2001 Mercury Sable: won't start

8 of the 430 complaints about the 2001 Mercury Sable describe won't start.

owner complaints: 8
of this car's complaints: 2%
typical mileage: 56,900
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 29 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Won't start by model year

2001
8
2000
3
1997
1
1996
3
1994
3
1993
6
1992
2
1991
2

What owners say

Filed Feb 14, 2010 · Engine, Suspension · 57,800 miles · NJ

My 2001 mercury sable has now failed me over 8 times without warning. I would drive turn the car off then try to start it again and it would not start. It was completely dead. I called aaa had the car towed. I took it to the dealer and they charged me for everything. A battery, an alternator, wiring, the works then, the same thing happened. The last time my car was at the dealer for a week before I was told it needed a fuel pump. I have now decided to never buy another mercury after being a long time customer. I never received a notice of a recall and just now found out the rear springs which I replaced was also happening to other customers. They have not fixed my problem and the car is sitting because I'm to frighten to drive anywhere. It's sad. All the money spent could gone toward some other car where service people care of course, now the warranty is expired. The miles on my car is 58,000.

Filed Oct 26, 2009 · Engine · 56,900 miles · MN

2001 sable with 57000 miles. Vehicle will start, kill and then cannot be restarted for at least 1/2 hour. Sometimes will not start at all. Service people have hooked up to sensors but cannot find what is wrong. Problem is sporadic, happening about 1 to 2 times per week. Scoped fuel pump but said it was working properly. Said fuel filter and all other systems checked out ok. Don't know what to do next. Feel uneasy about driving the car anywhere far from home.

Filed Feb 9, 2006 · Body, Electrical · 28,900 miles · MI

Dt*: the contact stated there were two problems with the vehicle. The first being the engine would not start intermittently. The engine would start if it was boosted. The vehicle was taken to the local independent repair shop for inspection. The repair personnel discovered the battery cables had separated from the terminals. The cables were repaired. The second was a transmission failure. The transmission was shifted into park and the vehicle lurched forward. After this incident, the vehicle would not go into any gear. The vehicle was towed to the local repair shop for inspection. The transmission was rebuilt and the vehicle drives normal. The front bumper fascia cracked. The left rear tire failed. Updated 03/03/06.

Filed Oct 8, 2005 · Fuel system · 64,492 miles · OH

I own a 2001 mercury sable. In august of 2003 the car would not start and was towed to the dealer. It had 23038 miles. The fuel pump was replaced with no charge to me due to the manufacturers warranty. On october 3, 2005, my mercury sable would not start. Again it was towed with only 64492 miles. Once again the dealer informed me that the fuel pump was bad and replaced it. This cost me $50 deductible due to the extended warranty which I purchased. On top of all of this, I own a 2002 ford taurus with only 27000 miles on it. In september of 2005, it would not start. The fuel pump was replaced on it. I will put this incident into a different complaint.

Filed Feb 24, 2004 · Engine · 13,500 miles · CA

The vehicle will not start or will crank, start and idle very rough, then stop rumnning. Two dealers have investigated and duplicated the problem but no cause has been found.

Filed Jun 4, 2003 · Electrical · FL

My 2001 mercury sable has now failed on me at least 6 times since I purchased it on nov. 15,2002. Without warning, I would turn my car off, come back to it and it wouldn't start. Nothing, completely dead. The only thing that did work was the theft light would flash. At first, you could wait for 15 to 30 minutes and it would suddenly start again. This last time, that was not the case. I had it at the ford dealership three times for this problem and they could never diagnose the problem because it wouldn't do it to them. After my third time of being stranded I told them to keep the car until it was fixed. After three days, they decided they would go ahead and make new keys and replace the theft system although they still had not diagnosed this to be the problem. It worked for a couple of months and guess what, here I am again without a car. Keep in mind, the three times I had the car in for this problem it was still covered under warranty; it no longer is, it has exceeded the mileage.

Filed Jun 30, 2001 · Electrical · NY

The car will not start although the battery is charged. The ant-theft device appears to be the problem again. The ford towing service told me that this is a common problem.

Filed May 27, 2001 · Electrical · NY

The car would not start even though the battery was not dead. After switching the remote entry back and forth from lock to unlock several times, the engine started. The engine simply stopped without warning several times at various speeds from 65 to about 20mph. The dealer claimed a contact in the fuse box was not long enough to make sufficient contact with the fuse. I also suspect the anti-theft device or ignition switch might be at fault.