Mercury Latches/Locks/Linkages: Latch

Mercury is recalling about 10,011 vehicles over a problem with the latches/locks/linkages. The door would not latch when closed.

Campaign
99V226000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
18 August 1999
Vehicles
10,011
Built between
Sep 1998 – Nov 1998
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
29 September 1999
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between September 1998 and November 1998. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1999 Mercury CougarBuilt September 1998 to November 1998

What the defect is

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The door latch may have been manufactured with a latch pawl that has a coating which will swell in high humidity conditions. The latch pawl may then stick in the open or unlatched position.

What could happen

The door would not latch when closed. If the vehicle is driven in this condition, it could potentially result in the door opening while the vehicle is in motion.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REVISED SIDE DOOR LATCH.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtSeptember 1998 to November 1998
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA18 August 1999
  3. Owners notified29 September 1999

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 18 August 1999.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
99S22
Recalling manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owner notification began september 29, 1999.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand