I was driving east on I-70 from kansas city mo. Cruise was set at 78. 4 lanes. Was in left passing lane and had to slow down quickly because of vehicle in front was doing about 50mph. The right was clear and I started moving to the right to pass. The car instantly accelerated as I started to turn right. The acceleration actually pull the car forward so fast the rear end slid to the left. Car moved a crossed the right 3 lanes of traffic at about a 60 deg angle. I managed to turn the car into the skid to avoid the guard rails and started back across the lanes with complete loss of control of the car as it did a complete 360. As I was returned to facing east again I pulled off into the median as I was again in the far left lane now in front of the vehicle I had started to pass. Having been in many emergency situation in my 67 years. I just road out the turn. I was no fun watching the vehicle I was trying to pass approach me while I was completing the 360. With so many vehicles surrounding the gap I was in, I am still amazed no one was killed, and no collision of any sort occurred. Took to the dealer and it was suggested the pcv valve was plugged. Replaced. Around feb 2 2016 I was driving I 95 to florida. I noticed the cruise dropping out twice without braking and once accelerating without resetting. I understood now that the I-70 incident was actually the cruise control. I will have it disconnected so that it can not be used again. How I survived is beyond belief. I am extremely glad no one was with me.
2003 Mercury Sable: adaptive cruise control problems
6 of the 201 complaints about the 2003 Mercury Sable describe adaptive cruise control problems.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 118,478
- recalls
- 0
Adaptive cruise control problems by model year
What owners say
Throttle cable stuck, engine at 1800 tpm, engine revved to 2600 RPM, inability to slow vehicle, surging. Required hard breaking. Once car stopped, idle dropped to 900 RPM after 15-30 seconds. Happens with increasing frequency. Engine surges at start, revs to 2100 then to 2600. Inspected cable, throttle and cruise control cable point of entry to supporting bracket plastic shattered. Cable emits sound from binding. Took to ford dealer, they indicated my vehicle was not part of the recall although the problem has been clearly documented with the same make, model, year and engine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle surged forward until the contact applied the brakes. The contact stopped and shut off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the cruise control cable was fractured. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury sable. The contact stated that the vehicle maintained a speed of 50 MPH when the accelerator pedal was not being depressed. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop. The repair shop stated that the cruise control cable needed to be replaced, along with the throttle case assembly. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 177,400 and the current mileage was 192,431.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury sable. The contact stated that the cruise control failed to function properly. A mechanic confirmed that the plastic cruise mechanism failed and caused the vehicle to accelerate up to 70 MPH. The mechanic replaced the linkage component that controlled the cruise mechanism. Case # 0539942409 was filed with the ford manufacturer regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000 miles. The current mileage was 41000. Updated 03/19/10. *lj according to the mechanic, the speed control actuator cable failed. Updated 07/06/10.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury sable. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated beyond 7 rpms when she depressed the accelerator. She stated that she had to depress the brake extremely hard then shut off the vehicle before it would stop. In addition, she stated that she lost control of the vehicle. The dealer stated that the cruise control cable caused the failure. They disconnected the cruise control. As of may 19, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The contact stated that she noticed an oil leak. The mechanic the oil seal pan needed to be replaced. The mechanic replaced the oil pan seal and there had been no further occurrences. The failure mileage was 35,850 and current mileage was 36850.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Mercury Sable adaptive cruise
Is adaptive cruise control problems a common problem on the 2003 Mercury Sable?
6 of 201 owner complaints about the 2003 Mercury Sable (3%) mention adaptive cruise control problems. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Mercury Sable?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Mercury Sable
Coil spring 41Water leak 15Tire blowout 11Transmission failure 10No deployment 7Grinding brakes 6
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