MERCURY Complaints

AFTER GETTING UP TO CRUISING SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR WOULD CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE EVEN WHEN I STOPPED GIVING IT GAS. I DISCONNECTED THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE AND THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM, BUT NOW I CAN'T USE MY CRUISE CONTROL. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, GAS PEDAL WAS STUCK DOWN TO FLOOR, RPM AND SPEEDOMETER CONTROLS WERE AT THE MAXIMUM AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP. VEHICLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE SO I DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL SLOWING THE VEHICLE DOWN ENOUGH TO SHIFT IT INTO PARK AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. A PASSERBY STOPPED BY AND TAPED THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE BACK TOGETHER. *TR

WITHOUT APPLYING PRESSURE TO ACCELERATOR, THE CAR ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. NEEDED TO APPLY BRAKES COMPLETELY AND PUT TRANS IN NEUTRAL TO STOP CAR. *TR

I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON US31 JUST NORTH OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN. I WAS GOING 70 MPH WHEN WITH NO WARNING THE CAR (2003 MERCURY SABLE) LOST DRIVE TRAIN POWER AND WAS SUDDENLY ONLY COASTING. I HAD TO PULL OF ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. ALSO I HAD MY THREE ADULT AUTISTIC CHILDREN WITH ME, AND THEY ALL GOT EXTREMELY NERVOUS SITTING AT THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AS THE PASSING CARS WERE MAKING OUR VEHICLE MOVE FROM THE AIR CURRENTS. I WAS VERY CONCERNED ONE OF THEM MIGHT TRY AND JUMP FROM THE CAR FROM PANIC. AS FOR THE CAR ITSELF, I THOUGHT MAYBE THE SERPENTINE BELT HAS BROKE BUT WHEN I CHECKED IT WAS OKAY. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN GEAR AND NOTHING... NO FORWARD OR REVERSE, NO MOVEMENT AT ALL. SO I CALLED MY FATHER WHO WAS FORTUNATELY THERE WITHIN HALF AN HOUR (OR WITH MY KIDS IT COULD HAVE BEEN A REALLY BAD SITUATION) AND HE RESCUED US AND I HAD A WRECKER TOW THE CAR HOME. I CALLED SEVERAL TRANSMISSION SHOPS WHO ALL TOLD ME IT IS A VERY COMMON TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AS WELL AS THE FORD TAURUS. THEY PRETTY MUCH ALL TOLD ME IT SHOULD BE REBUILT AS THE NEW PARTS ARE BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL BECAUSE THE NEW PARTS ARE REPLACING PARTS FORD KNOWS THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH. EVEN A MECHANIC AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THESE VEHICLES HAVE TRANNY TROUBLES. MY CAR HAS 157,000 MILES SO I GUESS I SHOULD FEEL LUCKY AFTER READING INTERNET POSTS OF MANY OF THESE CARS DOING TO SAME THING WITH UNDER 50,000 MILES. I THINK IT IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED WITH THE TRANNY JUST QUITTING LIKE THAT IF SOMEONE HASN'T ALREADY. CANT IMAGINE BEING ON A ROAD WITH NO SHOULDER IN EXTREME HEAVY TRAFFIC AND I SURE DON'T HAVE THE $1200 TO $3200 TO GET IT REPAIRED.. FORD SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO FIX THIS OBVIOUS BAD TRANSMISSION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY COUGAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V421000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT COMPLETE THE REPAIR BECAUSE SHE HAD NOT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM FAILED AND SHE ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BUT THE PARTS NEEDED FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE PARTS HAD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,000. UPDATED 12/06/12*LJ UPDATED 12/07/2012 *JS

TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, REACHED A SPEED OF 65, " STOP SAFELY NOW " WARNING SHOWED UP ON THE ELECTRONIC DASH. SAW THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME. SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

MY 2001 MERCURY SABLE ACCELERATED AS I ENTERED THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP EVEN WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKE. I CALLED 911. THE 911 OPERATOR SUGGESTED THAT I APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE WHICH I DID. I WENT ABOUT 15 MILES RIDING THE SHOULDER GOING BETWEEN 60-70 MILES PER HOUR. I EVENTUALLY EXITED THE HIGHWAY BUT COULD NOT STOP EVEN AT THE END OF THE EXIT RAMP. I MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN. AT THIS POINT I HAD REDUCED MY SPEED TO APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES PER HOUR. THE CAR EVENTUALLY LANDED IN A DITCH. AT THAT POINT, I ENDED MY CALL WITH 911. I LOOKED TO MY LEFT AND FOUND FOUR MEN YELLING TO ME TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. I THEN LEARNED THAT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. I EXITED THE CAR. THE FOUR MEN PUT THE FIRE OUT WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A MERCURY DEALERSHIP WHERE IT IS DOCUMENTED THAT IT WAS IN FACT THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE THAT CAUSED THE CAR TO ACCELERATE. AGAIN, BETWEEN THE 911 CALL, THE INFORMATION ON FILE WITH THE MERCURY DEALER AND THE INSURANCE CLAIM, THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT IS DOCUMENTED. *TR

VEHICLE NEEDED A RADIATOR. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND CONTINUES TO LEAK ANTIFREEZE CAUSING VEHICLE TO OVER HEAT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

MY WIFE WAS TAKING OUR 6-YR DAUGHTER TO DAISY SCOUTS WHEN AT A BUSY THREE-WAY STOP SIGN, WITHOUT WARNING SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD OR TAKE ANY POWER FROM THE STILL RUNNING ENGINE. COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSS OF ALL ABILITY TO PUT VEHICLE INTO ANY GEAR, INCLUDING REVERSE. HAD TO BE PUSHED OFF TO THE SIDE OF ROAD BY HELPFUL STRANGERS WHO EXITED THEIR CARS TO ASSIST MY WIFE. WE ARE METHODICAL ABOUT SERVICING OUR VEHICLES AT THE DEALERSHIP. NO CLUES OR INDICATIONS OF ANY TRANSMISSION TROUBLE BEFORE THIS OCCURRED. CAUSED A TRAFFIC BACK-UP BEHIND HER WITH OTHER CARS HONKING AND SWIFTLY PULLING OUT FROM BEHIND HER AND PASSING HER. COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS FOR HER, AND ANYONE ASSISTING HER, IF IT HAD HAPPENED TO HER ON BUSY BRIDGE, TUNNEL OR INTERSTATE AT SPEED. *TR