MercuryCougar1972Overview/mercury/cougar/1972/base/

1972 Mercury Cougar

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1972 Cougar.

The 1972 Mercury Cougar is framed here against a model complaint history spanning 1990 through 2002, a period in which recorded grievances reached a high of 521 for the 1999 model year and a low of one for the 1998 model year. Since that dataset covers an era beginning nearly two decades after this vehicle’s production, the 1972 model year falls outside the window of directly measured reliability data. For researchers, this means the vehicle must be assessed in isolation from the documented complaint peaks and valleys that characterize the Cougar’s post-1990 record, as its own standing rests on a generational lineage whose quantified highs and lows were captured well after its manufacture.

Model year200220012000199919971996199519941972

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length196.9 in
Overall width74.8 in
Overall height50.4 in
Wheelbase111.8 in
Curb weight0 lb

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

1
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
0
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

No owner complaints on record with NHTSA for this vehicle.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

81V002000Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:FanReported 02/12/1981

DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ERROR, CERTAIN FLEXIBLE-BLADE ENGINE COOLING FANS MAY BE SUBJECT TO FATIGUE CRACKING AND BLADE SEPARATION DURING VEHICLE OPERATION. Remedy: DEFECTIVE FAN WILL BE REPLACED WITH ONE OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN WITHOUT CHARGE.

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Cougar. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1972 Cougar have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.