1997 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

DURING RAINY WEATHER, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE SPLASHES WATER INTO THE ENGINE FAN BELT ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE FAN BELT TO SLIP AND SQUEAL. THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILS TO TURN RESULTING IN HARD STEERING AND LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, THE GENERATOR FAILS TO TURN RESULTING IN BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATION. THE RIGHT FRONT WHEELWELL BAFFLE ASSEMBLY INSTALLED BY THE MFG DOES NOT ADEQUATELY SHIELD THE FAN BELT ASSEMBLY FROM RAIN WATER INTRUSION. A TEMPORARY, THOUGHT INADEQUATE FIX, IS TO APPLY "BELT DRESSING" TO THE FAN BELT. REF COMPLAINT #551260. *AK

I HAVE HAD 5 OCCURRENCES OF ENGINE SURGING WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN AND APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE SURGE IS SO STRONG THAT THE BRAKES MUST BE REPEATEDLY PRESSED DOWN HARD TO STOP AND HELD DOWN TO THEIR MAXIMUM CAPABILITY. IN 3 OF THE 5 OCCURRENCES IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, REAR END COLLISIONS WERE AVOIDED BY MERE INCHES. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE BUT IT WOULD NOT SHIFT. *NLM

AT ABOUT 100,000 EASY HIGHWAY MILES, WE HAD TO REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER, THEN THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION, PLUS FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS MINOR ENGINE REPAIRS TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $350 EVERY OTHER MONTH, THE WINDOW WON'T GO DOWN ANYMORE, AND NOW--4 MONTHS AFTER THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT--WE HAVE LOST OVERDRIVE AND THE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON, AGAIN! WE HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR WITH THIS MANY PROBLEMS, AND WILL NEVER BUY A FORD/MERCURY ANYTHING AGAIN. OUR SUBURBAN WAS MORE RELIABLE. *NLM

NAR 04/01/2003. THE SPEED SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 5 TIMES WITHIN 6 YEARS. WHEN THE SPEED SENSOR FAILED, IT CAUSED THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE TO GO TO ZERO WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL MOVING. THE GEARS CHANGED RANDOMLY AND THE STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT. *JB

ABOUT A YEAR BACK I HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEM ON MY SABLE AT 70,000 MILES. IT WOULD MOVE IN REVERSE BUT NO FORWARD MOTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AT COTTMAN TRANSMISSION AT THE COST OF OVER $2000 AND LOSS OF VEHICLE USE FOR A WEEK. A MONTH LATER, IT FAILED WITH EXACTLY SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. IT WAS TOWED TO THE SAME FACILITY AND REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY IN FOUR DAYS. SIX MONTHS LATER, AND EXACTLY A MONTH AFTER THE WARRANTY ON REPAIR WORK EXPIRED (74,000 MILES), THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO VISIBLY DOWN SHIFT WHILE DRIVING (AT ALL SPEEDS). TOOK IT BACK TO REPAIR FACILITY - WAS TOLD IT'S INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS - ONCE AGAIN! I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. I CAN'T AFFORD TO WASTE 4,000 ON TRANSMISSION JOBS ON THIS CAR WHEN IT'S NOT EVEN WORTH THAT MUCH. I SCANNED THROUGH THE OTHER COMPLAINTS AND FOUND SOME OTHER INSTANCES WHEN THIS TRANSMISSION HAD GIVEN PROBLEMS TO OWNERS. JUST WONDERING HOW MANY DISSATISFIED OWNERS WOULD IT TAKE FOR FORD TO REALIZE THAT THERE IS A "REAL" PROBLEM WITH THEIR SABLE/MERCURY TRANSMISSIONS! I HAD TWO FORD TAURUS'S IN THE PAST, AND THIS IS THIRD FROM FORD FAMILY. I AM GOING TO STOP SPENDING MONEY ON FORD CARS IF THIS IS THE LEVEL OF QUALITY THAT I GET FOR MY MONEY.

HIGH BRAKE LIGHT LENS ON 97 MERCURY SABLE STATION WAGON CAME OFF. IN DISCUSSION WITH CO-WORKER HE MENTIONED THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS MODEL. HE THOUGHT THE LENS WAS GLUED ON THE ASSEMBLY. ENTIRE ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $150.00. *JB

MY HUSBAND AND I OWN A 1993 MERCURY SABLE WAGON. WE PURCHASED IT USED 3 YEARS AGO. IT CURRENTLY HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT. AT APPROXIMATELY. 43,000 MILES ( A MONTH AGO) IT BLEW THE HEAD GASKET. I AM AWARE THAT FORD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON 1994-1996 MODELS OF THE FORD TAURUS AND MERCURY SABLE FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. MY FORD DEALER STATED TO US THAT THIS HEAD GASKET BLOWING HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT PROBLEM ON THE 3.8 ENGINES, WHICH OURS HAS. IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT FORD IS VERY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND CHOSE TO DO NOTHING ABOUT IT FOR OWNERS OF 1993 CARS. I FEEL IS WAS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP THESE CUSTOMERS FINANCIALLY--WE JUST SPENT $1700 FOR THIS REPAIR. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT WAS MONEY WE DIDN'T HAVE. WHY HASN'T THIS PROBLEM BEEN ADDRESSED WITH THE 1993 MODELS WITH THE 3.8 ENGINE BEFORE THIS? FORD SUGGESTED THAT I ADDRESS THIS WITH YOUR AGENCY. *JB

I PURCHASED A 1997 MERCURY SABLE IN JULY 1977 FROM DON JACKSON SPARTAN LINCOLN MERCURY DEALER. I HAVE HAD CONTINUOUS TROUBLE WITH THE TRANSMISSION, THE BRAKES, THE "PLASTIC" BUCKET HOLDING RESERVE ANTIFREEZE (CRACKED AND LEAKED ANTIFREEZE) AND NOW THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO WORK (INTERMITTENTLY AND STEADILY). WHEN I CONTACTED DON JACKSON LINCOLN-MERCURY AT THOSE TIMES WHEN THE PARTS ACTED UP TO ASK THEM IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY RECALLS OR PROBLEMS (AND I CITED EACH AREA EACH TIME I CALLED), I WAS TOLD THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS REPORTED IN ANY OF THESE AREAS WITH THE 97 SABLE. I FOUND THERE ON THE INTERNET THAT THERE ARE MANY. I HAVE PAID $2000 FOR THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR, $550 FOR BRAKES, $80 FOR THE ANTIFREEZE BUCKET, AND WENT TO PURCHASE A WIPER MOTOR ($85) WHEN I WAS TOLD BY THE AUTO STORE CLERK TO CHECK THE INTERNET, WHICH I AM NOW DOING. I FIND THAT JACKSON SPARTAN L/M DEALER HAS NOT BEEN HONEST WITH ME AND I WAS NOT NOTIFIED BY DON JACKSON SPARTAN L/M OF THESE FALLACIES. WHAT CAN I DO?

THE MOST RECENT PROBLEMS ARE ELECTRICAL IN NATURE. FIRST, ALL OF THE PASSENGER POWER WINDOWS HAVE FAILED. THEY CAN ONLY BE CONTROLLED BY THE DRIVER SIDE PANEL. SECOND, EVEN THOUGH ALL OF THE DOORS ARE SECURELY CLOSED, THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHT WILL REMAIN ON BETWEEN 20 SECONDS AND SEVERAL HOURS. THERE WERE OCCASIONS WHEN THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON BY ITSELF WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY TO WORK. AN AUDIBLE CLICKING NOISE COULD BE HEARD FROM UNDER THE DASH. THE CLICK IS SIMILAR TO THE SOUND MADE WHEN MANUALLY OPERATING THE SWITCH. THIRD, THIS STARTED ON SUNDAY, 01/19/03, THE HEADLIGHTS WILL TURN ON AND OFF BY THEMSELVES WHILE THE VEHICLE IS OFF AND THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH IS OFF. ADDITIONALLY, WITH THE CAR RUNNING AND THE DAYTIME LIGHTS ONLY, THE HIGHBEAM INDICATOR CAME ON. WHEN I TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON, THE INDICATOR WENT OFF. WHEN I TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS OFF, THE HIGHBEAM INDICATOR CAME BACK ON. THE HIGHBEAM INDICATOR EVENTUALLY TURNED OFF ON ITS OWN WITHIN 5 OR 10 MINUTES. PREVIOUS PROBLEMS HAVE INCLUDED FRONT END SUSPENSION RELATED FAILURES AND AN OIL PAN THAT SPRUNG A LEAK IN DECEMBER 2001 AT AROUND 78K MILES. THE OIL PAN SPRUNG ANOTHER LEAK IN DECEMBER 2002. THE SERVICE DEALER ATTRIBUTED THE LEAK TO THE SAME PROBLEM AND ANOTHER FAILURE WITH THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH. I AGREED TO THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH REPAIR AND TOLD THEM THAT IF THE OIL PAN GASKET FAILED A 2ND TIME (ORIGINAL CAUSE OF LEAK IN 2001), THAT IT WAS DUE TO POOR REPAIR WORK. THEY TIGHTENED THE BOLTS TO THE OIL PAN. THE WINTER WEATHER HAS HAMPERED MY EFFORTS TO CHECK FOR THE LEAK. ALTHOUGH I NO LONGER SMELL BURNING OIL.