Lately my car has been over accelerating to about 4,000 rpm’s at random moments. I almost got into a wreck today and I was driving 30 mph. I’ve cleaned the throttle body and the idle air control valve and still the same issue. The car only has 113,000 miles on it but now I’m too scared to even drive it!
2001 Mercury Sable acceleration problems
61 complaints (14% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 96,000. 13 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 61
- of this car's complaints
- 14%
- typical mileage
- 96,000
- crashes
- 13
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Accelerator pedal11
- Cables5
- Cruise control2
- Linkages1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Mercury Sable acceleration problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Mercury Sable acceleration
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Speed control cable damage
On June 21, 2013, Ford initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 13B04 to address a concern with Speed Control Cable damage in certain model year (MY) 2000 through 2003 Taurus and Sable vehicles equipped with 3.0L 4V Duratec engines and built at the Chicago assembly plant.In the dealer letter for the program, Ford indicates that the Speed Control Cables on affected vehicles may be susceptible to damage or becoming partially disconnected during under hood vehicle maintenance (e.g., replacing a battery or changing the air filter) and that a damaged Speed Control Cable could interfere with the throttle's full return to idle when the accelerator pedal is released.Ford's program instructs dealers to inspect the Speed Control Cables and replace any with any portion of either collar retention tab missing.Dealers will install a Collar Reinforcement Clip at the Speed Control Cable collar in all vehicles. Figure 1 shows the location of the Speed Control Cable in the engine compartment and the proximity of the battery and air filter.The failure mode of the cable assembly is associated with the plastic collar used to secure the cable to a bracket near the throttle body (Figure 2).Damage to one or both retention tabs used to secure the cable ferrule within the collar may allow the ferrule to become disconnected from the collar when the throttle is opened during accelerator pedal application.Additional examples of Speed Control Cables with damaged collar retention tabs and partial ferrule displacement are shown in Figures 3 through 5.If the displacement pulls the ferrule completely out of the collar, the ferrule end may contact the face of the collar when the accelerator pedal is released and the throttle is returning to idle (Figure 6).This results in a throttle stuck at approximately 26-29% open.Testing conducted at the federal safety agency's Vehicle Research and Test Center found that brake booster vacuum may become depleted, resulting in reduced brake effectiveness, if the brake is applied repeatedly when the throttle is stuck at this position.Drivers who experienced this condition have reported being surprised that the engine speed did not drop as expected and in some cases misjudged the degree of braking required to slow the vehicle.Some drivers reported difficulty in braking the vehicle and responded by shifting to neutral or turning the engine off.One minor crash occurred when the vehicle contacted a roadside fence post after the driver responded to the stuck throttle by shifting the car to neutral, turning the engine off and coasting to the side of a roadway with no shoulder, resulting in approximately $400 damage to the vehicle.There were four crashes reported which were attributed to increased stopping distance caused by the increased engine power and/or reduced brake effectiveness, including two of the complaints to ODI.In one crash reported to ODI (VOQ 10516101), the subject vehicle allegedly hit the back end of a truck at approximately 40 mph causing about $2000 damage.In the other crash complaint to ODI (VOQ 10501834), the subject vehicle side-swiped a vehicle as the driver was unable to stop in time and attempted to maneuver around a line of vehicles stopped at a traffic light.When the tow truck driver subsequently started the incident vehicle, the engine was still racing and it was verified that the Speed Control Cable ferrule was stuck on the collar.After further investigation, ODI does not consider the crashes reported in VOQs 10456249 and 10159399 to be related to the Speed Control Cable problem.
PE12033
What 2001 Mercury Sable owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercury sable. While driving 50 MPH on the highway, the accelerator pedal suddenly dropped down and the vehicle accelerated to 120 MPH. The contact shifted into neutral, but the rpms continued revving at maximum capacity. When the vehicle started to slow down, the contact turned off the engine. The vehicle eventually came to a rolling stop on the side of the road. The contact waited ten minutes and attempted to restart the vehicle, but the engine revved up again; therefore, the contact quickly turned the vehicle back off. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. Future ford of sacramento (4625 madison ave, sacramento, ca 95841, (916) 473-1047) stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Sudden acceleration and continued high rpms. Accelerates without depressing accelerator pedal. This is a known issue for mercury sable / ford taurus 2000-2003 and I just discovered a recall was done in 2013 by ford. The cause is a malfunctioning of the throttle body and/crusie control cables.
Transmission issues included a near death experience when faulty cruise control wiring / functionality caused automatic transmission to rev to to high rpms. Was unable to shift to neutral gear and was forced to jump from vehicle to avoid potentially fatal wreck. Brake pads burned through to the calipers when trying to brake.
I haven't had this car vary lone and I was driving close to my home in witch I live in the tn. Smoky mountains. The roads are curvy I had just pulled out from a tee intersection and a car came fast up behind me so I stepped on it and that is when the throttle stuck so I kicked it fast and hard and it freed up. If this had been in a different situation I may have wrecked the car. So I started to do some research on this and found recalls so I did a VIN# check and found out the recalls for this car were done and all this happened on 11-19-2016 so on 11-21-2016 I had to go out and I stopped by a dealer to check on my findings and I was told the same thing and at that point I went to check on a new throttle cable and maybe the part that was put on to fix the problem and that the parts would need to be ordered and thats when I found out that it wasn't the cable that was the problem that later ford had found that it was the throttle body that was causing the problem and of course that was never reveled because that part is a 400.00 part and the cable was a 100.00 part. So this needs to be recalled again. My car has 154500 miles. The federal safety agency ' vehicle speed control problems 2001 mercury sable the federal safety agency ' vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal problems 2001 mercury sable close investigation subject : speed control cable damage date investigation opened: oct 24, 2012 date investigation closed: jun 26, 2013 the federal safety agency action number: pe12033 component(s): vehicle speed control all products associated with this investigation expand details close 10 associated documents expand manufacturer: ford motor company
My 17 year old was driving the 2001 mercury sable and came to a complete stop at a light on a busy intersection however, the car automatically accelerated even with his foot on the brake. The acceleration stuck and fortunately he was able to control the vehicle without hitting anyone and causing an accident but immediately managed to get it to an open lot to shut the car off. Had someone look at it, and it was the throttle cable that snapped. It is only temporarily fixed at this time. Also, when driving in areas where there is any type of small bump, such as the end of our driveway, the front end suspension just isn't there. It hits extremely hard.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercury sable. While driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to slow the vehicle. The contact placed the vehicle in neutral to slow it down, but the engine continued to rev at a high RPM. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure was intermittent. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
While driving the sable at approximately 25 mi. Per hr.(clear road,dry conditions)in congested traffic conditions. Going through a set of traffic lights,luckily the light had just turned green,,the vehicle suddenly surged up to 3000 RPM. Fortunately,going through the lights, my foot was near the brake pedal. When I heard and felt the acceleration ,I immediately hit the brake and kept my right foot on it as the vehicle continued to push forward with full brakes applied. Luckily the vehicle was under the brakes control,while still revvvving, I put the vehicle into neutral and pulled over,tuned ignition off. The front disc brakes were smoking. Opened hood,noticed nothing unusual, this is the only report of this incident.will seek immediate cure today. This is my 66 y.o. Girl friend car.she is now horrified to use it! November 5,2015.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercury sable. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated unintentionally when driving. On another occasion, while at a stop light, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact stated that firm pressure had to be applied to the brake pedal to keep the vehicle from lunging forward. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 164,000.
While under acceleration 50%-75% the throttle cable can slide out of the cable retainer and keep the throttle from returning to idle leading to the throttle being stuck open resulting in speeds over 100mph if no action is taken.
Questions about the 2001 Mercury Sable acceleration
Does the 2001 Mercury Sable have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 61 complaints about the acceleration of the 2001 Mercury Sable, 14% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2001 Mercury Sable acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 96,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Mercury Sable acceleration?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercury Sable have the most acceleration problems?
The Mercury Sable model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2000 (71 complaints), 2001 (61 complaints) and 2002 (56 complaints).
Other 2001 Mercury Sable problems
Suspension 204Brakes 40Airbags 27Engine 27Electrical 26Transmission 22Lights 15Fuel system 13Seat belts 12Body 11Visibility 11Steering 7Tires 5Seats 4Locks 2Driver assistance 1Wheels 1
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