The 1992 Mercury Cougar has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 8,189,731 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 122 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FOG LIGHTS, IN WHICH THE HEADLIGHTS MAY GO OUT FOR VARIOUS INTERVALS AND WHICH MAY BE PRECEDED BY FLICKERING OR BLINKING AS A RESULT OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER OPENING.
DRIVER'S COULD EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF VISIBILITY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A HEADLIGHT SWITCH WHICH INCORPORATES A CIRCUIT BREAKER OF REVISED DESIGN, AND INSTALL A WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR, IF NEEDED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, DELAWARE, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND,…
THIS FUEL LEAKAGE RESULTS IN DAMPNESS AND FUEL ODOR, AND IF AN IGNITION SOURCE WAS PRESENT, A FIRE COULD RESULT.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PLASTIC CONVOLUTE COVERING AROUND THE FUEL LINES. IF THE LINES SHOW A LEAK, THE LINES WILL BE REPLACED FIRST.
THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Headlights go out unexpectedly while driving at night, sometimes will blink back on and sometimes not. Very dangerous with oncoming traffic. Must pull over and wait extended periods of time to continue driving.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1992 mercury cougar. The contact stated that the driver side seat belt retractor would remain stuck and the seat belt warning light illuminated. The contact was concerned that in the event of a crash, the seat belt would fail to secure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…”
“Faulty ignition switch causing shorts and sparks. Effecting turn signals, blower motor and other elc. Ford advised me that my vehicle was involved with a 1996 recall for the switch and that it was serviced and replaced. Yea - replaced with a faulty one! Ford rep. Said the replacement switch is out…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1992 mercury cougar. While driving at any speed, the headlights would fail intermittently, flashing on and off. The contact had not yet spoken to the dealer and was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were not available.”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1992 mercury cougar. While driving any speed at night, the exterior lighting will sporadically fail and significantly reduce the contact's visibility. She called the manufacturer in reference to nhtsa campaign id number 99v275000 (exterior lighting:headlights:switch) and…”
“The headlights of the consumer's 1992 mercury cougar would blink on and off. *cc eventually the lights remained off more than they remained on. The consumer did some research and found a recall which was related to the problem he was having with his vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer…”
“Tl* - the contact states that her 1992 mercury cougar's headlights continue to go off and on. The contact states that she could be sitting, parked or driving, and lights always turn of but if she turns the switch off and on the lights turn on again. The contact states that this started happening…”
“Front end suspension including ball joints causing front end collapsing. *nm”
THE REAR FUEL TUBE BUNDLE MAY ABRADE AND FAIL IN THE VICINITY OF THE FUEL TANK.
SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE A HEADLIGHT SWITCH WITH AN INTERNAL, BIMETAL CIRCUIT BREAKER THAT CAN OPEN DUE TO OVERHEATING DURING HEADLING OPERATION.
There is no summary currently available
TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE ALLEGED FUEL LINE FAILURES OUTSIDE OF THE RECALL GEOGRAPHIC REGION AND IF THE RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED NATIONALLY
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1992 Mercury Cougar as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.