1990 Mercury Cougar Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 10%of 86 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the engine cooling of the 1990 Mercury Cougar, 10% of the 86 complaints for this model year. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Heads/head gaskets had caused vehicle to over-heat as well as shut itself down during motion. Problem were brought to the attention of howard pontiac dealership as well as president, the following day used car manager dean schulatz had offered to make another even trade with me to a oldsmobile acheiva so he could put the vehicle I were currently operatting back in service and do the repair work needed to make it a safe vehicle for the road, but upon finding out that I have put this vehicle in a private repair shop he had declined to come forth with the money to do the repair work ,he would…”
NHTSA complaint #740927, filed 2001-02“Reporting a blown engine head gasket on a 3.8l engine, which was repaired by a independent repair shop at consumer's cost. Asking NHTSA to look into this matter. Too many complaints & report on this blown head gaskets for 3.8l engine. We are calling for help.”
NHTSA complaint #851306, filed 1999-10“Engine head gasket failure at 75k miles. Former ford mechanic stated he had repaired hundreds of these 3.8 head gasket failures. New shop specs for repair were for tighter torque than done at factory and replace engine bolts with larger ones. He felt it should have been a recall item, since it wasn't properly done at factory. Have not had repairs done yet. Is there an investigation pending on this situation and/or possible recall being prepared? Thank you.”
NHTSA complaint #718507, filed 2000-02“Driver entered vehicle, put on lap/shoulder belt, put vehicle in drive position, suddenly vehicle accelerated and took off, tried to apply brakes, which did not work, driver steered vehicle towards a wall, vehicle was totaled.”
NHTSA complaint #800933, filed 1996-08Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 11 | 12% |
| 2001 | 11 | 13% |
| 2000 | 26 | 12% |
| 1999 | 67 | 15% |
| 1997 | 30 | 39% |
| 1996 | 21 | 34% |
| 1995 | 19 | 17% |
| 1994 | 32 | 23% |
| 1993 | 105 | 54% |
| 1992 | 18 | 20% |
| 1991 | 17 | 23% |
| 1990 | 9 | 10% |
| 1989 | 9 | 11% |
| 1988 | 6 | 11% |
| 1987 | 5 | 15% |
| 1986 | 1 | 8% |
| 1985 | 1 | 10% |
| 1984 | 4 | 24% |
Other parts of the 1990 Mercury Cougar
19 complaintsVehicle speed control
18 complaintsSeat belts
15 complaintsBrakes
9 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
5 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsEngine
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1990 Mercury Cougar
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology