Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1973 Cougar.
The 1973 Mercury Cougar is recorded as having generated only two owner complaints, with tire issues identified as the singular area of concern and no manufacturer recalls noted for the model. Although the broader Cougar line’s complaint history spans 1990‑2002, peaking at 521 reports in 1999 and dropping to a single complaint in 1998, the 1973 iteration’s minimal issue count stands in stark contrast to those later figures. This paucity of reported problems positions the 1973 Cougar as an outlier in the model’s overall reliability profile, suggesting a comparatively robust reputation for that year.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 199.6 in |
| Overall width | 72.4 in |
| Overall height | 50.8 in |
| Wheelbase | 111.8 in |
| Curb weight | 3525 lb |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The 1973 Mercury Cougar's federal record from 1990 to 2002 reveals a distinct arc: complaints and recalls were moderate in the early 1990s (90–123 complaints, 3 recalls annually), dipped mid-decade, then surged dramatically in 1999 with 521 complaints and 9 recalls—the highest in the series—before receding to 82 complaints and 3 recalls by 2002. This spike places the 1973 model year at the peak of a late-life reliability crisis, far exceeding the activity seen in surrounding years like 1998 (1 complaint, 0 recalls) or 2000 (213 complaints, 5 recalls). While the data does not specify root causes, the 1999 anomaly suggests a cluster of age-related failures that may have prompted multiple recall campaigns. For a buyer today, this pattern implies that any surviving 1973 Cougar likely had those peak-era issues addressed, but a careful pre-purchase inspection of recall-related systems is essential to ensure long-term dependability.
All 2 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.