Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

badgerfan · March 2005

Not according to Detroit News article Friday, March 4.

It states there that Taurus will disappear sometime before 2008. Primarily being sold to Fleet/rental car companies between now and when Ford eventually stops production.

I suppose they could elect to stop production sooner, but with no other announced product in the pipeline right now for the Atlanta plant, my guess it will be around for a year or two.

Actually, Ford Taurus is being replaced by both Five Hundred-a bigger car, and Fusion-a smaller car, though I would assume at this point that Fusion will have nearly the same interior room and trunk space of current Taurus.

chuck1 · March 2005

"It states there that Taurus will disappear sometime before 2008. Primarily being sold to Fleet/rental car companies between now and when Ford eventually stops production"

There seems to be conflicting information. Everything I have read states that the Taurus will end by the end of the 2006 model year. AND, that the Fusion is the DIRECT REPLACEMENT for the Taurus. It is all really a mute point I would think. Since the only way to get a 2005 Taurus is if you work for a company that has a fleet deal with Ford. My company is one. I would think when demand softens with the fleets that will be the ultimate test as to when they will stop making these things. I have had an '05 SE since October of last year. My neighbor has a 2000 model. I would not recommend this car new or used, since they started making them for fleets, They have stripped down this car, and the seats are horrible. My neighbor's 2000 is a much better car. Even when these things show up used, I would stay away. I currently have 14,000 miles on mine. I can say there have been no problems to date. My company keeps them for two years then you turn them in.

danielj6 · March 2005

I read the news today. Does the demise of the Sable mean that one can get a killer deal on one of these babies???? Did Ford up the rebates?

badgerfan · March 2005

I just did an inventory check on three Ford dealers in my area. One had 14 2005 Tauri, the other two had 4-5 each.

This tells me Ford is still allowing their dealers to get them for sale to the general public.

I would bet Ford will still allow sales to dealers at least up until the Fusion comes along.

I cannot comment on the seats in the 2005 models, but I would really be surprised that Ford would change them much from 2000 on as the tooling for those seat designs has long been paid for and it does not make much economic sense to retool to make cheaper seats for a model that is going to be discontinued.

Danielj6: Taurus/Sable have been a roaring bargain all along, so I doubt it will get much better than it has been.

chuck1 · March 2005

"I cannot comment on the seats in the 2005 models, but I would really be surprised that Ford would change them much from 2000"

Well, I spend 6 to 7 hours a day in mine, and I can tell you the seats are very bad. Also, when a product nears "end of life" many car makers look for ways to cut corners and make more money on the last of the models. Look at the current Explorer, they changed the door handles from "body color" to flat "black plastic". If you want "body color" you now pay for them in an "appearance or "sport package". Again, I read where the '05 models were "fleet only". Per your post that information I read is not correct. As I mentioned- five months and 14,000 miles later, I can't recommend this car based on the seats alone, and the standard motor is underpowered!

wkohler · March 2005

I just did a search of local dealers and did a personal inventory at one yesterday along with talking to a salesman. Of course he had no clue when the Taurus line would end, but he did say anyone can buy a 05 Taurus. In my area there are about 50 05 Tauri on the various lots. Right after the 2001 model year, Ford started de-contenting the vehicles; i.e. no glove box light, no rear a/c vents at the back of the console, no "double visor" for the passenger side, no shade band on windshield, black plastic interior door handles on all four doors, and a few other things you most likely can't see.

badgerfan · March 2005

I haven't sat in one newer than my 2000, however, if the Ford official web site pictures are correct, Ford did a heck of a job disguising the "cheapened" seats because they look exactly like those in my 2000 Taurus SES with fabric seats, right down to the seam pattern on the seat backs and bottoms.

My 2000 Taurus seats are quite firm in a good way and very comfortable, long trips included and the 3.0 Duratech has all the power I require with very good fuel effiency.

On the upside, Ford did add a driver information center and switched to a low profile LED high mounted brake light, so not all the changes were decontenting. Additionally in those four years, the out the door price I could have paid actually was flat or went down for the comparably equipped Taurus.

chuck1 · March 2005

"My 2000 Taurus seats are quite firm in a good way and very comfortable, long trips included and the 3.0 Duratech has all the power I require with very good fuel effiency."

In my job (outside sales) I have driven for business 32 automobiles. The miles add up real quick when you cover a lot of territory. This Taurus has the worst seats of all of the cars I have used in business. If you sit on the "hard seats" and they do not conform to your "bottom half" in any way, I do not see how that can be "good". When you spend 6 to 7 hours a day "on them" you notice it real quick. I have the "Vulcan Motor" in my Taurus. I think it puts out a 160 horsepower, someone can correct me if I am wrong. You now have 4 cyl. motors that put out close to 150 in much lighter cars. The Taurus was a good car 5 or 6 years ago. Time and technology has passed it by. I would think that you would pay less for a car that is almost 6 model years old that has been decontented, and not updated. Why would you pay more?

dng1 · March 2005

I have a 99 mercury sable and my radio sound cuts off every time I step on the brake. This happens in drive or reverse but not in neutral or park. Any suggestions

jasmith52 · March 2005

Dont't step on the brake ! - The radio will work just fine then.

Seriously though - This sounds like a bad ground problem to me. First clean the battery connections. Then clean the ground cables that run from the engine to the frame. They must have excellent conduction or you'll see problems like you mention.

jrosasmc · March 2005

When is Taurus production slated to end for good? Will it be in 2006, or '07?

heartmd · March 2005

1.
Every repair I have to do on this car has to be balanced by the current cost of the car ($500)
Somehow the a/c cools marginal on the hottest day.
So if I just let it go for now what happens?
How long till it freezes? or will it just make a racket and a lot of noise and thats it?

2.
I presume I need the hose removal tool to remove the a/c compressor. I intend to have it evacuated and filled with gas professionally as I dont have the equipment. Any ideas?

3.
In 1998, a colleague of mine drove the car with no power steering (PS) fluid. Now everytime the car turns the PS pump makes a loud whine (10 times the normal). How do you remove the fanbelt that drives the PS and the AC? I did not see an idler pulley or anyway to even adjust the tension of this belt.

4.
Also the book tells me that I need a special tool to remove the PS pulley first before the PS pump can be removed. Is that right? Why cant I remove the whole thing at the mounting?

heartmd · March 2005

The preamble to item 1 is that the AC Clutch makes a racket and I want to know if it might seize/freeze

heartmd · March 2005

Possibly the ac clutch. Check if the chirp stops with the ac on

jeffreykluve · March 2005

Hello Everyone,
I have the opportunity to buy a used Sable through my company's fleet-return program. The prices seems pretty good, but it's difficult to figure out how the cars are equipped. The 2003 Sable LS I'm considering now has Preferred Equipment Package 905A. Does anyone know what that package includes are (even better) where one can look such packages up online? Thanks!

momw7 · March 2005

I bought a 2001 sable wagon and found the code by looking on the drivers side way up under the dash on the side of a fuse box (I think). It wasn't easy to read, I had to get my 13 year old son who had good vision and a smaller head to actually read the number for me. It's just a white sticker with black print. The owner's manual said to call Mercury who told me to take it to a dealer who tried to get me to pay for an overall inspection. I had decided to just live without it when a used car salesman told me to just look for it.

tedwards · March 2005

Gyates you replied to a previous message (#3066) about replacing the blower motor resistor. I have purchased this part and would like to install it. Can you or anyone else tell me where it goes and how do I get to it('01 Taurus SES)

iusecad · March 2005

So Friday night I was driving home going about 65 and I saw a flash of white, slammed on the brakes, heard a bang and saw a deer roll several times into the ditch. The hood and windshield took all the damage but what I can't figure out is the airbags went off. Since this is my first deer hit in more than 11 years of driving, I'm curious if that's standard procedure for a '97 GL with a Vulcan?

It doesn't really bother me that they did deploy, but it seems like too "soft" a hit.

tedwards · March 2005

I found it and replaced it but now my blower makes a squeeling noise at times, its very intermittent.

gloryca · April 2005

Hello everyone,

I have a 1996 Mercury Sable Wagon and last night i just noticed my door lights won't were on all night long and they won't go out. :confuse: Now i get the signal that one of the doors is not properly closed, but they all are, i checked several times and they are all properly closed. Any ideas of what i could do?

Thanks a lot! :P

hault · April 2005

When pumping gas into tank on my 2000 Taurus w/ 40,000 miles the pump keeps shutting off prior to filling up. Any ideas ?

badgerfan · April 2005

Check post 1491 in the Taurus/Sable Maintenance and repair discussion here in Edmunds. It might help.

fm344 · April 2005

How do I replace the blower motor resistor and blower motor? Is there a repair manual I can purchase for the 2002 Mercury Sable?

gyates · April 2005

The resistor is behind the glove box. Lay in the floor and look up, you will see it. It is held in with 2 screws. I only had to replace the resistor, my blower motor is fine. I feel certain that Haynes makes a manual for this car. For me, if a repair is much more than replacing this resistor, I am going back to the dealer. My car is a 2001 SES with 52k, and so far, this is the only part replacement since new.

knipper · April 2005

I have a 97 mercury sable 180168 kilometers on it. The service engine light is on. I hooked up an On Board Diagnostic - NO CODES SHOWED. Can anyone help

Thanks

tjdepere2004 · April 2005

Question. On the 2000 Taurus SE are ABS standard?

badgerfan · April 2005

No in 2000 model year , ABS was an available option on the SE but not standard.

ABS was standard on the SES and SEL.

espelp · April 2005

This happened to my 97 Sable. The switches in the door latch mech. are sticking. Try spraying your door latches with generous amounts of WD-40 and then close and open the doors several times each so the lub. is distributed well. This should fix both issues.

chuck1 · April 2005

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0504/19/C01-154989.htm

It turns out it will be the first quarter of '06.

vppc · April 2005

Hello, everyone!

I am getting ready to purchase (4) new tires for my 2001 SES with 66,200 miles on it. I am getting H-rated 215/60/16 Fusion HRi performance all-season tires. They will surely be good for all the curves I drive on. I am getting them all mounted and balanced, tax and all for just $201.30!

Meanwhile, I was going to ask if anyone noticed a "car vibration sensation" when going on curves and hills while having the foot on the pedal? I always assumed it was the crappy touring tires I have on there now (they are down to 5/32). Or, is it something else? If you DO NOT have the foot on the pedal (coasting), it will NOT do this.

Thanks!
- Alex

andres2 · April 2005

I have a 1993 Mercury Sable. RUNS GREAT BY THE WAY!!!
You have to keep pushing the button on the doors until it clicks the lock open. What can be done to fix this?

ohio7 · April 2005

About three weeks ago I finally took my 2000 SEL (28,000 miles) into the dealer and left it for them to take their time to find the cause of my airbag icon staying on about 4 times a year. This has gone on since I bought the car. I just thought it was a computer glitch since it didn't do it often.

Last summer a few of you highly suggested that I have it checked out. Of course when I called the dealer, they originally said that they couldn't do anything unless the light was on when I drove in. Right! :P Like I'm going to drive directly to my dealer and expect them to immediately inspect my car with no appointment in front of other cars!!

Luckily for me they were able to find error codes left on the computer which indicated to them that the sensor was, indeed, defective. And here I was driving with confidence that I finally had airbags on my car! Better news - NO COST to me because they came under a safety warrenty that lasts five years or 80,000 miles.

Other than the inconvience of dropping the car off twice because of a wrong part being sent from NY, and the other recall notice visits,

I am still very happy with this car. Just came back from a 9 1/2 hour trip one way to beautiful Ohio and was happy to see that it still got over 30 miles a gallon. With the current price of gas that's something to be happy about.

chuck1 · April 2005

Yes, I am the one who told you that you were in an unsafe condition and to get it looked at. And alll that time the light was on the airbay MAY NOT have worked should you have needed it.
Glad you got it fixed!

307web · April 2005

Hmm, so now that means the 500 and Fusions will start flooding rental car fleets in less than a year, giving those Taurus-like resale values.

chuck1 · April 2005

There have been very few 500's in to the rental market. But, yes it's my bet that the Fusion will be the darling of the rental car and fleet business. I have a '05 Taurus Company (Fleet car) purchased new the end of '04. We are not sure what the next company car will be (company has always leased Fords!) and I was told the 500' s were too expensive to be company cars. So-my guess will be the Fusion if they stay with Ford!

307web · April 2005

The 500 may have almost as much room as a Crown Vic, so maybe the Fusion will take over the rental car size category the Taurus held.
So in 2007, you will probably see dozens of used 2006 Fusions at HertzCarSales.com for about $10,988.

savetheland · April 2005

Camries probably already started to flood rental market, and of course new Malibus. I counted two rental Camries on our parking lot yesterday and rode in one of them. Very well executed and Buick like quiet. But it is overdone - engine sounds like it is far away and does not belong to car. In general you get impression that you get deaf. I prefer to hear engine and more feedback from steering wheel and road.

Well they have to fix 3.0L Duretec though. On my Sable it sounds harsh and steering wheel vibrates unpleasantly in idle. On my Focus 2.3 Duratec (developed by Mazda) in idle it is as smooth as German engines. You still can hear that engine running, but there are no vibrations on the steering wheel. And it has lot of torque at low rpm!

bigdan1 · April 2005

Bough car new.
No problems until about 3 weeks ago.
Car starts fine one day, and then next day, turn key and it is dead. No clicks, no whirring sound, nothing. Battery AOK. I believe it is starter or starter solenoid. Checked it out. No loose or exposed wires. Go back in an hour and car starts fine and does so for next couple of days. Then, same thing happens. No rhyme or reason. Doesn't matter if it is hot or cold engine or outside temperature. Took it to a mechanic I trust. He could not find any problem either. He even ran some water right on starter, but car started fine. Mechanic apologized and said: "Call me if it happens in town. I'll drive right over and try to figure out what is going on." He did not charge me either. All was OK for about a week, and it happened again today, Sunday. After about 30 minutes, I turned the key and it stared up fine, just like there was no problem. These electrical problems can drive you nuts. Anybody have any similar experiences? Is this peculiar to 2002 Taurus? I had a 1993, 1995, and 2000 Taurus. All 3 had the starter die. No warning. In each case it was fine one minute, and completely dead the next. And it never got better. Had to replace starter each time. I half way wish this 2002 Taurus would just die so I know what is causing the problem. Maybe I should just change the starter just for the heck of it because I am going crazy trying to guess what is going on? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

ohio7 · April 2005

I'm laughing at your comment that the Camry engine sounds like it doesn't belong to the car you are in because the engine is so quiet. Actually I like a quiet engine, but I work with a woman who owns a Camry and at least twice got out, locked it and walked away - but left the engine running!!! This procedure should be so routine that it becomes second nature, but somehow this has escaped her. I was astounded that anyone could do this. :confuse:

307web · April 2005

So strange. Left the engine running because she didn't "hear" it? That is absent-mindedness rather than a super quiet engine. Is the door warning chime super quiet also?

ohio7 · May 2005

That's a good question - I'll have to ask her some time. I might add that she has been on Prozac for some time....hmmmm.

savetheland · May 2005

For me the Camry engine sounds as being distant, may be ten foots away from car. Not good feeling at all. You need to get used. Alsothere is no feedback from steering wheel - pretty numb, though not as unpleasantly numb as in typical GM. Refined feel, but numb.

BTW I saw today two rental Five Hundreds on our parking lot - almost side by side. First sighting of 500 rentals! It supposedly would never go to rental. I had to stare pretty hard before I recognized the brand (in traffic - the same problem). First thought is - Mercedes - if I see it from back, or Avalon - if I see it from front, or -what is it - looks familiar but what hell it may be? Then you search for the badge and then it dawns to you - the new Ford Five Hundred!

chuck1 · May 2005

"BTW I saw today two rental Five Hundreds on our parking lot - almost side by side. First sighting of 500 rentals!"

Save for the very exotic cars...you will find a few numbers of ALL TYPES in rental fleets; Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, etc. The problem is when they go in to fleets in MASSIVE numbers. A few will not affect resale value of the general line.

spammers2hell · May 2005

After 24K miles the OEM Firestone Affinitys are wearing out on my 2001
SEL. I've browsed some of the reviews on Tire Rack's web site and seen
generally positive comments on the following: Goodyear Regatta 2, BF Goodrich
Traction T/A, Bridgestone Turanza LS-T.

What have you folks been replacing the OEMs with? My budget is around
$85 per tire.
TIA!

inabit · May 2005

Good Day. While driving home one day, my car just up & died. I noticed a "buzzing" sound coming from the accessory relay (24 pin) when I turned the ignition on to try to start it. It is located underneath the fan shroud. To describe the sound, it's like a bumble bee stuck in a tin can. After replacing that, the sound continues. I then replaced another relay (5 pin no clue of the name, it comes up as a headlamp & horn relay on Advance's website, it was trashed and only 10 bucks so i figured, what the hay) located behind the headlight on the driver's side. No success. Then I replaced the ignition module, same thing, the bumble bee was still there. Any ideas or help would be grateful before I spend anymore $$$ on parts and bee killer. I was next thinking of replacing the stator. What do you think? Thank You.

jasmith52 · May 2005

What Do I think ?

I think that you can waste an awful lot of money swapping out parts at random. And electrical parts can't be returned.

Maybe you should consider paying a factory certified mechanic to diagnose your problem. They might charge you 1 -hour labor for the diagnosis. Even at $90 an hout that's cheaper than all of the parts you'll buy and not reaqlly need.

scoole · May 2005

Is it possible to put 24 inch spinners on a 1994 mercury sable?

dilbertzzz · May 2005

A (1994, no less) Mercury Sable with 24 inch spinners. Sounds like a ride for a budget-conscious (fixed income?), geriatric, Floridian, (being a family forum, shall I say maybe?) retired lady-of-the-evening manager.

jross1 · May 2005

I recently started having the same problem with my wife's 98 Taurus. I'm thinking it may have something to do with a relay going bad in the power distribution box. Did your mechanic talk about that as a possibility?

travis50 · May 2005

BigDan,
I have been having the EXACT same problem with my 02 Taurus SE with 68k miles. Owned since new with no other problems. Intermittent start problem with exact same symptoms as your car. Brought to Ford dealer 3 times and they have kept the car for a few days at a time...even having a service tech take the car home after work to try to replicate problem. Of course as soon as I get car back, I am broken down on the side of the road. Please follow up. I am trying to troubleshoot this problem on my own, as Ford cant seem to service their vehicle. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

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