1988 Mercury Cougar seat belts problems
16 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the seat belts on the 1988 Mercury Cougar — 29% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“The right seltbelt buckle on the drivers side fails often. Ford no longer supplies these buckles, and they are very scarce in wrecking yards.*ak”
filed Nov 17, 2004
“Ign. Sw. Recall work done previously 2 times by galpin lincoln-mercury. Seat belt failure reported both to galpin lincoln-mercury and ford motor corp. Because of no documented recall, they refused to repair it. I have been driving ever since without shoulder belt protection.”
filed Sep 18, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Seat Belts problems in other Cougar years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 Cougar | 3 | 3% |
| 2000 Cougar | 2 | 1% |
| 1999 Cougar | 5 | 1% |
| 1997 Cougar | 3 | 4% |
| 1996 Cougar | 3 | 5% |
| 1995 Cougar | 1 | 1% |
| 1994 Cougar | 4 | 3% |
| 1993 Cougar | 8 | 4% |
| 1992 Cougar | 5 | 5% |
| 1991 Cougar | 9 | 12% |
| 1990 Cougar | 15 | 17% |
| 1989 Cougar | 17 | 21% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1988 Mercury Cougar
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.