Mercury 1996 Cougar Owner's Manual page 106

To tell the difference between a PANIC alarm
and a triggered Anti-theft alarm:
only the Anti-Theft alarm will cause the
alarm indicator lamp (located in the center of
the instrument panel) to flash on and off.
only the Anti-Theft alarm will disable the
start circuit so that the vehicle can not be
started.
the Anti-Theft alarm will not stop by pushing
the PANIC button on the Remote Entry
transmitter.
For more information on the PANIC alarm, see
Remote Entry System in the Index.
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