My wife owns a 1990 mercury sable. She as well has complained about a sticky gas pedal. I myself have drove the car when the gas pedal was sticking and the car accelerated. Sometimes when we have put our foot on the gas pedal the car will not accelerate until we push alittle harder then the car takes off so quickly it could cause an accident. There was several occasions then the car accelerated while driving normally down the road. I was able to put the car in neutral and then brake to a safe stop. We found that the drivers side floor mat was part of the problem getting up under the gas pedal. We removed the floor mat but the car still has a sticky gas pedal. We took the car to a certified auto repair shop to complain about the gas pedal, but they found nothing wrong. I'm telling you this doesn't happen every time, but more often then not the gas pedal sticks. Its just a matter of time before my wife would get into an accident, unless we find a way to fix this. She has not driven the car for over 6 months now because she is afraid of it. We don't feel comfortable with trying to sell the car as it could cause someone else an injury.
The worst 1990 Mercury Sable problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine30
- Steering24
- Body23
- Electrical21
- Transmission17
- Airbags14
- Acceleration12
- Seat belts12
- Suspension11
- Brakes10
- Lights9
- Fuel system6
- Visibility5
- Locks3
- Wheels3
- Tires2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1990 Mercury Sable
Ball joint 12Fire or smoke 9Stalling 7Airbag light 5No deployment 5Seat belt 5Transmission failure 5
Recalls 5
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virgnia, and wisconsin. The rear lower subframe mount plate nut can experience stress corrosion cracking if subjected to long term exposure to road salts. This can result in fracture and loss of the structural integrity of the subframe mount attachment. Detachment of the body mounts at the rear corners of the subframe, which supports the engine and transmission, allows the rear corners of the subframe to drop.
- Risk
- If both rear corners drop, steering would become suddenly very difficult, affecting vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install subframe rear mount bolts, reinforcement plates, and plate nuts.
Recall number 98V323000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: buckle assembly
- What is wrong
- The rigid mounted safety belt buckles are defective in three ways. First, a fastened safety belt buckle will not unlatch when the release button is depressed. This results from interference between the buckle ejector finger and the buckle tongue window. The second defect is the safety belt buckle may not latch. The third possible defect is that the tongue may be retained by the buckle, but it may not be latched sufficiently to provide occupant protection.
- Risk
- An insufficiently latched or unlatched safety beltincreases the risk of injury to seat occupants in the event of a sudden stop oraccident. If the safety belt buckle will not unlatch, it will not allow theoccupant to get out of the vehicle in an emergency situation.
- Remedy
- Ford will replace the rigid mounted safety belt buckles with end release safety belt buckles designed to prevent latch problems.
Recall number 92V113000 · Recall details
Wheels
- What is wrong
- Children can accidentally lock themselves in the footwell area of the rear-facing third seat, or in the storage compartment in station wagons not equipped with an optional third seat. Once the compartment is closed it cannot be opened from the inside.
- Risk
- There is a danger of air deprivation, hyperthermia,and/or panic response to a child who has locked himself or herself into thecompartment, with the possibility of asphyxiation.
- Remedy
- Replace the self-latching assembly currently used in the rear storage compartment with a latch assembly that can only be closed with a key.
Recall number 92V065000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: rotor
- What is wrong
- Front disc brake rotors of the subject vehicles may experience severe corrosion if operated in areas where calcium chloride and sodium chloride are used extensively.
- Risk
- Severely corroded rotors may fracture or separate nearthe inner edges of the brake discs resulting in reduced braking effectiveness,higher than normal pedal efforts, loud grinding noises, and moderate pulls whenthe brakes are applied. Reduced braking effectiveness may increase minimumstopping distances, possibly resulting in an accident.
- Remedy
- Replace front brake rotors with full cast front brake rotors.
Recall number 91V134000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: headlights: switch
- What is wrong
- An incorrect transistor may cause autolamp system light sensor module malfunction.
- Risk
- Headlamps could turn off while vehicle is being driven orremain on after vehicle is parked. Loss of headlights while driving at nightcould be hazardous to the driver and other trafific.
- Remedy
- Replace light sensor modules.
Recall number 89V171000 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 1990 Mercury Sable
Defect investigations
Alleged defective tie rods
Alleged defective tie rods
DP95004
Broken tie rods
There is no summary currently available
EA94008
Polycast road wheel cracks
There is no summary currently available
PE93100
Underbody fuel line fails
There is no summary currently available
PE93065
Broken tie rods
There is no summary currently available
PE93058
Sub-frm/unibody absor.fail
There is no summary currently available
EA92040
Power steering leaks/fires
There is no summary currently available
PE92044
Engine mount failure
There is no summary currently available
PE92014
Storage compar suffocation
===
EA91042
Storage compar suffocation
There is no summary currently available
PE91108
Brake disc hub separations
===
EA90045
Technical service bulletins for the 1990 Mercury Sable 62
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Transfer service tips for the front wiper motor mount bracket and depressed park output arm. tt
- Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. slc
- Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. slc
- This information is a supplement to the wiper system service information provided in the workshop manuals....
- On some vehicles, engine oil may continue to leak from the engine oil pan gasket area after an engine oil...
- Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. mjs
- Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses. tt
- Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance...
- Service tip information on revised oil pan gasket replacement procedure. tt
- Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda. tt
1990 Mercury Sable fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | FWD | 17-18 | 24-26 | 19-21 |
| 3.8L 6‑cyl | FWD | 16-17 | 23-26 | 18-20 |
What 1990 Mercury Sable owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Vehicle -- 1990 mercury sable station wagon, 3.8 engine experienced loss of steering control due to failure of engine/transmission lower subframe mount failing. Subsequent motion also breached both rear brake lines with major loss of braking power. With significant effort, I was able to maintain control of the vehicle.
Car cruised just fine 25 miles to town, got all my stuff done in town, pulled up to a stop sign on a hill and the car would not move, engine ran just fine, the transmission would not shift into gear, car only has 110k on it, had to roll back off the road and stop, park gear worked, after an hour car still would not shift into gear, 4 days later I went out to try it again and the thing went into all gears and took off.
Dt*: the contact stated upon entering a highway at 40 MPH, the passenger front rim fractured causing the partial rim and tire to separate from the vehicle. It was maneuvered off the road and later towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was alerted.
The transmission slips bucking the car out of control when idling along with the aluminum pistons being damaged. The car jumps forward which causes unneccesary accidents and causes the car to stall on busy streets. A new transmission was needed and all new pistons due to a bad design. There is a website www.visi.com/~bruns/results2.html that contains about 50 complaints about the transmission on this car. Ford should take responsibility for this, it was a bad design and they should take the heat for it. Thank you.
While driving 20 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without the pedal being applied. The brake pedal was immediately applied in an attempt to stop the acceleration, but failed to do so. The vehicle had to be turned off and the keys removed from the ignition before the vehicle started decelerating. *nm when the vehicle was started and changed from park to drive the vehicle went off without applying the accelerator pedal. The engine made a loud noise. When the consumer released the brake pedal the vehicle went faster. *sc
Engine problems.
Consumer can hear noise in steering column which can result in loss of steering. Cause unknown. Dealer notified.
While traveling on a side street heard a noise coming from driver's side wheel. Rear coil spring broke. Dealership was aware of problem.
Heard a clicking noise in front of vehicle. While backing out of driveway inner tie rod broke off. Tie rod ball was rusted in the socket. Contacted dealer, and dealer replaced tire rod.
Compare the 1990 Mercury Sable
Other model years
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620082009
Questions about the 1990 Mercury Sable
Is the 1990 Mercury Sable reliable?
Owners have filed 165 complaints about the 1990 Mercury Sable, 2.0 times a typical Sable model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1990 Mercury Sable?
Engine and cooling, with 30 complaints. Next is steering (24).
How many recalls does the 1990 Mercury Sable have?
5 recalls, covering structure, seat belts and wheels.
What year does the Mercury Sable have bad engine?
The Mercury Sable model years with the most engine complaints are 1993 (356 complaints), 1992 (151 complaints) and 1994 (144 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1990 Mercury Sable get?
Official estimates for the 1990 Mercury Sable range from 18 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 17-18 city and 24-26 highway.
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