NHTSA Complaint #10340715 — 1999 MERCURY COUGAR

1999 MERCURY COUGAR - RIGHT FUEL TANK STRAP FAILURE. WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, I SUDDENLY HEARD A NOISE OF SOMETHING METALLIC SLAPPING AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER PULLING OVER TO INVESTIGATE, I DISCOVERED THAT THE RIGHT SIDE FUEL TANK STRAP HAD COMPLETELY CORRODED THRU AND HAD BROKEN, ALLOWING THE FUEL TANK TO DROP DOWN SLIGHTLY ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO JACK UP THE CAR TO EXAMINE, I DISCOVERED THAT THE COATING ON THE METAL STRAP HAD CRACKED OFF AND THAT THE METAL STRAP WAS CORRODED SO BADLY THAT THE METAL STRAP HAD TORN FROM THE WEIGHT OF THE FUEL TANK, ALLOWING THE STRAP TO DROP TO THE PAVEMENT. I REPLACED THE STRAP WITH A UNIVERSAL REPLACEMENT STRAP BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT THE ITEM WOULD BE A SPECIAL ORDER ITEM AND THAT I COULD NOT BE GUARANTEED AS TO WHEN IT WOULD BE RECEIVED. TO PREVENT CORROSION OF THE REPLACEMENT STRAP, I PRIMED AND PAINTED IT WITH A RUST INHIBITING PAINT. I FEAR THAT IF I HAD BACKED UP WHILE THE STRAP HAD BEEN BROKEN (IF I HAD BEEN UNAWARE OF THE CONDITION) THAT THE STRAP COULD HAVE CAUGHT ON THE PAVEMENT AND BEEN FORCED UP INTO THE GAS TANK, POSSIBLY PUNCTURING IT, OR THAT THE GAS TANK COULD HAVE BROKEN THE REMAINING STRAP AND RIPPED FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A POTENTIAL FIRE CONDITION. IT CONCERNS ME THAT AUTOMAKERS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO USE A STAINLESS GRADE (NON-CORRODING) MATERIAL FOR CRITICAL ITEMS SUCH AS CRITICAL SUSPENSION COMPONENTS, BRAKE LINES, OR IN THIS CASE, FUEL SYSTEM RELATED COMPONENTS, SUCH AS TANK SUPPORT STRAPS. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A CAR OF THIS AGE HAVING THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM BUT FOUND THRU MY SEARCH ONLINE THAT FAILURE OF THE RIGHT FUEL TANK STRAP SEEMS TO BE A BIT TOO COMMON ON THE 1999+ MERCURY COUGARS. *TR