The 1986 Mercury Cougar has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 3,600,163 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system, gasoline. Last updated July 5, 2026.
SPRING LOCK FUEL LINE COUPLING MAY NOT BE PROPERLY ENGAGED.
COUPLING COULD DISENGAGE DUE TO FUEL PRESSURE,VIBRATION, AND ENGINE MOVEMENTS; THIS WOULD CAUSE LOSS OF FUEL WHICH, INPRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, CREATES A FIRE RISK.
INSTALL RETAINER CLIPS OVER THE COUPLINGS TO PREVENT COUPLING SEPARATION AND FUEL LEAKAGE.
HEADLAMP COVERS WERE INSTALLED ON VEHICLES IN ERROR. CAUSING THE CARS NOT TO COMPLY WITH FMVSS 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT. CONSEQUENCE OF…
REMOVE HEADLAMP COVERS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Head gasket on 3.8 engine has blown two times in 8 months. Car overheats and has oil in radiator. Heater does not work. And very dim lighting on speedometer.*ak”
“Head gasket on 3.8 engine has blown two times in 8 months. Car overheats and has oil in radiator. Heater does not work. And very dim lighting on speedometer.*ak”
“The bracket that hold the straps for the fuel tank rusted very badly, broke and the feul tank dropped while the car was moving/dragged and ripped a hole in the gas tank the sparks could have lit the gas on fire and potentaily could have killed my wife and son in the car.the rest of the car is in…”
“The bracket that hold the straps for the fuel tank rusted very badly, broke and the feul tank dropped while the car was moving/ dragged and ripped a hole in the gas tank the sparks could have lit the gas on fire and potentaily could have killed my wife and son in the car.the rest of the car is in…”
“The bracket that hold the straps for the fuel tank rusted very badly, broke and the feul tank dropped while the car was moving/dragged and ripped a hole in the gas tank the sparks could have lit the gas on fire and potentaily could have killed my wife and son in the car.the rest of the car is in…”
“The bracket that hold the straps for the fuel tank rusted very badly, broke and the feul tank dropped while the car was moving/ dragged and ripped a hole in the gas tank the sparks could have lit the gas on fire and potentaily could have killed my wife and son in the car.the rest of the car is in…”
“Seat belt buckle release button broke. *sd”
“Driver side seat track and anchors make clicking noise when in incline postion and falls back. *ak”
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:FORD BELIEVES THAT THE AL-LEGED DEFECT ONLY OCCURS IN A SMALL NUMBER OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ANDRECALLED ABOUT 195,732 1984 TEMPO/TOPAZ VEHICLES IN JUNE 1986.ANALYSIS: VEHICLES POTENTIALLY INVOLVED INCLUDE TEMPO/TOPAZ, ESCORT/LYNX/EXP, MUSTANG/CAPRI, LTD/MARQUIS, AND…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1986 Mercury Cougar as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.