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Mercury Sable Problems
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Comments
So I took it to the Merc dealer and they charged about $150 to fix a ground and flush the cooling system. They said it was not related. Driving home- same thing happened. Radio, windows, power steering died. They have it again and said they need to bring in an eletrician to see what's going on. We'll see. Thanks for the info.
C
Also had Power steering, radio and windows go away when the car was in gear. Back when placed in neutral. There was a particular control module that needed replacing and everything was fine. A partial reimbursement was the only value I ever received from my extended service contract. Also occasionally have the door unlocking/door ajar syndrome. Usually goes away fairly quickly. Decent car for the most part.
Am looking at 2000 Taurus SE and Sable LS program cars. You would think FORD Motor employees would insist on getting problems worked out and that they should be decent vehicles.
Take a look at www.lemonaidcars.com for suggestions on how to deal with FoMoCo, and for info on how prevalent your condition might be.
After reading many months ago of this possibility, I ALWAYS engage the parking brake when shutting down and NEVER disengage it until after the car has been started. (I have a '99 GS which has never shown the proclivity to lurch, but why tempt fate?)
Good luck!
Our wagon also lurches forward when started but we haven't hit anything yet! I mentioned this to the dealer and they stated it was "normal" give in the transmission.
The cherry on the proverbial "sundae" is that the left blinker is not working! Makes you feel great about purchasing a Ford/Mercury car, doesn't it?!!
I'd want the svce dept to know that I'm not totally ignorant so they won't tell me is a normal condition, to engage the manual brake or
some other nonsense.
I do not trust Ford or its dealers or any dealer service for that matter.
We too tried but failed with a new gas cap, gas pump and filter were replaced recently, also tried to by passed the cannister purge valve ( by connect the hose directly to the intake manifold line).
It seems to help if we keep the gas tank near full, and the problem is less noticeable in the winter. We have been trying to keep the tank fill up more often.
Please let us know if you know the cure for your problem, if there is any. Thanks!
As for my problem - Ford has basically refused to replace the car so I am left with no choice but to let them attempt a repair one more time. That will be the 4th repair. If the problem is not resolved then I plan on taking them to court under the New York State Lemon Law to get my money back.
Besides the gas smell and the broken blinker on my brand new car - the back rear seatbelt will not retract. Yet another problem!
One thing is for sure - I will NEVER EVER buy a Ford/Mercury product again for as long as I live! If you are reading this and are considering a Ford/Mercury product, you should buy a Japanese car (Honda, Toyota, etc...) I have had 3 Honda Accords and have NEVER had one problem with any of them - EVER. I truly regret buying the Sable.
I'm not sure what your attorney is planning on a 5 year old used car, though. Maybe a scare letter, but I don't really understand who you can sue and for what? It's not easy suing a big automaker for defects in a 1993 car, seven years after manufacture.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, and Ido hope you get some kind of help, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if I were you.
You metioned "Ford states that replacing the gaskets in/under/around (???) the intake manifold will fix the problem" will fix the gas smell. It would nice to know exactly what gaskets Ford is talking about.
I haven't a chance talk to Licoln about my problem, fear of high cost and not sure problem will cure either.
Sable and that fixed it. They told me the gaskets get soaked with gas and this is what causes the fumes. So slz if you'll take your car to the Ford service dept. they will correct the problem. I am so excited with this car now and am glad it is fixed.
Thanks for the info.
E_sable thanks for provided specific fix information on your problem.
would be a permanent fix or temporary, nor did they say if the gaskets were fuel proof. I figured that the repair would be a permanent fix.
My problem was a constant smell of gas fumes. It
is such a relief not to have to smell the fumes
anymore.
"*Technical Service Bulletin 01-04-03
Fuel, Climate Control, Engine, - Fuel Odor - Fuel smell from passenger compartment through vents - vehicles equipped with 3.0L 4-valve Duratec engine only - updated lower intake manifold gaskets: if fuel odor condition is verified and no fuel leaks are found, replace the lower intake gaskets."
They did this for me and so far, so good. It was disappointing that I had to threaten them with a law suit before they realized the problem and fixed it. I truly hope this is a permanent fix. I'll have no recourse if a few years down the road these gaskets give out again. My wife and I like the car in all respects - it is too bad we now have this bad taste in our mouths about Ford/Mercury products. Despite all of my complaining to Ford - I have yet to receive a follow-up call from Ford or my dealer to see if the problem is resolved. I did just get a new Acura and have received 3 phone calls and 5 letters from Acura despite the fact that I have had not one complaint. I guess you get what you pay for....
Mr. Shiftright
Host
Sometimes you have to take it out of the hands of the dealer, and go directly to FORD themselfs. Unforunately there aren't to many good dealers out there, but I know I found a bad one in Oklahoma.
My situation I took it directly out of the hands of the Bad Dealer and when to FORD on my problem. As it turned out, either this bad dealers mechanics was un experienced or it was simply intentional. My case in OKlahoma left me where there was no Lemmon law to protect us consumers from dealers like the one I encountered.
Otherwise, it's been a good car so far. Smooth, quiet, decent gas milage. 2000 Sable LS Premium wagon with 12500 miles.
Just received a safety recall notice (01S08) today in the mail from Mercury. It deals with both 2000 & 2001 Sables and Taurus's that have the power adjustable pedals.
"Grease used on the adjustable pedal assembly may enter the brake lamp switch and contaminate the contacts. This may cause one or more of the following symptoms to occur:
-Brake lights stay illuminated or are inoperative.
-Shift Interlock disabled (will be able to shift out of "Park" position without depressing the brakes.
-Speed Control will not activate.
-Cannot shift the vehicle out of "Park."
-ABS Warning light illuminates on vehicles with ABS
-Battery Discharged"
The recall stated to call the dealer for an appointment without delay. I called ahead and the parts department did not have the parts in stock as they had not yet received notification from Ford. The Parts Manager stated that he should have parts within 3-4 business days.
Thought all you 2000 & 2001 Sable & Taurus owners with adjustable pedals should know about this safety recall.
i was shocked, told them i will bring my sleeping bag, some dried food, and a sterno stove-- in case they have underestimated the time needed to perform the service--
The dealer said not to give him hard time (he knows me by now)-- told him he asked for it-- calling it a Mercury-- said they shoulda called it like a Pluto Sable-- then i would expect service to be slow--
he said 'not funny, doc', so i said at least went with Pluto, coulda made a pun with Uranus... he said, 'now tell me again, why did you decide not to buy another Volvo?' Told him Volvos just weren't funny ....
i do like my Sable so far, but sure seems like there is a long time needed for service--
Good luck.
So now my choices are: (a)call another Ford, Lincoln/ Mercury
svce dept or (b) Ford directly. Why are sending recall
notifications if they didn't inform some dealers
and/or they didn't yet ship parts?
Should've bought some other brand of car.
I recently traded in a 1994 Mercury Cougar that I had purchased new. That generation of Cougars and T-Birds (the last of the rear drive ones) were notorious for front brake rotor warping! Mine were defective from the factory, and for the first several years, I had to get the front rotors turned (machined) every 8,000. That of course, led to more frequent replacement. When the "Anniversary" editions came out in 1997 (to mark the demise of the RWD Cougar and T-Bird) they offered 16" wheels, and LARGER FRONT BRAKE ROTORS. Unfortunately, these larger rotors can't fit on a car with 15" wheels. I think V8 Cougars/T-Birds had 16" rims standard by the model's end run.
Interestingly enough, my then local L-M dealer was using a new (1997) method of machining the rotors while they were still on the car! This seemed to help, and I drove over 20,000 miles without having to deal with the rotors again. You might want to inquire about that technique.
Hopefully, my new Sable won't have these sorts of problems!
transmission is shot (according to a number of
shops) .. haven't had the dealer look at it yet.
Is Ford or Mercury helping with this problem, which I understand is a very common one? Is there a good 800 # I should calling to find out?
Thanks!
The author has tons of info, suggestions, etc. You might also try the NHTSA Web Site. Also, read prior Edmund's posts for both Sable and Taurus. Good luck!
I had an appointment Monday morning (April 2nd) to have the corrective work done regarding safety recall # 01S08. I dropped my Sable off expecting the work to take several hours. Within 15 minutes of arriving at the office, I received a call from my service manager informing me that the work was complete! Needless to say, I was pleased. I only wish he'd informed me that it would only take 15 minutes to perform the correction!
Glad to have the problem corrected now. Fortunately, my Sable never exhibited any of the problems (outlined in the safety recall) before I had the corrective work carried out.
I'm still enjoying the car in spite of the two problems (incorrectly installed power steering hose and this safety recall) I've experienced in the seven months since I began the lease. Hopefully this will be it. We'll see.
My 1996 Sable AS had the same exact problem as yours. The front windshield must be removed and re installed. Something the windshield sits on is defective. I argued for months before it was corrected. It has been fine for 4 years now. The cars runs great.
However, lot's of hard braking will warp most rotors today, unfortunately, due to cheap light weight rotors. I have an old 1967 Corvette that has never needed rotors turned or replaced despite lots of hard stops from triple digit speeds.
and had the fix done. I had made an appt. and
today the svce dept people were expecting me. Dropped the car at 7:30 in the morning and picked it up at 1:45.
After leaving the car I had to go thorough a lot
full of Lincs and Mercs to get to the street, and two 2001 Mountaneer SUV's were calling me. Very tempting indeed.
my car had the repair. They
wanted to know in a scale of 1 to 5 how I'd rate
my experience with the svce.dept. They later
mentioned that I will be getting a questioneer
from Ford regarding the service experience.
I found this call quite interesting because I purchased my Merc Sable there and had a bad
experience (sales and service). I wrote a very
strong letter to Ford last year and followed it up
with a phone call. I'd like to believe that Ford
actually handled the situation with the dealer.
I'll never know what really happened.
While my car was getting fixed I tried to buy to
windshield wiper inserts for front windows but the
parts dept at the dealership said that they don't sell inserts but the wipers with inserts because
they provide a better swipe. I'm not complaining about the cost ($21.54 I/tax) but is this true?
the inserts and the arms with the inserts. Just
curious. The reality is that my car spends most of its time outside but the tension on the arms did not appear to change.
Although, I've done tune-up and computer diagnostic, nothing have changed that. I don't know what else to do. Did anybody try different approach to correct fuel consumption?
So you turn it off, figure musta been something with the ignition lock or just a temporary case of 'bad carma' (sorry)-- so you go through the steps again-- fires right up, CD is on, moonroof open, seatbelt on, and take the car out of .... grrrr... out of.... grrrrrr... out of--
so you slowly come to the conclusion you are stuck in Park--
So the question is: do you know what was wrong? The answer is important, because it could happen to you--
I'll share part of my answer that night-- but there is a much better one-- My answer involved calling Ford Roadside assistance from my car-- the person had never heard of the problem-- i asked him to go through the archives-- he did, and said there was no information on such a problem, and the best he could do was send a tow truck to have my car towed to the dealer-- althought the towtruck driver turned out to be a good guy, and kept me company while i waited at the dealership for an hour for a taxi ($40) to take me to the airport to get a rental car ($150) until Monday when the car could be looked at--
My question is: what disabled the Sable? I will give the correct diagnosis and treatment later--