99 cougar just quits driving down the road or will not start

[eeezeegoin76]

My stepson has a 99 cougar with a v-6 He can be just driving down the road and it will just quit. The security light will flash just before this happens. He will take a rubber mallet and tap the computer several times until he can hear the fuel pump kick on and then the car will start. This will happen every couple of days or can go on for a week before it does it again. Can this be a computer problem, a loose connection some where, security system issues or something all together different...........Thanks
eeezeegoin76

[DragonLord3688]

The only problem I've had comparable was that my fusebox by the clutch was hanging down and my foot kicked it when shifting gears, the whole car lost all power and i had to tap it again to get all electronics to restart. You could check that, otherwise you seem to of pinpointed the problem, the ECU....

Does the engine try to turn over until he taps it? Need more information.

[tismedood]

I have a 95 Cougar and these symptoms sound like the problem I had last summer. My car would just die out driving down the road or at stop lights for no apparent reason. After nickel and diming my way through a bunch of "suggestions", I solved my problem. It was the Mass Air Flow Sensor, the first thing and last thing that I tried. The MAF Sensor that I picked up was used from the junk yard, and of course I just happened to pick up a bad one. Needless to say, after trying every thing in the book, I went back to that sensor and bought a new one. Solved my problem instantly! I never knew that a MAF controlled so many things, even the tranny. Good luck!