2003 MERCURY SABLE Complaints

DRIVING ON I-25 NORTHBOUND, AT 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE, WITH MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR. WENT FROM 50 TO 65...STEPPED ON BRAKE, BRAKES SLOWED/STOPPED THE ACCELERATION...PULLED OFF AT THE FIRST EXIT RAMP. LOOKED UNDER HOOD, FOR ANYTHING NOT CORRECT...NOTHING VISUALLY DETECTED. DID THIS ONE MORE TIME...3 DAYS LATER. HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED SINCE. *TR

I WENT TO LEAVE FROM A LOCAL PARK ON A SATURDAY EVENING, BUT MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF PARK. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER SHOWED ME A TRICK HOW TO GET THE VEHICLE TO START, BY TURNING THE IGNITION KEY EVER SO SLIGHTLY AND THEN TRYING TO MOVE THE SHIFTER TO NEUTRAL. ONCE IN NEUTRAL I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE HOME. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR ALMOST A WEEK BY STARTING IN NEUTRAL, I WAS STOPPED ON THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY BY POLICE. I WAS INFORMED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY WORKING BRAKE LIGHTS. I DROVE HOME AND LOOKED ON THE INTERNET IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE. WELL, THERE WAS A RECALL DONE IN 2004 (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: RQ03008), BUT I WAS INFORMED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY THAT MY VEHICLE BASED ON ITS VIN WAS NOT APART OF THE RECALL. I REQUESTED TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR AND WAS INSTRUCTED THAT SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT ME ON THAT FOLLOWING MONDAY. I WAS INDEED CONTACTED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND INFORMED AGAIN, THAT BASED ON MY VIN, THAT I DID NOT QUALIFY AS A PART OF THE RECALL. I WAS TOLD IF MORE COMPLAINTS WERE MADE, THEN SOMETHING COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE. I TOLD THE FORD REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WAS NOT INTERESTED IN HAVING MY VEHICLE REPAIRED AS I HAD THE REPAIR DONE BASED ON THE RECALL INFORMATION FOR APPROXIMATELY $50. THE ISSUE WAS EXACTLY AS IT WAS DESCRIBED ON THE NHTSA'S WEBSITE, MOTORTREND AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY'S. THE REPAIR TOOK APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE FUNCTIONING. MY CONCERN IS THAT FOR ALMOST A WEEK I DROVE WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS IN A VEHICLE WHERE I DRIVE AROUND WITH MY WIFE, A TODDLER, AND AN INFANT AND AT ANY POINT I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS 10 YEARS OLD, IT WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT DIMINISH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOSS OF LIFE FROM THIS DETECT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH AND LET UP ON THE GAS WHEN I REALIZED I WAS IN A 30 MPH ZONE. I DROVE ABOUT FIVE MORE BLOCKS WITHOUT TOUCHING THE THROTTLE AND THE CAR NEVER SLOWED UNTIL I APPLIED THE BRAKES DUE TO COMING TO A STOPLIGHT. THIS WAS ON LEVEL GROUND. SINCE THEN THE CAR WILL NOT SLOW DOWN WITHOUT USING THE BRAKES. I HAVE DRIVEN OVER 5 MILES AT ONE TIME AT 60 MPH WITHOUT THE CAR SLOWING TO LESS THAN 58 MPH. WHEN I TAKE IT OUT OF GEAR TO HELP ME SLOW DOWN THE ENGINE REVS UP AND THEN VERY SLOWLY IDLES DOWN. OCCASIONALLY THE ENGINE WILL SLOW AND THEN DIE WHEN SITTING AT STOP LIGHTS. MY BRAKES WERE WORKED ON 3 MONTHS AGO BUT ARE FEELING LIKE THEY NEED TO BE REPAIRED DUE TO SHAKING WHEN I HAVE TO BRAKE HARD TO STOP THE CAR. *TT

I OWN A 2003 MERCURY SABLE, AND APPROXIMATELY BACK IN 2010 I EXPERIENCED MY FIRST FAILURE OF THE BLOWER RESISTOR MOTOR. THEN ONE MONTH LATER I EXPERIENCED ANOTHER FAILURE, BEING UNDER WARRANTY THEY REPLACED IT, ANOTHER MONTH GOES BY AND YET ANOTHER FAILURE, TAKE IT BACK AND WE TRIED TO FIGURE WHY IT WAS FAILING. WE THEN COME UP MY CAR WAS MAINLY GARAGED, AND I RARELY DRIVE IN THE RAIN. ON THE THREE DIFFERENT DATES OF FAILURE WE WERE EXPERIENCING HEAVY RAIN THAT I HAD DRIVEN IN AND UPON THE NEXT DAY OR TWO GOING OUT IT FAILED. THEY THEN PUT SILICONE AROUND AND NEAR EVERYTHING. NOW IT IS MAY OF 2012 AND I EXPERIENCE ANOTHER FAILURE, DOING SOME OF MY OWN INVESTIGATING I AM SHOCKED TO KNOW THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR 2001 - 2004 FORD TAURUS AND MERCURY SABLE CARS. AND THERE IS A TSB 04-15-3 ON HOW TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. TO ME THIS IS A VERY POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD SINCE WHEN THE WATER COMES INTO CONTACT WITH LIVE ELECTRICITY TO CAUSE THE BLOW OUT CAN INDEED CAUSE A SHOCK OR EVEN DAMAGE THE BLOWER MOTOR. AND IF A PERSON FOOT HAPPENS TO BE IN THE AREA WHEN THE SHORT HAPPENS THEY COULD GET AN UNEXPECTED JOLT AND GET HURT. THIS SHOULD BE A MANDATORY RECALL EVENT FOR THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE WAGON. THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR LIFTGATE HINGE FRACTURED WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW GLASS TO SEPARATE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 175,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD UNTIL THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT STOPPED AND SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE MAINTAINED A SPEED OF 50 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS NOT BEING DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE THROTTLE CASE ASSEMBLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 177,400 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 192,431.

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR. CAME TO A STOP AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE. THE CAR STARTED OUT OK AND THE MPH REACHED 15MPH AND THEN THERE WAS NOTHING. IT WAS LIKE THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. I HAD TO COAST OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HAD T HAVE THE CAR TOWED HOME. SPOKE WITH SEVERAL FORD DEALERSHIPS SERVICE MECHANICS AND EVERYONE OF THEM SAID THAT THEY WERE ALMOST 100% THAT IT WAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER (INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION). AND COULD ALSO BE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR WONT GO INTO GEAR. YOU CAN MOVE THE GEARSHIFT FLAWLESSLY THRU THE GEARS AND NOTHING THE CAR WONT MOVE. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY EVERY FORD MECHANIC THAT THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THAT YEAR OF CAR AND THAT TRANSMISSION (AX4N). THEN TO FIND OUT THAT FORD KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM AND NO RECALL! THEN I FIND OUT TODAY THAT FORD ISSUED A RECALL ON THE FORD WINDSTAR FOR THE TRANSMISSIONS (WHICH ARE THE SAME TRANSMISSIONS THAT ARE IN THE SABLE AND IN THE FORD TAURUS, THE MODEL # TRANNY AX4N). IF FORD CAN ISSUE A RECALL ON THE WINDSTAR FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE SABLE AND TAURUS WHY CANT THEY ISSUE A RECALL ON ALL OF THEM? THE COST TO FIX MY SABLE IS ANYWHERE FROM $1300 TO $1800 AND THAT'S IF ITS ONLY THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND NOT THE WHOLE TRANNY WHICH WOULD COST IN THE $3500 TO $4500 RANGE. AND BOTH QUOTES ARE COMING FROM FORD MECHANICS WHO HAVE DONE NUMEROUS SABLES ETC WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER AND DEFINITELY DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO HAVE MY CAR FIXED!!!! APPARENTLY THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND I FEEL ALONG WITH SO MANY OTHERS THAT FORD SHOULD DO A RECALL AND FIX IT FOR FREE!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY RECALL THE WINDSTAR FOR THE SAME TRANNY AND SAME PROBLEM! THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND FORD SHOULD ADDRESS IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT. BECAUSE AS OF RIGHT NOW I SIT WITHOUT A CAR. I HAVE HAD OTHER FORD CARS AND NEVER A PROBLEM THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I PURCHASED THIS ONE. IF I WOULD ONLY KNEW..... *TR

BACKING UP LESS THAN 5 MPH--ALL AT ONCE HEARD A POP, THE CAR STOPPED MOVING AND WHOOSHING AIR. GOT OUT OF CAR-- DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE WAS FLAT. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE SPRING HAD BROKEN AND PUNCTURED THE TIRE. LUCKILY, IT HAPPENED AT HOME-- NOT WHEN MY STUDENT DRIVER WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH OR MORE. OVER 2,400 CASES REPORTED AS OF JUNE 30, 2011-- YET, NO ONE HAS DIED OR BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED YET-- SO NO RECALL. IF I HAD BEEN ON THE ROAD-- IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS. THE SPRING WEDGED INTO THE TIRE AND STOPPED THE MOVEMENT OF THE CAR-- NO WAY WOULD I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STEER AND GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. I HOPE THEY REOPEN THIS INVESTIGATION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD INVOLUNTARILY ACCELERATE WHILE AT COMPLETE STOPS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A SENSOR THAT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000. UPDATED 04/10/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED, IT WOULD RUN AT A HIGH RATE ABOVE IDLE. IT WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE ENGINE WARMED UP. THE CONSUMER STATED THE IDLE SPEED CAN NOT BE REGULATED. UPDATED 04/13/12