2001 Mercury Cougar Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 7%of 82 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 83,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the air bags of the 2001 Mercury Cougar, 7% of the 82 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 83,000 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved, 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.
“Driving car to class last week, recently bought it within the past year. Was pulling into a parking spot in a parking garage going maybe 5 MPH. Was creeping up into the spot and the airbags deployed out of nowhere, cracking my windshield and getting smoke and an awful smell into my car. I also will be wearing a wrist brace for the next 6 weeks due to an injury that the airbags caused.”
NHTSA complaint #10376887, filed 2011-01, 128,000 miles“While driving 30 MPH consumer hit a pile of sand and lost control, causing the vehicle to role twice. Vehicle landed upside down. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries.”
NHTSA complaint #10071743, filed 2004-04, 38,000 miles“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. Consumer sustained permanent injuries because of accident.”
NHTSA complaint #884098, filed 2001-03“Vehicle was hit on passenger's side door by a tractor trailor pushing door in approximately 2 1/2 feet. Consumer's vehicle was going 10-15mph. Side passenger air bags didn't deploy upon impact. Vehicle was totaled. Please provide more information.”
NHTSA complaint #8011812, filed 2002-06“The vehicle was involved in an accident and the air bags failed to deploy. The consumer was concerned that all bf goodrich tires failed on slippery conditions. Dot # unknown.”
NHTSA complaint #10017792, filed 2003-07Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 7 | 7% |
| 2001 | 6 | 7% |
| 2000 | 17 | 8% |
| 1999 | 31 | 7% |
| 1997 | 1 | 1% |
| 1996 | 1 | 2% |
| 1995 | 3 | 3% |
| 1994 | 10 | 7% |
| 1993 | 2 | 1% |
| 1991 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2001 Mercury Cougar
26 complaintsElectrical system
12 complaintsEngine cooling
11 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
7 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsTires
5 complaintsBrakes
4 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsEquipment
2 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2001 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