Ford Cougar
Registered from 1998 to 2001.
About this model
The Ford Cougar is a D-segment coupé that was produced and sold in the European market between 1998 and 2002, and sold in Canada and the United States from 1999 until 2002 as the Mercury Cougar.
From the Wikipedia article Ford Cougar, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2000 2.5 petrol. 72 of 235 tests failed, 31%.
Better than 21% of 2000 cars. The typical one fails 27%, across 390 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 61% | 44 |
| Brakes | 54% | 39 |
| Lights and electrics | 40% | 29 |
| Body and structure | 33% | 24 |
| Tyres and wheels | 15% | 11 |
| Visibility | 13% | 9 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Suspension — 61% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired
- A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Brakes — 54% of its failures
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Tyres and wheels — 15% of its failures
- Lights and electrics — 40% of its failures
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Body and structure — 33% of its failures
- The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired
- Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced
- Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point
- Visibility — 13% of its failures
When it starts failing
At 100–120k miles this one fails 30% of its inspections, against the 29% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–60k miles | 23% | 23% | 30 | |
| 60–80k miles | 24% | 26% | 55 | |
| 80–100k miles | 42% | 27% | 65 | |
| 100–120k miles | 30% | 29% | 30 |
180 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 80k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.