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1996 Mercury Cougar Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Moderate

77 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.36 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Moderate96V070000

Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

THE DRIVER'S DOOR, WHEN CLOSED ONLY TO THE SECONDARY LATCHED POSITION, MAY NOT SUSTAIN A 1,000 POUND TRANSVERSE LOAD.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE DRIVER DOOR LATCH.

WHEN IN THE SECONDARY LATCHED POSITION, THE DRIVER DOOR LATCHES MAY OPEN WHEN SUBJECTED TO TRANSVERSE LOADS LESS THAN THAT SPECIFIED IN FMVSS NO. 206, "DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR RETENTION COMPONENTS."

Moderate96V007000

Equipment:Appliance:Air Conditioner

BLOWER MALFUNCTIONS LIMITING OR STOPPING OUTPUT CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING PERFORMANCE INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEMI-AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL MODULES WITH MODULES CONTAINING REVISED SOFTWARE.

UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THE CLIMATE CONTROL BLOWER DOES NOT OPERATE AS INTENDED. THE BLOWER COULD (1) STICK ON "HIGH;" (2) OPERATE ERRATICALLY WITH BLOWER OUTPUT VARYING BETWEEN NO BLOWER AND MAXIMUM BLOWER; OR (3) NOT OPERATE AT ALL DUE TO MALFUNCTION OF THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL MODULE.

Complaint volume

77 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

4Crashes
0Fires
5Injuries
0Deaths

Across 77 complaints. Severity Index 0.36.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine And Engine Cooling…5 · 6%Engine And Engine Cooling…5 · 6%Engine And Engine Cooling5 · 6%Vehicle Speed Control4 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…3 · 4%Seat Belts · Front · Anch…3 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…3 · 4%Unknown Or Other3 · 4%
  1. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 5 reports
  2. Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe — 5 reports
  3. Engine And Engine Cooling — 5 reports
  4. Vehicle Speed Control — 4 reports
  5. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor — 3 reports
  6. Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage — 3 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 3 reports
  8. Unknown Or Other — 3 reports
  9. Tires — 3 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System — 3 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1999 (9) · 2000 (5) · 2001 (3) · 2002 (3)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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