2002 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE AND IT CRASHED INTO THE OTHER VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. NO INJURIES REPORTED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ON 11-01-04 THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE*AK

WATER LEAKED INTO THE A/C FAN MOTOR, CAUSING FAILURE TO THE A/C UNIT. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *JB

1. VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER MANUFACTURER'S 3 YR BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY BUT THEY WILL NOT REPAIR A RUPTURE IN THE BODY (FATIGUE?) WHICH HAS ALLOWED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK TO COME LOOSE. THE RUPTURE IS PROGRESSIVELY INCREASING. BROUGHT TO ATTENTION OF DEALER, MALL OF GEORGIA FORD IN BUFORD GA, TEL. 770-932-4060, ON 10-27-2003. DEALER PROMISED TO ORDER PART AND CALL MY WIFE AT HOME ON ITS ARRIVAL. I WENT OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR 4 MONTHS. MY WIFE NEVER REC'D ANY CALL. ON MY RETURN, I CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD "SORRY! PROCEDURE HAS NOW BEEN CHANGED. BRING IN VEHICLE, WE'LL PHOTOGRAPH IT, SEND IT TO FORD FOR A DECISION. AFTER GOING THROUGH THIS PROCEDURE I WAS TOLD "FORD DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT" AND WILL NOT PAY. TALKED TO FORD MERCURY PEOPLE BUT THEY SAY THE DEALER DECIDED THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, DEALER SAYS FORD MERCURY MADE THAT DECISION. I AM STUCK IN THE MIDDLE TRYING TO ARGUE WITH BOTH, WITH EACH SIDE PUTTING BLAME ON THE OTHER. THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO THE BODY WHERE THE BODY RUPTURE EXISTS AROUND THE LOCK ASSEMBLY HOLE IN THE DOOR BODY: THERE HAS BEEN NO ACCIDENT, NOBODY TRYING TO JIMMY OPEN THE LOCK TO STEAL THE CART ( AN ALARM IS INSTALLED IN THE CAR) AND I CAN FIND NO OTHER REASON FOR THE BODY TO START SPLITTING AT THE HOLE WHERE THE LOCK ASSEMBLY FITS. I NEED YOUR HELP TO HAVE FORD MERCURY LIVE UP TO THEIR WARRANTY AND, IF APPROPRIATE, HAVE A NEUTRAL PARTY EVALUATE THE PROBLEM. 2. ON 5-31-2003 WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON I-75 ABOUT 30 MILE SE OF ATLANTA, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SKID WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED EVEN THOUGH IT HAS AN ABS SYSTEM INSTALLED AND A SCRUNCHING SOUND WAS HEARD AS THOUGH METAL WAS RUBBING AGAINST METAL. THE SAME EXACT SITUATION OCCURRED AGAIN ONCE MORE ON HWY 29 NEAR MY HOME IN LAWRENCEVILLE, GA. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT OCCURS OCCASIONALLY, NOT EVERYTIME THAT THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, AND HAS PROVED IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLICATE WHENEVER A MECHANIC HAS TRIED TO DIAGNOSE IT. *NM

PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED, HOWEVER, DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT. *BF THIS INCIDENT WAS A COLLISION WITH A STATIONARY VEHICLE. *SC *JB

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON ONE OF THE FIRST "COLD" DAYS THIS FALL, MY WIFE HAD THE RIGHT REAR WINDOW IMPLODE INTO THE BACK SEAT. THERE WAS NO APPARENT PROJECTILE, NO FOREWARNING OTHER THAN A LIGHT CRACKLING NOISE BEFORE THE GLASS RAINED INTO THE CAR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY SLIPPED GEARS. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THROUGH THE PARKING LOT AT WALMART AND HIT A CONCRETE SIDEWALL, AND THEN HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK

I HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET IN MY VEHICLE WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON THE EXPRESSWAY (2002 MERCURY SABLE). AS I STARTED TO APPROACH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN AND DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. MY VEHICLE SLOW DOWN BUT WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL IT STARTED TO ACCELERATE. I PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AGAIN AND IT SLOWED DOWN. WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF IT ACCELERATED AGAIN. THIS TIME I LET IT ACCELERATE TO SEE WHEN IT WOULD LEVEL OFF OR MAINTAIN A SPEED. IT STOPPED AT THE PREVIOUS CRUISE SETTING. I NOTICED THERE WAS NO CRUISE LIGHT ON. WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS ACTIVATED THERE IS A GREEN LIGHTED DISPLAY SAYING "CRUISE" ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THERE WAS NO LIGHT AND THE CRUISE WAS STILL ENGAGED. I PUT MY FOOT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND LIFTED THE PEDAL TO TRY AND SLOW THE VEHICLE AND THAT DID NOT STOP DISENGAGE IT. MY NEXT THOUGHT WAS TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND COAST ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. BEFORE I DID THAT I STOMPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ABOUT 3 TIMES AND THAT FINALLY DISENGAGED WHAT EVER WAS STUCK. I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE MERCURY (SESI LINCOLN-MERCURY IN YPSILANTI,MI.) DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THEY INSPECTED IT AND COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. I CALLED FORD MOTOR CO. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT. THEY SAID THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT. I HEARD BACK FROM THEM AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS THEY COULD NOT FIND WHERE A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM SO THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I KNOW FORD OR ANY OF THE AUTO COMPANIES DON'T VOLUNTARILY ISSUE RECALLS UNLESS IT'S A MAJOR PROBLEM, IT COSTS LOTS OF MONEY. WHETHER THIS IS A LARGE OR SMALL INCIDENT, RELATING TO THE NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES, ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH BRAKING, NOT BRAKING OR ACCELERATION TO ME IS A MAJOR MAJOR PROBLEM. FORD BREAKS IT DOWN INTO DOLLARS AND CENTS.*AK

AFTER 18 MONTHS OF PROPER OPERATION, THE AUTOMATIC HEATER/AC TEMPERATURE CONTROL STARTED TO MALFUNCTION ON MY VEHICLE. WHEN STARTED FROM A COLD START, THE INTERIOR TEMPERATURE IS MAINTAINED AT A COMFORTABLE 77 TO 78 DEGREES. AS TIME PASSES, IT IS NECESSARY TO KEEP INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE UNTIL AFTER AN HOUR HAS PASSED, THE SETTING IS AT 85 DEGREES AND IT IS STILL TOO COLD. THE NEXT SETTING IS 90 DEGREES WHICH IS FULL HEAT TO CAR. IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG FOR THE HEAT TO RUN YOU OUT. THEN IT HAS TO BE SET BACK TO 85 DEGREES. THIS IS NOT ONLY ANNOYING AND UNCOMFORTABLE, IT IS UNSAFE, BECAUSE WHILE DRIVING, I HAVE TO CONTINUALLY MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS. THE PROBLEM IS A PERMANENT ONE; IT DOES NOT COME AND GO. HAD IT BACK TO DEALER 4 TIMES, MOST OF THE TIME THEY RAN THE CAN IN THE HEATED AND AIR CONDITIONED SHOP AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. AT MY LAST TIME TO THE DEALER, THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD SPENT ALL THE TIME AND MONEY THEY WERE GOING TO ON MY VEHICLE UNLESS THEY COULD COME UP WITH AN ERROR CODE. THEY SHOWED ME HOW TO READ THE ERROR CODE BUT THERE IS NO ERROR CODE. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE CABIN MODULE IS HEATING UP WITH OPERATION, OR CHANGING FOR SOME OTHER REASON. THE SYSTEM DID NOT OPERATE LIKE THIS FOR THE FIRST 18 MONTHS LIFE OF THE CAR AND SHOULD NOT NOW. FORD APPARENTLY CANNOT SOLVE A PROBLEM WITHOUT AN ERROR CODE. AGAIN, IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM TO ME AS WELL A COMFORT PROBLEM. THE ACTUAL DATE THAT IT STARTED IS APPROXIMATE. THE VERY POOR TEMPERATURE CONTROL ACCOUNTS FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE LOW MILEAGE ON THE CAR. MY LITTLE MERCURY TRACER IS ABLE TO KEEP US VERY COMFORTABLE AND WARM AND COST A WHOLE LOT LESS. *AK

1) SUDDEN NO WARNING, 2) ACCELERATOR CABLE BROKE, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A BUSY INTERSTATE HWY (I-96)DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE DE-ACCELERATED RATHER QUICKLY. I AVOIDED AN OTHERWISE FATAL ENDING BY TURNING INTO ONCOMING, RIGHT LANE TRAFFIC, AND MAKING IT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. 3) THE DEALERSHIP WAS EAGER TO REPLACE THE BROKEN CABLE, AT A COST TO ME OF $260.00. YES I DO HAVE THE ORIGINAL (BROKEN CABLE) IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO INSPECT IT. THANK YOU. *AK