2000 Mercury Cougar Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 16about this part
- Share
- 8%of 211 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 33,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 16 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2000 Mercury Cougar, 8% of the 211 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 33,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“When traveling to visit my sister at college I was driving appox. 85mph but after stopping to stretch my legs at a rest stop I continued to try to reach my previous speed and when I tried to go over 80mph the car started to buck. I took it back to the dealership and I was told that the rpms could not go over a certain level so that basically they said that a 2000 Mercury Cougar is not able to reach speeds over 80mph.”
NHTSA complaint #10033122, filed 2003-08, 32,000 miles“I was heading home from the beach. I had my car on cruise control. A car was stopping ahead to turn into a housing development. I tried to push the brake to disengage the cruise control,but the cruise control did not disengage. I again hit the brake, harder this time, but the cruise control again did not disengage. With my foot on the brake I tried to swerve to miss the car in front of me. I ended up losing control of my car offroad and rolling the car into a ditch. I avoided any other cars or property, but my car was damaged heavily. …”
NHTSA complaint #10072746, filed 2004-05, 39,000 miles“My vehicle has not caused an accident or a crash yet, but it soon could. The throttle/ accelerator has been sticking on my 2000 Mercury Cougar since soon after I bought it in october of 2003. It started with the rpms revving up to 2 or 3 as I was coming to a stop. This happened once every couple weeks or so. The rpms do not go down until after I have completely stopped. It has since became more frequent (close to every time I drive the car) and significant(rpms go to 3 or 4). I took it to the lincoln Mercury dealership soon after I first noticed the problem in april 2003. …”
NHTSA complaint #10135477, filed 2005-09, 33,000 miles“Vehicle maintains RPM and /or increases RPM when shifting gear. Dealership replaced the idle air by-pass control valve and I had no problems for a while but the problem has reoccurred. Suspect the valve is faulty or is installed in such a way that heat is affecting its performance. My brother disconnected it when the car was acting up and the problem did not continue. My concern is that this can be a danger when operating the vehicle on slippery road surfaces in winter and during rainy conditions. Not to mention that it's hard on your engine.”
NHTSA complaint #740245, filed 2001-01“Car died at 50mph. Turned car off and back on while still rolling on the way home last night. Also on the way home last night the car accelerated, on it's own, my foot was not on the accelerator, increased from 15mph to ~20mph and rpms went up. This is the second time it has happened in the last few months. I believe it is related to the RPM issue that the ford technical rep said was normal . There is no way rpms increasing 300-1500rpm when pushing in the clutch is normal. I am concerned this is the second time the rpms/speed has increased on it's own. …”
NHTSA complaint #753147, filed 2001-10Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 4 | 4% |
| 2001 | 3 | 4% |
| 2000 | 16 | 8% |
| 1999 | 31 | 7% |
| 1997 | 2 | 3% |
| 1996 | 5 | 8% |
| 1995 | 7 | 6% |
| 1994 | 11 | 8% |
| 1993 | 4 | 2% |
| 1992 | 8 | 9% |
| 1991 | 9 | 12% |
| 1990 | 18 | 21% |
| 1989 | 21 | 26% |
| 1988 | 10 | 18% |
| 1987 | 3 | 9% |
| 1986 | 2 | 15% |
| 1985 | 2 | 20% |
| 1984 | 1 | 6% |
Other parts of the 2000 Mercury Cougar
63 complaintsFuel system
46 complaintsEngine cooling
26 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
18 complaintsAir bags
17 complaintsBrakes
12 complaintsOther or unknown
12 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
9 complaintsExterior lighting
8 complaintsSteering
8 complaintsEquipment
7 complaintsBody and structure
7 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2000 Mercury Cougar
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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