2001 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

2001 MERCURY SABLE, 31,000 MILES. GOT INTO VEHICLE AFTER WORK,PUT INTO REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF PARKING SPOT, VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. TRANSMISSION FOUND TO HAVE FAILED-LOCKED INTO FORWARD GEAR. ALL GEAR SELECTOR POSITIONS ARE NOW FORWARD INCLUDING NEUTRAL AND REVERSE. DEALER AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY NOTIFIED OF SITUATION. TRANSMISSION TO BE REPLACED. OLD TRANSMISSION MAY BE AVAILABLE AFTER WORK IS COMPLETE. I AM DISSATISFIED WITH FORD'S RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE, BOTH FINANCIALLY AND THE LACK OF CONCERN FROM THE SAFETY ISSUE THIS COULD CREATE.*JB

(1) I REMOVED THE RIGHT REAR TIRE TO INSPECT THE BRAKES WHEN I DISCOVERED THAT THE COIL SPRING HAD FRACTURED AND WAS MAKING CONTACT WITH THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. HAD I NOT INVESTIGATED THE BRAKE GRINDING SOUND, I WOULD NOT HAVE REALIZED THE SPRING WAS BROKEN. IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF IF, BUT WHEN THE TIRE WOULD HAVE BLOWN OUT. (2) THE MINIMUM RESULTS OF THE SPRING FAILURE IS THAT WHEN THE SPRING FINALLY WORE THROUGH THE TIRE, I WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED SOMEWHERE. THE MAXIMUM CONSEQUENCES IS THAT WHEN THE TIRE FINALLY WORE THROUGH, I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE AND BEEN INVOLVED IN A SEVERE AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT. (3) AT PRESENT THE VEHICLE IS UNDRIVABLE AND SITS ON BLOCKS IN THE GARAGE. FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THE DEALERSHIPS ARE TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAULTY SPRING EVEN THOUGH A YEAR EARLIER A RECALL WAS INITIATED ON THE FRONT SPRINGS OF THE SAME VEHICLE. THE REPAIRS ON THE FRONT SPRINGS WAS AT NO COST TO ME. SINCE FORD DOES NOT CONSIDER THE BROKEN SPRING TO BE A PROBLEM, I DON'T WANT FORD TO REPLACE THE SPRINGS AS THE SERVICE PARTS MAY BE FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER OF THE FAULTY SPRINGS CURRENTLY ON THE VEHICLE. THE SPRINGS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE ARE TO BE REPLACED BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY. I WILL REQUEST THE FACILITY TO RETURN THE BROKEN SPRING TO ME.*JB

2001 MERCURY SABLE GS. THE STOP LIGHTS ARE STUCK ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM, SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEM ADDRESSED BY A CURRENT FORD RECALL. HOWEVER, UPON CALLING FORD MOTOR CUSTOMER SERVICE 800 NUMBER, THEY TELL ME, MY CAR ISN'T COVERED BY THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THOSE SABLES THAT ARE BEING RECALLED. *JB

DRIVING TO WORK GOING 25 MPH. DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG SUDDENLY DEPLOYED FOR NO OBVIOUS REASON. NO INJURY OR ACCIDENT OCCURRED. HAVE APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE AIR BAG EXAMINED. COST WILL BE $150 FOR THE ANALYSIS AT D'AMICO IN EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ THIS FRIDAY, OCT. 14TH, 2005. *JB

ON MAY 17 2005, WHEN ENTERING MY 2001 MERCURY SABLE I HEARD A SHARP CRACKING NOISE. UPON CLOSE INSPECTION THE DRIVERS SIDE QUARTER PANEL WAS LOWERED OVER THE TIRE. I WAS LUCKILY I WAS JUST A FEW MILES FROM JOHN LANCE FORD OF WESTLAKE OHIO. THE SERVICE WRITER KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG, THE STRUT SPRING HAD BROKEN AND WAS WITHIN 1/16 OF THE SIDE WALL OF MY TIRE. HAD THIS EVENT OCCURRED AT SPEED I PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. THE SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT FORD WAS ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THEY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT SPRINGS, BUT WERE NOT ADMITTING TO ANY FAILURES OF THE REAR SPRINGS. I HAD TO THEREFORE PAY FOR THE REPAIR, HOWEVER FORD WOULD RETRO FIT THE FRONT SPRINGS WITH A CONTAINMENT DEVICE FOR NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. FORD REALIZES THAT FAILURE OF THE FRONT STRUT SPRING WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HAVING AN AUTOMOTIVE BACK GROUND I BEGAN QUESTIONING WHY THE FAILURE HAD OCCURRED ON SUCH A LATE MODEL VEHICLE. THE EXPLANATION I RECEIVED WAS THAT ANY MOISTURE ON THE SPRING WOULD LEAD TO CORROSION AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE METAL. I FOUND THIS VERY INTERESTING GIVEN THE FACT THAT I OWN A 1970 FORD TORINO WITH ORIGINAL SPRINGS, WHICH AFTER 35 YEARS APPEAR VERY RUSTY, AND YET STILL SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER RESPONSE WAS, "WELL FORD OUT SOURCES THESE SPRINGS TO INDIA AND THE QUALITY OF THE METAL IS VERY SUSPECT." I STILL HAVE THE LOWER COIL OF THE SPRING IN MY POSSESSION, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO YOU AT ANY TIME FOR YOUR INSPECTION. IN VIEWING THE CROSS SECTION BREAK, ONE CAN CLEARLY SEE RUST HALF WAY ACROSS THE DIAMETER OF THE COIL, WITH FRESH METAL ON THE REMAINING.*JB

I OWN A 2001 MERCURY SABLE. IN AUGUST OF 2003 THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. IT HAD 23038 MILES. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED WITH NO CHARGE TO ME DUE TO THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY. ON OCTOBER 3, 2005, MY MERCURY SABLE WOULD NOT START. AGAIN IT WAS TOWED WITH ONLY 64492 MILES. ONCE AGAIN THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS BAD AND REPLACED IT. THIS COST ME $50 DEDUCTIBLE DUE TO THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH I PURCHASED. ON TOP OF ALL OF THIS, I OWN A 2002 FORD TAURUS WITH ONLY 27000 MILES ON IT. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2005, IT WOULD NOT START. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED ON IT. I WILL PUT THIS INCIDENT INTO A DIFFERENT COMPLAINT. *JB

I HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON MY 2001 MERCURY SABLE. I WANTED AN ALIGNMENT DONE ALSO. THE TIRE DEALER CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THE TIRES WERE PUT ON BUT THEY COULD NOT DO AN ALIGNMENT BECAUSE I HAD A REAR COIL SPRING THAT WAS BROKE. I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT. THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY WAS PAST BUT I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR COIL SPRING BUT I DID HAVE TO PAY A DEDUCTIBLE. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRING BROKE AND PUNCTURED THE TIRE. THIS CAUSED THE TIRE TO BLOW OUT. THE CONSUMER WAS SLOWING DOWN WHEN THE TIRE BLEW OUT. THIS HAPPENED ON DRY PAVEMENT. THE TIRES WERE SERVICED REGULARLY, BUT THE CONSUMER HEARD SOME TYPE OF NOISE. THIS HAPPENED ON JUNE 25, 2005. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE NOISE WAS DUE TO THE COIL SPRING. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR COIL SPRING AND THE REAR TIRE. *AK (11/17/05) *SC

MERCURY SABLE 2001 SEDAN, 47,300 MILES, BOTH FRONT AXLE SEALS WARPED. THIS WAS DISCOVERED DURING AN OIL CHANGE WHEN THE CAR WAS ON A LIFT. MANY OTHER CONSUMERS MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THIS MAY BE OCCURRING IN THEIR CARS. ICALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AND THEY WOULD NOT WARRANTY BEYOND 36,000 MILES. ITHE CONSUMER TOLD THEM THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE PRINTED OWNER'S MANUAL CONCERNING EXTENDED DRIVETRAIN WARRANTY. THEY SHOULD NOT BE FAILING AT SUCH A LOW MILEAGE. IT MAY LEAD TO SERIOUS PROBLEMS, AND CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO FIX THIS-- THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *NM

HI I AM WRITING TO FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE 2001 MERCURY SABLE I CURRENTLY OWN. THE COIL SPRING ON MY VEHICLE BROKE CAUSING MY TIRE TO WEAR OUT. WHEN I TOOK IT TO BE FIXED THE MECHANIC WHO FIXED IT SAID MY TIRE COULD HAVE BLOWN OUT AT ANYTIME. IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I READ IN MY LOCAL PAPER THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND FORD IS LOOKING INTO RECALLING THIS CAR. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT BE RECALLED FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS. IT ALSO WAS A VERY EXPENSIVE TO HAVE REPLACED IT COST ME OVER $400. FOR THE REPAIR AND NEW TIRE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. THANK YOU. CINDY BARR. *JB