1996 Mercury Sable: check engine light

6 of the 302 complaints about the 1996 Mercury Sable describe check engine light.

owner complaints: 6
of this car's complaints: 2%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 59 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Check engine light by model year

2008
1
2005
3
2003
4
2002
6
2001
5
2000
4
1999
3
1998
4
1997
4
1996
6
1994
2
1993
2
1992
4
1991
1
1990
1

What owners say

Filed Mar 4, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 6,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where unknown repairs were performed. The failure recurred however and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the same failure on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000 and the current mileage was 49,000.

Filed Oct 4, 2005 · Transmission · GA

(1) car shifts hard during acceleration and deceleration. Speedometer does not work or bounces up, then down. Check engine light comes on. (2) while driving at normal road speeds the transmission will switch to low gear causing sudden throw of driver inside car and at times when trying to accelerate there is a long delay in power to engine then sudden acceleration. (3) replaced cam sensor and other sensor three times and always fails again.

Filed Jul 19, 2001 · Engine · CA

I was traveling home from my first long distance trip from napa, ca. To ventura, ca. When without any warning the cars temperature gauge went straight to hot, the engine light came on and the car lost total power, result? Two blown head gaskets, numerous cooling parts replaced. When ford was contacted about reimbursement for a known defect (head gaskets) they said the goodwill policy doesn't count in my case because I took it to a repairshop other than ford. So here I am out $2,724.62 repair costs $400. Towing cost and another $250. In rental cost. I believe that I should be reimbursed my costs even though I didn't have the car repaired by ford, because I didn't know about the extended "goodwill" warranty until after the fact. So here is another sob story about defective head gaskets not being fixed. Ford knows about this serious problem and refuses to fix it.

Filed Dec 14, 1999 · Engine · CA

Check engine light appeared because engine failed resulting in over heating. Yh

Filed Feb 18, 1999 · Transmission · NY

The check engine light came on so the car was taken to the dealer to check it out on november of 1998. The dealer said it was a bad shift solinoid that would not effect the car very much but, should be replaced sometimes. On feb. 4, the vehicle would not start so it was towed to a local garage, they said that it needed to go to a dealer because they didn't have the proper computer to diagnose the problem. The car was then towed to bob hastings ford, east rochester ny, where they found that a fuel sensor was misssing. I contend that the sensor was never there to start with but, having no way to prove it could not get them to warranty it. Two weeks later the transmission began to slip so I drove it to empire transmission, webster ny, where I was told I needed to have the transmission rebuilt. I contacted ford to see if they would cover part of the work, but I was told that since I didn't have an extended service plan there was nothing they could do. I think this is premature failure for a transmission not used for towing or off road.

Filed Sep 10, 1997 · CA

Check engine light failed.