intersection while in motion. Later find out that I need a new fuel pump. Was not aware it was under recall. Paid to have it fixed in July of 2009. Repair shop failed to put my VIN, mileage, and correct year of vehicle on invoice resulting in not being able to get my money back from Ford. Recall was good through January 31, 2010. My car once again stalled while at a stop light sparks and small flames when attempting to start after stalling. Electrical problem, and Ford is doing nothing about it. I replaced the battery and still no crank or clicking. Also listed as a recall. Spend $651.02 to have fuel pump fixed and now can't get my money back because repair shop did not fill out invoice correctly. Now will have to possibly pay over a $1,000 to fix the electrical issue... when the fuel pump was fixed, the shop failed to secure the gas tank correctly causing fuel to pour out while driving at a rate of a gallon per minute. Ford is now doing everything they can to avoid paying me back for the recall services after I was informed by a Ford customer service rep that I would be paid back. I have been back and forth for weeks now to the dealership and I have been told over and over again with a new excuse everytime as to why they can not repay me...

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated that the battery cables leading from the battery to the alternator caused shortages. All of the electrical components flickered inside and outside the vehicle. He took the vehicle to a certified mechanic, who confirmed that there was a short somewhere in the vehicle. In addition, he noticed a failure within the fuel injection system. The RPM's would rev to a high degree and then decrease very quickly, which occasionally caused the vehicle to stall. The RPM's fluctuated when shutting off the vehicle or revving. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id numbers 01V031000 (electrical system:battery:cables) and 04V421000 (fuel system, gasoline). The current mileage was approximately 106,000 and failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

- Buchanan, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. The contact stated that his extended warranty was cancelled on his fuel pump because the vehicle was reconstructed. When he placed a full tank of gasoline in the vehicle, the fuel gauge dial would not go past the halfway mark. The dealer stated that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. They further stated that the title was reconstructed because the vehicle was previously destroyed. Due to this, they would not perform any repairs on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 133,650.

- Centerport, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. While driving 75 mph, the vehicle lost power. The contact was able to pull over and waited a few minutes. She was able to restart the vehicle without any trouble. The failure occurred once more after the first failure. The dealer stated that the fuel was being blocked from entering the engine. Upon further investigation, the dealer stated that NHTSA campaign id number 04V421000 (fuel system, gasoline) applied to her particular year, make, and model vehicle, which they believed to be the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 186,000 and current mileage was 187,000.

- Collierville, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Mercury Cougar. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle began hesitating, stalling, and the engine shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, it continued to hesitate until fuel was added. Three weeks prior to the failures, the vehicle stalled after shifting the gear into neutral. She engaged the accelerator pedal to prevent the vehicle from stalling. Three days ago, the vehicle would not start. A dealer has not diagnosed the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 76,300.

- Houghton Lake , MI, USA

I purchased a used 200 Mercury Cougar in 12/2005. The fuel has been diagnosed by festus Ford as defective. The fuel pump was replaced as part of recall #04V421000. I called Ford customer care 1-866-436-7332 to ask if there was anything that Ford could do to offset the cost of the repair/replacement and my request was rejected. It's apparent that there is something wrong with the Cougar fuel pumps. I report to Ford that I thought this was a safety issue, since this is causing my vehicle to lose power and/or surge. They did not seem to be concerned at all.

- Hillsboro, MO, USA

2000 Mercury Cougar stalled due to problems with the fuel pump. After the fuel pump was installed, the consumers daughter continued to experience stalling problems. The consumer learned there was recall, the consumer did receive a rebate and it was discovered that the fuel pump that was sold to the consumer was the same one that had been recalled. The dealer did agree that the fuel pump was bad, however they wanted over $500 to replace it.

- Corydon, IN, USA

This car has intermittently shut down in traffic at 70 mph, also will not start from time to time. Very unreliable transportation. Incredibly poor choice of vehicle. Key has electronic chip in it which malfunctions. Key replaced once under warranty; went bad again. Costs $400 to replace.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

Vehicle stalled out without warning while driving. This caused by fuel system failure. The pump was replaced twice.

- Bensalem, PA, USA