Mercury Sable Problems

baloo1 · September 2000

I am a recent purchaser of the 2000 sable. So far there have been some irregularities. The first was cosmetic...a speaker cover was damaged (and blown)upon delivery...second we took a stone in the windshield and had to have that replaced..funny thing is that I always heard a wind noise as if a window was always open. When I checked they were all closed up tight..then when they came to fix the front windscreen the glue used at the factory had been breached, there was a canal where the air came in and that was what caused the noise...third have the same issue with cruise not being constant fourth the SRS dummy light comes on and shutting down the car seems to reset the module (I don't know how long I'll tolerate this).
The car, otherwise runs well. It "feels" best at 80 MPH, the car is heavy and can take a hit if need be. I have all the amenities and enjoy each and every one of them.

lee77 · October 2000

My 99 Sable Vulcan 6 has a constant, subtle "high speed" vibration which is felt through the steering wheel and through my elbow when resting on the door. Same feeling as when using a hand-sander. Any similar experience? It is one of those problems that the dealer says "I don't feel anything."

harmar · October 2000

2806 -- I have a '99 GS with that engine. In Michigan, generally flat to mildly hilly roads, I get around 22 mpg in town and 28 freeway. A/C does not significantly alter those figures. With a tailwind, I've gotten as high as 31 freeway. I should mention that I don't try to run races at stop lights, and stay within 70 - 75 mph on freeways.

Question: What model is your '00, and do you have any problems with windy conditions pushing you around? My GS has no rear stabilizer bar, but one Edmund's poster had the same problem with a '99 LS, which does have one. If the '00 is better, I may look for a program car.

Thanks.

jaydoh · October 2000

Just bought the last 2000 GS off the lot locally. Turned 1,000 miles this week and doing well on mileage - with the Vulcan V6.

HOWEVER: Just moved back from Texas and noticed SIGNIFICANT improvement on mileage from ALL my vehicles (93 Colt Vista, 97 Transport, 97 BMW motorcycle). They are all getting 3 to 5 MPG better in Ohio than Houston, TX. Must be the heat.

Traded in the Transport on the Sable Wagon. (You can have my 93 Colt Vista when you pry my cold dead fingers from it!!!!) No where near the room, but we were downsizing. Looked at a lot of other vehicles, ultimately came down to fuel economy, safety, seating/cargo, and price. Got the Ford S Plan price, so the Sable won hands down there. Didn't want the LS because of all the problems I am reading about on the Duratech. Happy so far. I will continue to post as the mileage rolls up.

nikki15 · October 2000

Concerning the performance and gas mileage problems that us Duratec owners have experienced after have the PCM reprogrammed to the 00B38 specs, there might be a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I received a letter from Mercury today, 10/10/00, that states Ford recognizes that there may be a degradation in performance or driveability and they have put out another recall notice program number 00B55 to take care of this problem. Cool! Maybe I should reserve my opinions till I get it done and see what happens. Anybody else get one or did my phone call to Mercury put me at the top of the list?

greg32 · October 2000

I have not received anything, but I also have not noticed any degradation in performance or gas mileage since the reprogramming. I'm a little concerned about doing this second recall since it may mess up what is already working. Not to sound condescending but have you checked the air in the tires. The dealer may have adjusted the air in your tires using a bad gauge when your car was brought in for reprogramming. This would reduce gas mileage and performance.

steve244 · October 2000

I just purchased a 2000 Sable LS and the leather seats are stiff & the inside "foam" is very hard, making the car virtually undrivable...I test drove one with the side airbags in the front seats & picked the one next to it with the sunroof...
It now seems the seats are different & the Dealer & Ford will not replace the hard seats. Also, the lumbar when turned tightens the bottom of the bucket seat & the entire back of the seat; making the car undrivable...
Dealer & Ford, @ 800 #, will not replace the seats...
Does anybody have a suggestion? Need Help...
Thanks - Steve

nikki15 · October 2000

Concerning recall to Mercury Sable, Duratec engine. Thanks for the tip on tire pressure. That occurred to me about 2 weeks after I had the recall done. All the tires had 26-27 psi so I put them up to 30 psi with little success. I have some actual MPG numbers, before and after. I had the recall done when there was about 5000 miles on the car, 75% city, 25% highway. 19.5 MPG from the time the car was new in Feb. till June. Winter mileage is always a little lower in New England for me. I would have expected an increase in mileage after the car was broken in and the warmer weather. After recall, 20 MPG for the next 3500 miles. I would have expected more than that.
Everyone drives differently, I have a heavy foot. It is not the mileage that bothers me as much as the power loss. I bought this car because for the first time I needed something bigger than a sports car or sports sedan. This car was my first choice over a minivan or SUV for obvious reasons, power with decent mileage and at least handling similar to a car. Some power was lost after the reprogramming, shifts are smoother but second gear feels like you hit a puddle of jello. As a result the heavy foot takes over and the MPG suffers. I did take it back after approx. 1300 miles were on the new software to have it checked. No errors. I guess it is either a go or no-go test they perform. Of course I can live with the way it runs now but somewhere closer to how it ran before would be better. Think I'll roll the bones and let you know what happens.

rosies1 · October 2000

A few days ago, while driving my 1993 at the approx. speed of 45 miles per hour it just stopped. I was stepping on the gas and nothing was happening. I had a quarter tank of gas so I was not out of gas. I managed to roll to the side of the road and ended up having it towed. A half hour later, it started right up and ran fine. The next day I had my mechanic check it out and he couldn't find anything. Any one have this problem, and if so what is the cause? Thanks!

henrychai · October 2000

All:

My 99 Sable LS has light on the side of the
doors, but they never light up! Are they real
lights or just red reflective plastic covers? The
manual does not have this info.

Also, the manual says the delayed accessory
should work up to 10 minutes, but when I turnes the
key to off position, the window power only works
about 40 seconds, very annoying at gas station.
How is your sable?

Thanks in advance!

Henry

bigbang · October 2000

In reference to #40:

I've been reading many posts regarding the backfire "bug" and how to have it fixed. I found out a little too late and witnessed the results. Here is a link to a jpg photo which shows the aftermath. This was a nasty jolt to hear on a quiet Sunday morning!

http://www.geocities.com/bigbang9999/backfire.jpg

healeyman · October 2000

i have a 97 sable, a gs model, bgt with 18m miles , has been a great car and it does have 4 wheel disk. which is something the 2000 models do not have ( GO FIGURE, FORD IS BACKING UP)... one small problem, that cleared up and i hope stays cleared... the dome light would stay on... only after 30minutes, a "safety feature" would kick it off... anyway, after it warmed up this spring, the problem cleard. anyone else out there with similar problems... love the way it drives, handles like a sports sedan... may buy another one and when i do hope FORD wakes up and goes back to disk brakes... healeyman

topaz3 · October 2000

This is for Rosies1. It sounds like your sable got skinned. I have a 92 Merc. Topaz. The same thing happend to it. I know it's not a sable but they both use the EEC V electronic engine control. This little thing (about $75 part) could be your problem. It controls the electronics that operate the engine. It is a solid state electronic component that is bolted to the side of the distributor. The component will fail if the resistance is faulty. It will be difficult to detect this because it can be heat related and probably will not be repeatable. You could even take the vehicle to a dealer have them put it on the Sun machine and that may not even detect the problem (I did this too. They did not find a problem.) I ended up buying the EEC partand replaced it myself. The car ran great afterwards.

harmar · November 2000

Finally got the solution to crosswinds causing constant steering corrections! (I'd thought it was due to a lack of rear stabilizer bar.) Front end/frame shop found R/F suspension within Ford's specs, but still not optimal. Also, found rear not tracking properly and not optimally aligned. When both were corrected, voila! No more problems. HOWEVER, the Ford suggestion on how to correct the front specs is awful! It says to drill out the spot welds on the underhood plate the strut top is bolted to, then make the adjustments. But there are 8 spot welds on mine, which, if all were drilled out, might weaken the whole attachment point. So the shop elongated the strut bolt holes and made the necessary adjustments there. Essentially, mine was out by 3/16 inch on both R/F and rear. Enough to necessitate constant steering corrections in even mild windy conditions. It appears the specs need to be "dead on" not just "within normal tolerances" as Ford defines them. Cost = $213. Value = a relaxing drive and peace of mind in all types of weather. Thanks Gary's Auto Safety Center in Bay City, MI!

bigbang · November 2000

I just had the latest 00B38 reprogram done on my
2000 Taurus and all is well. Performance,
shifting, acceleration are as good or better than
before the PCM reprogram. My only complaint is that it took 2 1/2 weeks to get the part in due to backorder from supplier - new air intack manifold that cracked open on backfire (see below).

Here was a previous post I made on a Sable and
Taurus discussion:

I've been reading many posts regarding the
backfire "bug" and how to have it fixed. I found
out a little too late and witnessed the results.
Here is a link to a jpg photo which shows the
aftermath. This was a nasty jolt to hear on a
quiet Sunday morning!

http://www.geocities.com/bigbang9999/backfire.jpg

nikki15 · November 2000

Thanks for the info and photo on your duratec explosion. Talk about a wake-up call! I am due for an oil change in a couple of weeks and was planning on having the reprogramming done at that time. Since reading your post I feel more confident about having it done. Thanks again.

trevor13 · November 2000

Bought a 99 LS, keep reading these posts about the re-programming of the motor. Is this for the Duratec 3.0 24 Valve in mine also (don't want to end up like the picture above)? Any comments on this would be appreciated. Also,fuel mileage, how's everyone else doing? Any ideas on fuel tank capacity? Manual doesn't list it----Thanks

nikki15 · November 2000

As far as I know the 2000 Duratec motor is the one that has the reprogramming problem. It has an 18 gal. tank. Mileage has been between 17-20 in mostly city driving. Hope to see a little better after reprogramming 00b38 is done. Best of luck.

harmar · November 2000

My '99 GS has been giving me 22 city and 28 highway miles. It now has 28K miles on it. Note that I don't run it hard around town and stay, generally, at 65 - 70 on interstates. Great car now that my handling problem has been solved.

lryoung · November 2000

There have been two recalls for reprogramming the PCM of the Duretec engine. The first was in April (00B38) and the second was in October 2000 (00B55) - we had no problems before the first recall, and did not notice anything afterwards (although others have noted sluggishness). Now, after the second recall we notice that at idle, the car "idles" at 1000 RPM, which was never the case previously. Anyone else experience a problem?

jtolbert · December 2000

I had a 1992 Mercury Sable lose power while driving on the highway this past summer. It needed a new fuel filter. These high pressure fuel injection systems need a new fuel filter about every 2 years.

nikki15 · December 2000

Just had the second reprogramming done on my Duratec engine. What I noticed right away was smoother acceleration once it hits second gear. Not as much drag or the feeling like you just hit a puddle. I actually timed the 0-60 times before and after (nothing better to do). My unofficial times were 9.4 sec. before and 9.2 sec. after. Now that I have gone through a whole tank of gas just enjoying driving a little bit more, I will check the mileage over the next 5 or so fill-ups.

carverboater · December 2000

My 2001 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4-door was involved in a "fender-bender" and is in need of a new left rear quarter panel. Two weeks ago it was ordered from FoMoCo and I am unable to get any straight answers on it. Tried Mercury Customer Care and got no help at all. If they can't get a part tomorrow, the car will obviously sit until after the holidays and it will be Jan. 3 or 4 before anyone gets around to worrying about a new car with 979 miles that has been down since Thanksgiving. Someone should have a "Better Idea".

Any suggestions as to how to get some action without using substitute (off-brand)parts?

slz · December 2000

I just took delivery of a 2001 Mercury Sable LS Wagon. The second I got it home in the garage and got out of the car there was a strong smell of gasoline. This has persisted on & off for the past week. It almost exclusively occurs when the car is off and usually does not invade the passenger cabin. There are no puddles or leaks that I notice. I brought the car back to the dealer and they looked it over but couldn't find the cause. They suggested it might be a faulty seal on the gas cap and are ordering me a new one (they didn't have a new gas cap at the dealer!!).

Has anyone heard of this problem or had it on their Sable?? Any input would be appreciated.

earl21030 · December 2000

I own a 2000 Sable Wagon with the Duratec engine with about 10,000 miles that has been difficult to get out of the "park" position. For a while you just had to push down harder on the brake, but last night after sitting outside in 20 degrees all day, it took a lot of tries pushing on the brake and floor mounted shifter button before it would move out of park. The car usually is kept in a garage that likely doesn't get below 40 degrees. Later that night it was also pretty hard to get into gear. I didn't notice any other posts with this type of problem. We will be taking it in to the dealer for checking but was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem?

grub2 · January 2001

I'm thinking of purchasing a 1999 Sable LS stationwagon with 32,000 miles on it. How would those of you who own such a wagon rate this car on its performance and gas milage?

gunterl · January 2001

I have a 1993 Sable which just has been diagnosed with a head gasket problem. The Ford dealer says the problem has caused an engine failure. After reading the editorial about Ford's problems with this defect, I called Ford to find out if my car was covered. It's not. Apparently, the problem started in 1994.

Anybody have similar experiences? I need some help with figuring out what remedies I may have with Ford or how much to trust the local dealer.

dag3 · January 2001

I recently purchased a 98 Sable from a dealership.
Prior to owning this car I had a Cougar. The Cougar was loaded with electrical type problems:speaker volume reduced on the left side, eventually quit playing completely; door locks, interior lights; key less entry; etc.
I now have the Sable which is starting with the same type of speaker problem; the door ajar light remains on even though all doors are secure, causing the interior lights to remain on and drain the battery (I have disconnected the lights since I have been waiting to take the car in since Dec14--Jan 8 is first available date); power locks unlock themselves after I lock them.
Other than these type of bothersome problems I like the car and it performs well mechanically.
Has anyone else had these types of problems? Should I just get rid of the car now?

josephhar · January 2001

I have a problem with my 1998 Mercury Sable's air conditioned. There is an intermittent sticking of the air blender door. The controller has been replaced and the problem persists. As an extension of this problem, there has been a failure of the compressor. Has anyone experiences a similar problem?

dan4365 · January 2001

Recently drove 2000 interstate highway miles at 75-85mph. Used about 1.75 Qt of Moil oil. This is way too much! No leaks or blue smoke noticed. Anyone else with similar problem? Any solutions? By the way--the car has 69000 miles on it and runs good. Does not seem to use nearly this amount of oil in local around the town driving.

ezaircon4jc · January 2001

dan4365, I have a '96 Sable with the Duratech. Last July we took the car on a 4500 mile vacation (San Diego to Minneapolis). We had about 85k when we left (just under 100k now). Didn't use a drop of oil. It has been changed regularly with syn, every 3-5k. "They" say a quart every 3k is normal, however, none of my Ford engines ever used any (3.0 Vulcan, 3.8L, 289, 3.0 Duratech).
It could also be a slow leak around the filter (not tight enough) or the drain plug (same thing). I had a similar problem once and it turned out to be a "loose" filter. I lost about a half quart before I noticed the problem.

edchen · January 2001

I have also had problems recently with my 98 LS Premium driver's side door sensor. The computer seems to figure out the door signal is an error condition eventually but it's still annoying. This seems to be a common problem with a lot of the posts so maybe there's something going on here?

richdwilliams · January 2001

I own a 97 LS Sedan with 65K miles. I have the same annoying door problem. The Door Ajar light remains on and the automatic lock will not allow me to lock the doors. Can anyone shed some light on this problem. I don't know where the door sensor is located. Any help out there???? I kind of miss the old days where there was a button that pushed in when the door closed against it. I have never had this happen when I first start the car in the mornings. It usually occurs after being driven. I have theorized that it may be some sort of relay switch that overheats and reamins open until it cools down. Who knows, I am just grasping for straws.

atecman · January 2001

I own a 1995 Ford Taurus GL. I have been expierencing problems with my speedometer. When I reach speeds of 35-45mph the speedometer hand goes wild, bouncing left to right. The mechanic I took it too pulled on the speedometer cable reaching down to the engine, but as soon as I hit a bump it went wild again. Has anybody been having the same problem?

Thankyou, ALex

propredicr · January 2001

Have driven FoMoCo products for 30+ years. In 1998 bought a lease returned 1996 Sable AS, fully loaded (not a bell or whistle missing), 30K i.

At 50K miles the cranny just died while I was on the freeway. Went through all the hoops, even got up to Jacques office (through a contact of mine), beck I'm even a shareholder. Gave me the form letter response "Sorry..."

Cost me $2600 for a new cranny. Had a 1994 Taurus and the cranny died at 64K miles. I love the designs of FoMoCo, but after this experience and lack of regard for loyal customer satisfaction, I will never, ever buy a FoMoCo product again!

Oh, I also have the clunking noise in the front (almost sounds like severe rubbing/vibrating) and was told that it was the ABS kicking in by Lincoln dealer. Yeah, right!

ezaircon4jc · January 2001

I, too, have a '96 Sable LS. This is my 4th one ('86 w/48k, '88 w/125k, '91 w173k [did have the tranny rebuilt under a recall], and the '96, presently @ 100k). My only "problem" is the annoying intermintent "clunk." After some research, I've found out that the noise is from the front sway bar. When I get around to it, I plan on replacing the mounting bushings with urethane ones. That SHOULD take care of the "clunk." I would definitely fight them over the trans issue! As a die hard Ford man, I feel bad about your experience.

nymets86 · January 2001

I have a 92 sable with the 3.8 engine and 101,000 miles. My transmission just died. I have heard that there is a goodwill warrenty on the AXOD-E for 7 years/100,000 miles, and that sometimes cars beyond that point can achieve somewhere around 50-75% compensation. Everyone at Ford denies this.. Does someone have any more details about this?

mercnomore · January 2001

at 8000 miles past the warranty the catalytic converter went out on our wagon. Since there are no after market products available yet we had to go through the dealer to purchase a new one.
The cost of $1047.06 about gave me a heart attack. (that's just the part uninstalled). Has anyone else run across this? Now the mechanic at the merc. dealership tells us the tranny was a problem and could go any time. I was lead to believe the American cars had come a long way baby! Selling my 3 ford products and saying hello to Honda and Toyota.

newguy11 · January 2001

Hey, been there done that (4 times) with 1995 taurus. Jumps at speeds above 35 mph. I find success in hitting the dashboard or driving over reflector bumps to reseat. At 25K speedo replaced under warranty...have to live with red tenths on new speedo. Since then I have had speedo-head worked on 3 times.... Speedo tech says he sees 2 a week. Note that I was having engine mount problems, evidently as a result of tranny going into "failsafe" mode and rough shifting. Ford dealer said it was tranny ($2600)...However it took independent tranny guy to diagnose it as speedo/tranny miss talk. I wonder how many tranny's were actually speedo problems, where speedo and tranny not in sync. Told to keep eye on it or it may lead to tranny problems.

bladefire2 · January 2001

First of all it's sad to hear that you're only 1000 miles above the warrenty limit, but anyway, I too have heard older cars might recieve partial compensation. From what research I have done the best way to get your money is to threaten legal action. Check out lemonaidcars.com, it'll give you lots of good tips on what to do when your car blows up(especially taurus'/sables)

good luck

sms191 · January 2001

95 Sable: Any tips to removing the speedo cable from the inst. cluster? Need to replace a faulty speedo head and I can't reach the cable end.

rparis2 · January 2001

I own a 1993 wagon with the 3.8 engine which has 120,000 miles on. I replaced the head gasket. What other major repairs can I expect. How many miles is the transmission usually good for?

I am thinking of trading before I get "stuck"..

girlwithtools · January 2001

After the first six months of ownership, I nicknamed my Mercury Sable "Satan". Needless to say, it lived up to every ounce of it. I was thrilled when it died from transmission and engine problems. I am more thrilled to be driving a ten year old Volvo in it's place. The repairs might be more expensive, but they are fewer and far between.

danielj6 · January 2001

I have a Mercury Sable purchased new nine
months ago. After having it serviced my technician told me that the fuel lines were clogged. I was in such a hurry that forgot to
ask reasons for the clogging.

Has any of you guys experienced what I just described? My Merc has the duratec engine, it's an LS Premium station wagon.

gryphon834 · January 2001

Hello everyone:

I am the very dissatisfied ex-owner of a '95 Taurus GL (same car basically as the Sable)..loaded out with premium JBL sound, leather, sunroof, 3.8 L V6, all the buttons and options..nice car. But for all those of you who have come here to learn potential problems for these cars, without a doubt here is what you will encounter:

1. Head gasket will blow. (Ford acknowledged this..they fixed it but kept my car four days and treated me with total disinterest) cost: nothing but inconvenience and a blood pressure rise.

2. Crazy speedometer problem as mentioned below. Goes kookoo over 40 mph. Ford said a bulletin was put out on this problem, and it was due to faulty speedo design. Would they fix it for an out of warranty car though (46,000 miles)? Nope. cost: $400 plus two days without car.

3. Transmission will die on you after 60,000 miles. This is a problem that I was warned about by a former Taurus owner, but not believing it would happen to me, (after all this is one of the most popular best selling cars, to be this popular surely the car isn't this notorious for bad trannies right?? ) I continued full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes!! Well, the torpedoes hurt. Cost: About $1,800 at an independent mechanic.

All this plus various little things, like anything from the sunroof switch panel coming unglued from the headliner to the auto climate controls dying, made my ownership experience a dismal and trying one. It was ALWAYS something breaking or going wrong. The local dealer repeatedly treated me not as a customer, but as if they were doing me a favor by fixing my piece of crap car. Even the Ford corporate customer service line was no help..in effect they very politely told me to go screw myself.

I traded this scourge in my garage for a '98 Toyota Camry LE and have been extremely happy and trouble-free ever since. Ford made no effort to help me, but I will not do them a favor by recommending their trash to anyone. There may be some of you out there with better Ford experiences, hats off to you, but those who are wary...take a lesson from this weary traveler and salute the old Ford as you pass on by.

desi5 · January 2001

I have a 97 sable and had the same door and dome light problem. Finally it went really berserk and kept click on and off rapidly. I called my local dealer, who have always been very helpful, and they told me to open the door, spray some silicon spray down in the latch mechanism and then open and shut it several times. Worked great for me. It hasn't done it since. It's been about four months now. Hope this helps. It's a cheap thing to try at least

edchen · February 2001

Sounds like a great idea to try for our door latch problems. My dealer wanted to charge me $70 just to diagnose it.

My 98 has been pulling to the right and unstable in crosswinds at highway speeds for a long time now so I finally took it in. Mechanic said both rear wheels had toe-in(reasonable considering the looseness at highway speeds) and both my outer tie rods were bad. Can anyone explain what tie rods do for your suspension and if they can make your car pull right and why both would go bad? I'll have to test drive some more especially on the highway to see if they've really fixed it.

harmar · February 2001

Please see #115 above for what cured similar handling problems with my '99 GS. In winds as low as 7 mph, I'd be constantly correcting the steering. In high winds, it was daunting! The fix cited above completely cured this. Good luck!

chili5 · February 2001

I know little about cars. My wife knows less. She had brought the Sable in to our new mechanic/ friend we just met, because the power steering went out temporarily last night. He suggested she sell the car. I followed up today. He said the coolant system was contaminated beyond repair, and water corrosion would destroy the engine within 3 expensive yrs. The car is under 4 yrs. old and has only 48000 miles on it and has had no problems at all. I was shocked.

I asked how this could have happened. He said it is a problem in Sable 3.0 engines but it is partially our fault because we did not get the antifreeze changed often/ever. We have always had routine maintenence done on time and assumed that everything was being maintained. The mechanic said that CA is lawsuit happy so places don't do maintenance you don't specifically ask for. Does this make any sense to anyone?? I don't know what needs to get done- that's why I bring it in!

The mechanic charged nothing for the advice.

Who's fault is this? Ours? Mercury? Our old mechanic?

What the heck do I do now? Sell? trade? Fix?
Chili

ezaircon4jc · February 2001

I've had 4 Sables. 86, 88, 91, and our present 96. The MINIMUM miles I put on them was 48k (the 86). The 88 had 125k, the 91 had 173k, and the 96 has 100k. On the 91 I think I changed the coolant 3 times. I did have the water pump sieze at 165k, but the engine didn't overheat. The 96 has had the coolant changed once. I think you should at least get a second opinion. My neighbor is also a mechanic and even though I went 3 or 4 YEARS without a coolant change, he said I only needed a change. BTW, the coolant was a milky color with flakes floating around. That was on the 91. The only common problem I was told about by a couple of competent mechanics was the head gasket (the 88 & 91 had the 3.8). There are some forums about that. Do you have the Vulcan engine or the 24V, DOHC, 200 horse Duratech motor? The Vulcan motor is a very old engine. It's the same motor that was in my 86 Sable. Again, I would get a second opinion.

Mercury Sable Problems

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