1993 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

ENTIRE VEHICLE STARTS TO VIBRATE UNCONTROLLABLY. DEALER DENIED PROBLEM. AK SCC ***DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS****751026

THE CAR STALLS BOTH WHEN BEING DRIVEN AND WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC OR AT A STOP LIGHT. THERE IS NO ADVANCED WARNING AND THE CAR DOES NOT SEEM TO BE OVERHEATING WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS, BUT IT OCCURS MORE FREQUENTLY ON HOT DAYS.*AK

THE ENGINE OVERHEATED..HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER.THEY FINALLY FOUND A LEAK IN THE HEADGASKET.THEY DID NOT MENTION THAT THIS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE 3.8 ENGINE. I LATER WROTE TO FORD MOTOR CO. DIRECTOR OF VEHICLE SERVICE,STATING THE PROBLEM I HAD WITH THE ENGINE REFERED TO A NEWS ITEM THAT SAID FORD WAS EXTENDING THE ENGINE WARRANTY ON THE 3.8 ENGINES TO INCLUDE THE 1994 AND 1995 MODELS. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE 1993 MODELS WERE NOT INCLUDED. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE READ THE LONG LIST OF COMPLAINTS FROM 1993 MERCURY OWNERS ON YOUR WEBSITE....THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH THE 1993 3.8 ENGINE! A MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT HE BELIEVED THAT FORD (MERCURY) WAS NOW TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM(REIMBURSING REAIR COSTS)......IS THIS TRUE? I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY UPDATED INFORMATION YOU COULD SEND ME ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.*AK

THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED FROM A MERCURY DEALERSHIP AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR REPAIRS OVER 30 TIMES. THE ENGINE HAS ALWAYS RAN HOT WITH THE TEMPERATURE NEAR OR AT THE RED LINE. DEALERSHIP SAYS THIS IS NORMAL AND NOT A PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE EXCESSIVE HEAT CONSTANTLY BOILS OUT THE ENGINE COOLANT AND HAS CAUSED EXCESSIVE WEAR INSIDE THE COOLANT LINES WITH FAILIURES ABOVE THE THERMOSTAT, AND ABOVE THE ENGINE AT THE FIREWALL, AND OF THE UPPER AND LOWER HOSES, AS WELL AS TWO THERMOSTATS. THE EXCESSIVE HEAT HAS ALSO PREVENTED PROPER COOLING OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WHICH HAS RESULTED IN SHIFTING PROBLEMS AND EVENTUAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE MOTOR MOUNTS ON THIS VEHICLE HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT LEAST 8 TIMES (WE HAVE AN INTERNAL LETTER FROM FORD THAT INDICATES THEY KNOW THE MOUNTS ARE DEFECTIVE AND WILL REPLACE THEM FOR FREE IF THE OWNER HAS THIS LETTER). THE ENGINE OIL LIGHT IS NOW BEGINNING TO FLICKER AND THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY, AGAIN. THE VALVE COVER AND TIMING COVER GASKETS WERE REPLACED 5,000 MILES AGO BECAUSE THEY WERE LEAKING OIL ONTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND EXHAUST SYSTEM, WHICH CAUSED CONSTANT BURNING ODOR AND SMOKE. I BELIEVE THIS VEHICLE, AND ALL MODELS OF IT WITH THE SAME ENGINE, POSES A SERIOUS FIRE AND ACCIDENT HAZARD DUE TO THE CONSTANT HIGH ENGINE TEMPERATURES WHICH ARE NOT NORMAL, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE MANUFACTURER SAYS. THE HIGH TEMPS ARE CAUSING TRANSMISSION FAILURES, GASKET FAILURES, COOLANT LINE FAILURES, AND SENSOR FAILURES (SEVERAL HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED ON OUR CAR). YOUR DATABASE SHOWS HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THE SABLE/TAURUS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED FOR ALL VERSIONS WITH THE 3.8 LITER ENGINE, NOT JUST A FEW SELECT YEARS, AND FORD NEEDS TO REIMBURSE ALL EXPENSES INCURRED BY THE OWNERS FOR ENGINE AND ENGINE COMPONENT REPAIRS. WE HAVE ALSO HAD WATER PUMP FAILURES, COMPUTER FAILURE, BRAKE FAILURE, STRUT FAILURE, REAR SUSPENSION FAILURE, CRUISE CONTROL LOCKUP WHICH PLACED THE ENGINE IN HIGH SPEED.

WHENEVER VEHICLE WAS IN OVERDRIVE, IT WOULD JERK AND THEN STALL OUT WHEN TURNING CORNERS. THIS CAUSED POWER STEERING TO LOCK UP. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED NOTHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT IT. VEHICLE WAS NOT RECALLED.*AK CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT HIS VEHICLES VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL, SO CONSUMER HAD THE HEAD GASKET AND THERMOSTAT REPLACED AND PAID FOR REPAIRS. TRANSMISSION IS NOW GOING OUT. RIGHT OUTER TIE ROD END REPLACED, WAS CAUSING A SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL. WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP FAILED AND CAUSED A LEAK. HEADLIGHT SWITCH FAILED. *SLC

SOMETIMES THE ABS BRAKES SEEM TO ACTUATE EVEN THOUGH THE ROAD IS DRY AND THE BRAKES ARE NOT APPLIED HARD. THE RATE OF ABS APPLICATION SEEMS MUCH LESS THAN NORMAL, 2-3/SEC RATHER THAN THE NORMAL 10/SEC. THE STOPPING DISTANCE IS INCREASED SO THAT THERE IS AN INCREASE IN CHANCE FOR AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE DISCONNECTED THE ABS SO THAT THE BRAKES ACT NORMALLY BUT WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF ABS WHICH MAY BE OK FOR THE SUMMER BUT HAVING ABS ON ICY WINTER ROADS WILL BE CRUCIAL TO AVOIDING ACCIDENTS.*AK

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 66MPH ON HIGHWAY, APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT SHE APPLIED BRAKES, AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THERE WAS NO BRAKE POWER. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ENIGNE BLEWOUT. VEHICLE WAS NON DRIVEABLE. HEAD GASKET COULD BE ONE OF REASONS. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *AK

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS JUMPING AND HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING INTO HIGHER GEARS. CONSUMER WAS ORIGINALLY INFORMED THAT THIS DEFECT WAS DUE TO BROKEN MOTOR MOUNTS. CONSUMER HAD MOTOR MOUNTS REPLACED. HOWEVER, TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS HAVE REMAINED.*AK CONSUMER WAS ADVISED THAT PROBLEM WAS A SPEED SENSOR, IT WAS REPAIRED .*JB

ENGINE HEAD GASKETS FAILED AT 49,000 AND AT 51,000 MOTOR MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACED, OIL PAN IS RUSTING FROM THE OUTSIDE AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT, STARTER HAS A CLIP TO ATTACH CONNECTION, COMES LOOSE AND MUST GET UNDER CAR TO RE-ATTACH (SOME ENGINEERING WIZ HERE) FRONT BODY MOUNT IS UNDER OIL FILTER AND WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED SOON. HAVE CONTACTED FORD AND THEY ARE HAPPY FOR MY BUSINESS, BUT ARE NOT GOING TO HELP