Two problems related to cruise control have been reported for the 2000 Mercury Cougar. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2000 Mercury Cougar based on all problems reported for the 2000 Cougar.
I was heading home from the beach. I had my car on cruise control. A car was stopping ahead to turn into a housing development. I tried to push the brake to disengage the cruise control,but the cruise control did not disengage. I again hit the brake, harder this time, but the cruise control again did not disengage. With my foot on the brake I tried to swerve to miss the car in front of me. I ended up losing control of my car offroad and rolling the car into a ditch. I avoided any other cars or property, but my car was damaged heavily. I am still awaiting the assessment of the damage from my insurance company. My passenger and I both walked away, luckily we were wearing our seat belts.
Vehicle maintains rpm and /or increases rpm when shifting gear. Dealership replaced the idle air by-pass control valve and I had no problems for a while but the problem has reoccurred. Suspect the valve is faulty or is installed in such a way that heat is affecting its performance. My brother disconnected it when the car was "acting up" and the problem did not continue. My concern is that this can be a danger when operating the vehicle on slippery road surfaces in winter and during rainy conditions. Not to mention that it's hard on your engine.