2000 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

POWERSTEARING UNIT RACKED PINION STEERING AND LEFT FRONT DRIVE UNIT FAILED COOLANT LIGHT CONSTANTLY STAYS ON WITH NO PROBLOMS ALONG WITH THE EMISSIONS LIGHT WITH NO PROBLOMS

I HAVE A 2000 MERCURY SABLE WITH 45,500 MILES. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO A TIRE STORE FOR NEW TIRES WHEN THE MECHANIC FOUND A BROKEN COIL SPRING ON THE REAR SUSPENSION AND THE BROKEN COIL END WAS RUBBING AGAINST THE TIRE. THEY SAID THE TIRE WAS PROBABLY MINUTES AWAY FROM FAILURE AND THERE WAS A GROOVE WORN WHERE IT WAS RUBBING. I KNOW THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS BREAKING BECAUSE I HAD THE SO CALLED FORD FIX COMPLETED WHICH MENT INSTALLING A SHIELD TO PREVENT THE SPRING FROM BLOWING OUT THE FRONT TIRES. NOW IT SEEMS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE REAR SPRINGS HAVING THE SAME FAILURE MODE. THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM AT FREEWAY SPEEDS.

RE: CAMPAIGN #04V332000 (FORD RECALL #04517 FRONT COIL SPRINGS WERE NOTED AS DEFECTIVE, SHIELDS INSTALLED. ONE SPRING ON FRONT BROKE 4 MONTHS LATER AND BOTH FRONT WERE REPLACED. THE NEXT WEEK ONE REAR SPRING BROKE. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FRONT AND REAR SPRINGS, BOTH ARE OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE. WHY IS ONLY THE FRONT COVERED? MANUFACTURER CUSTOMER SERVICE REP. DID NOT PRVIDE ANY REAL ANSWER TO MY PROBLEM. I WANT THE REAR SPRINGS CONSIDERED ASS PART OF THIS RECALL.

DT: THE PROBLEM BEGAN ON 6/16/05. IN FEBRUARY THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE COIL SPRINGS, AND IT WAS REPAIRED. IT WAS THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS. AS OWNER WAS ENTERING THE VEHICLE, SHE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A POP, THEN UPON ENTERING THE GARAGE A RUBBING FEELING COMING FROM THE RIGHT REAR TIRE, AND WAS MAKING A GROWLING SOUND. UPON INSPECTION THE TIRE HAD SHREDDED DUE TO THE COIL SPRING BUSTING. THE CAR WILL BE TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *AK DEALER REPLACED BOTH FRONT SPRINGS AND SWAY BAR LINKS AND REPLACED TWO REAR TIRES. *TT

DT: CAR WAS PARKED AND UPON STARTING ENGINE THERE WAS LOUD NOISE LIKE A BANG. DISCOVERED TIRE WAS FLAT. CONSUMER'S SON IN LAW CHANGED THE TIRE AND DISCOVERED THE FRONT COIL SPRING HAD FAILED AND CAUSED TIRE TO "EXPLODE". THIS OCCURRED ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE. TOOK TO A SERVICE DEALER, MIDAS WHO CHECKED TIRES AND NOTED BOTH THE REAR COIL SPRINGS WERE DEFECTIVE ON BOTH SIDES ALSO CAUSING WEAR TO THE TIRES. MIDAS REPLACED ALL COIL SPRINGS ON VEHICLE AS WELL AS NEW TIRES. CONSUMER IS CONCERNED THAT SHE WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL THAT HER DAUGHTER INFORMED HER ABOUT ON THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS. (NO NHTSA RECALL CAMP. ID NUMBER TO REFERENCE THIS RECALL AT THIS TIME.} THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED BUT CONSUMER WAS NOT NOTIFIED ABOUT RECALL UNTIL AFTERWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY MIDAS AND CONSUMER PAID $1,100. *NM

DT: MERCURY SABLE 2000. THE CONTACT STATES THAT SHE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT THE REPAIR SHOP TOLD HER THAT IT WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS PULLING A TRAILER WITH HER VEHICLE. BUT SHE STATED THAT THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED SHE WAS NOT PULLING THE TRAILER, IT DID NOT EVEN HAVE THE TRAILER HITCH ON IT. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS AROUND JUNE, 2003. THE SECOND TIME IT WAS JUNE 1ST,2005. THE THIRD TIME WAS JUNE 15, 2005. *AK *SC *JB

REAR COIL SPRING FAILURE (FRACTURE) CAUSING BLOW-OUT OF REAR DRIVER-SIDE TIRE. TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. EXISTING RECALL FOR FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURE, THIS OCCURED ON THE REAR. BOTH REAR SPRINGS AND CUT TIRE REPLACED AT OWNERS EXPENSE.

CONSUMER OWNS A 2000 MERCURY SABLE AND IS ASKING THAT THE RECALL FOR FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURES BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDED THE FRONT AND REAR COIL SPRINGS.*MR THE REAR COIL SPRING IN THE CONSUEMR'S VEHICLE BROKE. *NM

I TOOK BY VEHICLE TO A TIRE RETAILER TO HAVE ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED. WHEN THE MECHANIC REMOVED THE WHEELS HE FOUND THE LEFT REAR COIL SPRING HAD FRACTURED IN THE FIRST ACTIVE COIL ABOVE THE LOWER SPRING SEAT. THE FRACTURED END OF THE COIL SPRING REMAINED CAPTURED IN THE LOWER COIL SPRING SEAT SO THAT THERE IS NO CONTACT (YET) BETWEEN THE TIRE AND THE FRACTURED COIL SPRING. THE NATURE OF THE FRACTURE IS SUCH THAT CORROSION IS DEEMED THE SOURCE OF FAILURE. THE SERVICE CENTER MANAGER REFERRED ME TO BY LOCAL VEHICLE DEALERSHIP. IN FACT, THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME MINE WAS THE "THIRD COIL SPRING FAILURE IN THE PAST MONTH" THAT HE'D SEEN ON 2000 FORD TAURUS/MERCURY SABLES, ONE OF THEM FROM HIS OWN FLEET! I UNDERSTAND THERE IS AN EXISTING RECALL CAMPAIGN, MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER 04V332000 , DESCRIBING DEFECTIVE FRONT COIL SPRINGS FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MODE DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL AND IN NHTSA INVESTIGATION PE 04-044 IS THE SAME MODE OF FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THIS COMPLAINT FOR THE REAR COIL SPRINGS. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THOUGH, THERE HAS NOT YET BEEN ANY RECALL ISSUED TO ADDRESS THE DEFECTIVE REAR COIL SPINGS OF THIS VEHICLE. AS I WRITE THIS I AM ATTEMPTING TO ARRANGE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH MY LINCOLN-MERCURY DEALER TO HAVE THE ALL THE CAR'S COIL SPRINGS REPLACED, HOPEFULLY UNDER WARRANTY. AT THE VERY LEAST I RECOMMEND NHTSA RE-OPEN INVESTIGATION PE 04-044 AND EXAMINE REAR COIL SPRING FAILURE FOR THE SAME VEHICLES (1999-2000 FORD TAURUS/MERCURY SABLE). CONSEQUENCES FOR REAR COIL SPRING FAILURE ARE THE SAME AS FOR FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURE, DESCRIBED IN RECALL 04V332000: "TIRE MAY RUPTURE RESULTING IN A RAPID AIR LOSS, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH." DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME SHOULD YOU NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

(1) I OWN A MERCURY SABLE, 4 DR. SEDAN [XXX] WITH APPROXIMATELY 35,550 MILES ON IT. LAST WEEK, 06/03/05) WITH NO OBVIOUS CAUSATION (I.E. DID NOT RUN OVER A HUGE POTHOLE OR ROCK/CURB), I BEGAN TO HEAR A RUBBING NOISE FROM THE REAR WHEEL - IT SOUNDED A BIT LIKE A BRAKE SHOE DRAGGING OR A TREE BRANCH STUCK IN THE WELL RUBBING THE TIRE. ON IMMEDIATE ROADSIDE INSPECTION, I COULD NOT SEE ANY OBVIOUS PROBLEM. (2) LATER WHEN I REMOVED THE WHEEL I DETERMINED THAT THE REAR COIL SPRING HAD BROKEN OR SLIPPED DOWN OVER THE LOWER RETAINING CUP AND A SHARP END OF THE COIL WAS PROTRUDING OUT FROM UNDER THE RETAINING CUP AND IT WAS CUTTING A NEAT GROOVE IN THE SIDEWALL OF MY TIRE. THE TIRE HAD NOT YET LOST PRESSURE BUT WOULD HAVE IN A VERY FEW MILES WITH POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES. (3) I CONTACTED THE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE FOR FORD MOTOR CO. ON 06/06/05 AND 06/07/05 AND SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE AND A SUPERVISOR AND THEY REQUIRED THAT I HAVE THE CAR INSPECTED BY A DEALERSHIP WHICH I DID. AFTER HAVING THE DEALERSHIP VERIFY THE PROBLEM (FRACTURED RIGHT REAR COIL SPRING) THEY REFUSED TO OFFER ME ANY ASSISTANCE IN THE REPAIRS AND WOULD SAY ONLY THAT THE RECALL (2000 MERCURY SABLE GS NHTSA RECALL ID NUMBER: 04V332000 RECALL DATE: JUL 15, 2004 COMPONENT: SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS) COVERED ONLY THE FRONT SPRINGS AND THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO OPERATE WITHOUT REPAIRS. I AM TAKING THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL TECHNICIAN FOR REPLACEMENT OF BOTH SPRINGS WITH NON-FORD MOTOR COMPANY, AFTER MARKET PARTS. I WILL HAVE THEM RETAIN THE OLD PARTS AND WILL BE PLEASED TO MAKE THESE AVAILABLE TO YOU FOR INSPECTION. UPDATED 07/27/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)