2001 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A RUMBLING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR SUSPENSION AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. UPON INSPECTION THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE REAR SPRINGS FRACTURED CAUSING BOTH REAR TIRES TO TEAR. UPDATED 6/23/2006 - *NM

2001 SABLE REAR COIL SPRING CORRODED AND BROKE. THE BROKEN SPRING PUNCTURED THE TIRE CAUSING A BLOWOUT. OUR DEALER INFORMED US THAT BOTH SPRINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY WE WERE INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE FRONT SPRINGS O4S17. HOWEVER THE RECALL IS NOT TO REPLACE THE SPRINGS, THEY WILL BE INSTALLING SPECIAL SHIELDS ON THE FRONT SPRINGS SO THAT IF A SPRING DOES FAIL IT WILL NOT CAUSE THE TIRE TO BLOW OUT. THIS TO ME IS UNACCEPTABLE! HOW CAN YOU ALLOW THE FORD TO PRODUCE AND SELL FAULTY AND UNSAFE AUTOMOBILES WITHOUT DEMANDING THAT THEY FIX THE PROBLEM AND NOT APPLY A BAND-AID?

BROKEN REAR COIL SPRINGS ON MY 2001 MERCURY SABLE, ONE SPRING RIPPED MY LEFT REAR TIRE. BOTH SPRINGS REPLACED ALONG WITH THE TIRE. *NM

I OWN A 2001 MERCURY SABLE WITH 54,300 MILES ON IT. AS I WAS DRIVING, I NOTICED A PARTICULAR NOISE COMING FROM THE BACK END OF THE CAR. I NEEDED TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED ANYWAY, SO WHEN I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP, I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE BACK END BECAUSE IT SOUNDED AS IF THE BRAKES WERE HANGING UP. WHEN THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED, THEY TOLD ME THAT BOTH OF THE BACK SPRINGS WERE BROKEN AND THAT ONE OF THE SPRINGS WITH A POINTED PORTION HAD RUINED MY NEW TIRE (THE TIRES HAD 7,000 MILES ON THEM). WHEN I ASKED ABOUT A RECALL OR WARRANTY, I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT ONLY THE FRONT COILS/SPRINGS HAD BEEN RECALLED AND THE TOTAL COST WOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY. THUS, I HAD TO PURCHASE TWO REAR COILS/SPRINGS, A NEW REAR TIRE, AND HAVE MY CAR ALIGNED AGAIN. AT FIRST, I CONSIDERED MYSELF LUCKY BECAUSE I WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT AND HURT MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE. BUT AFTER I HEARD THAT THE FRONT COILS/SPRINGS WERE RECALLED BY FORD, THEN I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE BACK ONES WERE NOT AS WELL. NOW THAT I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THE MATTER, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH OTHER CONSUMERS AND THAT THE NHTSA IS INVESTIGATING THE 2001 AND 2002 FORD TAURUS AND MERCURY SABLE BECAUSE OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OF FRACTURES IN THE REAR COIL SPRINGS. *JB

2001 MERCURY SABLE WIPER COWL AND POLLEN AIR FILTER WAS FULL OF WATER. *TS ***NAR*** THE BLOWER AND DEFROSTER WERE INOPERABLE.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH DURING AN ICE/SLEET STORM THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DETERMINED THE WINDSHIELD/WIPER MOTOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MOTOR WAS REPLACED. THERE IS AN NHTSA RECALL, #01V258000 VISIBILITY: WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER: MOTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY A PORTION OF THE REAR SPRING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRACTURED AND FELL OFF. THE DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. ALSO, CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY, AND THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM SINCE THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE REAR SPRINGS. FRONT SPRING FRACTURED AND BROKE ON 07/08/2004 AT 54101 MILES. BOTH FRONT SPRINGS WERE REPLACED. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THEM IN AUGUST 2004. SPRINGS WERE REPLACED AGAIN ON 03/02/2005 AS PER THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER WAS REIMBURSED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY FOR THE COST TO REPLACE FRONT SPRINGS ON 07/08/2004. UPDATED 06/07/2006. *AK *TS

HAD A FAILURE OF THE LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING WHILE STARTING UP FROM A STOP AND TURNING RIGHT. THERE WAS NO LOSE OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE SINCE THE SPEED WAS ONLY 10-15 MPH AT THE TIME. THE FAILURE WAS CONTAINED BY THE "SPRING SHIELD" AND THIS SPRING WAS REPLACED UNDER A RECALL. WHEN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOOK THE CAR IN TO REPLACE THE FRONT SPRINGS, THEY NOTED THAT THE LEFT REAR COIL SPRING HAD ALSO FAILED AND THE RIGHT SIDE WAS ABOUT TO FAIL TOO. THEY TOLD ME "THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE PRESENT RECALL THOUGH IT MAYBE COVERED BY A FUTURE RECALL." THE FAILURE CAUSED THE BOTTOM OF THE SPRING TO PASS BY THE LOWER SPRING MOUNTING AND THE POINT OF THE SPRING WAS LESS THAN 1/4" FROM THE SIDEWALL OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE. ANY FURTHER TRAVEL OF THE SPRING WOULD HAVE PUNCTURED THE TIRE AND THIS FAILURE WAS NOT VISIBLE UNLESS THE TIRE WAS REMOVED OR THE VEHICLE WAS LIFTED. BOTH REAR SPRINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND THE FAILED SPRINGS HAVE BEEN SAVED. *NM

FAILURE OF REAR COIL SPRINGS, SIMILAR TO SAFETY RECALL #04V332000 APPLICABLE TO FRONT SPRINGS. BOTH REAR COILS BROKE, AND SHARP END OF RIGHT REAR CONTACTED INSIDE OF TIRE. FORD OFFERED NO HELP OR REMEDY. *NM

2001 MERCURY SABLE BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS FRACTURED WHILE TURNING A CORNER. NOTHING IN THE CAR EXCEPT THE DRIVER. NO OTHER DAMAGE. *JB