1999 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT IMPACT COLLISION AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ALTHOUGH BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE WEARING SEATBELTS, THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY DID NOT LOCK RESULTING IN FORWARD MOTION, WHICH CAUSED THE OCCUPANTS TO STRIKE THE DASH PANEL AREA. MINOR INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE HAD MODERATE DAMAGE. THE POLICE WERE ON THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER.

NOISY POWER STEERING PUMP & LOSS POWER STEERING. THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND STEERING RACK AND PINION WERE REPLACED ON OUR 1999 SABLE WHEN IT HAD 56,000 MILES. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE HEATER DID NOT WORK. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE HEATER CORE WAS BLOCKED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN FIXED DUE TO REPAIR EXPENSE.*AK

THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER TURNS ON BY ITSELF, SOMETIMES IT ONLY GOES ON ONCE AND OTHER TIMES IT WILL DO IT FOR A FEW TIMES. IT USED TO ONLY HAPPEN ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS, NOW THERE ARE DAYS THAT IT HAPPENS EVERY FEW MINUTES. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER YET, BECAUSE I WANT TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TO SEE IF IT WILL BECOME A RECALL OR NOT (SINCE OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM). *JB

1999 MERCURY SABLE LS VIN - [XXX] CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW FROM COPPER COUNTRY FORD 12/16/98 WARRANTY - 36,000 MILES / 6 YEARS ----------------------------------------------- AT APPROX 36,095 MILES OCT 2004 I HAD TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION STEERING. SEEING AS HOW I WAS OVER THE WARRANTY, I CALLED THE FORD MO. CO AND ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY WOULD DO. TOWN & COUNTRY FORD (LOCAL FORD DEALER IN MY TOWN) SAID THEY WOULD CHARGE ME FOR THE LABOR ONLY. APRIL 11, 2005 WITH APPROX 38,000 MILES IT STARTED TO LEAK OIL. I TOOK IT TO TOWN & COUNTRY AND THEY SAID IT NEEDED A NEW OIL PAN GASKET. THEY REPAIRED IT AT MY EXPENSE. APPROX A MONTH LATER, IT WAS LEAKING AGAIN. TOOK IT IN, AND THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT... OIL PAN GASKET NEEDED SOME TWEEKING, SO THEY SAID. I TOOK IT TO HAVE ITS NORMAL 3000 MI OIL CHECK DAYS LATER, AND THE MAN WHO LOOKED AT MY ENGINE SAID THE FAN BELT WAS SHREDDED, AND COULD NOT BELIEVE SOMEONE WAS WORKING ON MY ENGINE DAYS PRIOR AND DID NOT FIX IT OR TELL ME ABOUT IT. I HAD THE FAN BELT REPLACED. OCT 13, 2005 MY CAR IS STILL LEAKING OIL. I TOOK IT TO TOWN & COUNTRY FORD, AND NOW THEY TELL ME I NEED A NEW ENGINE.....BECAUSE THE BLOCK IS CRACKED. I ASKED IF MAYBE THE OIL LEAK THAT HAD STARTED IN APRIL MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE CRACKED BLOCK, TO WHICH I NEVER GOT AN ANSWER. WHEN I ASKED WHY THE BLOCK WAS CRACKED, THE ANSWER I GOT WAS "ITS MADE OF ALUMINUM, AND SOMETIMES THESE THINGS HAPPEN." CURRENT MILEAGE IS APPROX 40,000. I JUST CALLED THE FORD MOTOR CO AND THEY SAID THERE ARE NO PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CAR TO HELP ME AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I REALIZE THAT IM OVER MILEAGE, AND THAT IM OVER THE WARRANTY....BUT I HAVE REPLACED THE RACK AND PINION AND NOW I HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE? [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] *NM UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

CONSUMER HAD COIL SPRING SHIELDS INSTALLED UNDER SAFETY RECALL, VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A LOUD NOISE WHEN HITTING A DIP. *TS THE SHIELDS THAT WERE INSTALLED UNDER THE RECALL WAS CAUSING THE NOISE, SO THEREFORE THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THAT THE DEALER REMOVE THEM. ONCE THEY WERE REMOVED, THE NOISE STOPPED. THE DEALER DID ADVISE THE CONSUMER THAT DRIVING WITHOUT THE SHIELDS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. *JB

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR STARTED SMOKING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THEN THE SMOKE STARTED COMING INSIDE THE CAR FROM THE DASHBOARD. AFTER THAT THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD AND THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. ALMOST EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD BURNED UP. THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE. *NM

CONSUMER REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST REGARDING THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE 1999 MERCURY SABLE ABS MODULE.*MR THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM FIRST BEGAN WHEN THE BRAKES WERE MAKING A CLUNKING NOISE AND STICKING WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES WAS NOT DIAGNOSED PROPERLY WHICH LED TO UNNECESSARY COSTLY BRAKE REPAIR BILLS. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 04517 FROM FORD IN AUGUST 2004. TRIED LAST YEAR TO HAVE RECALL REPAIRS DONE, BUT FORD INFORMED THE CONSUMER THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS IN. NOW, THEY HAVE THE PARTS AND WANTED TO CHARGE THE CONSUMER FOR THE PARTS THAT HAVE TO BE TAKEN OFF. RECEIVED ANOTHER POSTCARD IN MAY 2005 SAYING THAT THE DEALER COULD NOW ORDER THE PARTS. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER ON AUGUST 22, 2005 BECAUSE THEY JUST GOT THE PARTS FOR THE VEHICLE. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, THEY SAID THE LINKAGE WERE NOT PART OF THE RECALL, BUT HAD TO REMOVE THE OLD COIL SPRINGS ORDER TO PUT THE NEW ONES ON. *AK

TOTAL CASASTROPIC BRAKE FAIURE. WITH MY WIFE DRIVING WE ENCOUNTERED A TOLL PLAZA ON THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY IN NEW JERSEY. MY WIFE ATTEMPED TO SLOW THE CAR AND AT THAT POINT EXCLAIMED, "I HAVE NO BRAKES"....WE WENT THOUGH THE TOLL BOOTHS AND STOPPED THE CAR ABOUT 100 FEET AWAY USING THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE. I OPENED THE HOOD, AND CHECKED THE LEVEL OF BRAKE FLUID, IT WAS FULL. I GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL AND STARTED THE CAR AND PUT IT IN DRIVE. I TOO FOUND THE BRAKE PEDAL ON 'ON THE FLOOR' WITH NO STOPPING POWER, EVEN AT LOW CRAWL/IDLE SPEED. I AGAIN STOPPED THE CAR USING THE ONLY MEANS, THE PARKING BRAKE. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED USING A NEW JERSEY AUTHORIZED TOW COMPANY TO THEIR FACILITIES. THEY CHEKED THE CAR, DROVE IT, PULLED ALL FOUR WHEELS AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. THEY TEST DROVE THE CAR AND FOUND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE MY PROBLEM, BRAKES WORKED NORMALLY. WE DROVE HOME ABOUT 150 MILES USING CAUTION AND THE BRAKES WORKED NORMALLY AS THEY ARE WORKING NOW. WE ARE TWO MATURE, WELL EXPERIENCED DRIVERS, AND I AM IN THE AUTO PARTS/REPAIR BUSINESS. I KNOW WITH CERTAINTY THAT I HAD NO BRAKES AT THE TOLL PLAZA, AND MY WIFE CONFIRMS THAT. BRAKE PEDAL WAS ON THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT EVEN HOLD THE CAR STILL AT IDLE SPEED. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG, BUT IT IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY DANGERIOUS DEFECT, WHICH CAN CAUSE MANY FATALITIES. THERE SHOULD BE REDUNDANTCY IN THE BRAKKE SYSTEM AND THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, WHATEVER THE REASON. THE CAR IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION IF NECESSARY. I HAVE NOT DECIDED ON A FURTHER COURSE OF ACTION AT THIS POINT. THANK YOU