1999 Mercury Cougar Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 20about this part
- Share
- 4%of 454 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 89,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 20 complaints about the steering of the 1999 Mercury Cougar, 4% of the 454 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 89,000 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have only owned this vehicle for about 4 months and have had many problems including brake lights not working and back wheel locking up. It was raining, I was driving down the freeway about 55 MPH and suddenly the power steering went out completely, the heat/defrost stopped working and my battery light came on. I just installed a brand new battery just 6 days before incident, although this isn't the first time the power steering went out while raining. …”
NHTSA complaint #10560074, filed 2014-01, 116,000 miles“Power rack and pinion leakage occurred and rack needed to be replaced. The warranty 3 yrs. Or 36,000 mi. Had expired according to dealer. $800.00 and 15 months later a clunking noise is coming from the steering wheel during parking maneuvers. Apparently, they only warranty the part for 12 months.”
NHTSA complaint #10023225, filed 2003-06, 45,000 miles“Whenever you hit a puddle sometimes the water hits something under the car while driving the battery light comes on and the power steering goes away, I could not steer the car I had to slow down fast before hitting the curb, 4 or 5 min later the light went off and everything was fine. This has also happend on a car wash.”
NHTSA complaint #743791, filed 2001-04“The engine will kill without any indications at high speeds of 50+ MPH. When attempt is made to hit the brakes or steer, they both lock up and that is when I discover that the car is dead. Luckily, I never needed to use my brakes or steering when it happened, I coasted through traffic while having to turn the ignition off and then on again. The dealership has had it for two weeks, they have had the vehicle fail for them, yet it still reads as if there is nothing wrong with it on all of their diagnostics. …”
NHTSA complaint #753708, filed 2001-10“5 months after purchasing this Cougar, there was a huge power steering leak. Called around for someone to fix it, but dealer was the only choice. We were told it could be a bad pump and that would cost $450 to fix. They called back and said the whole gear was bad and had to be replaced and would cost us $700. We had no choice but complained to the dealer that rack and pinion gear should not go bad on a 2 year old car. We also contacted ford customer relations, who did nothing to help us. We want our money back. Dealer also failed to notify us of 5 outstanding recalls on this car. …”
NHTSA complaint #755600, filed 2001-12Related service bulletins
- 10013115Jan 1, 2004Steering column shipped without crush pad - reuse original crush pad if not damaged.
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3 | 3% |
| 2001 | 1 | 1% |
| 2000 | 8 | 4% |
| 1999 | 20 | 4% |
| 1997 | 2 | 3% |
| 1996 | 2 | 3% |
| 1995 | 3 | 3% |
| 1994 | 2 | 1% |
| 1993 | 2 | 1% |
| 1992 | 5 | 5% |
| 1990 | 4 | 5% |
| 1989 | 4 | 5% |
| 1988 | 2 | 4% |
| 1984 | 2 | 12% |
Other parts of the 1999 Mercury Cougar
99 complaintsBrakes
77 complaintsEngine cooling
67 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
52 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
50 complaintsFuel system
46 complaintsExterior lighting
34 complaintsBody and structure
34 complaintsAir bags
31 complaintsVehicle speed control
31 complaintsTires
27 complaintsOther or unknown
26 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1999 Mercury Cougar
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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