Car accelerated by itself to above 55 MPH at local road, when put to parking, the engine kept running at more than 3500 RPM, it was crazy, nearly killed some kids.
2004 Mercury Sable acceleration problems
15 complaints (29% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 82,000.
- owner complaints
- 15
- of this car's complaints
- 29%
- typical mileage
- 82,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Cables1
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 2004 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
Stuck throttle
Preliminary Evaluation (PE)12-005 was opened to investigate allegations of speed control cables detaching from the throttle body and subsequently interfering with the throttle closing fully to the idle position in model year (MY) 2005 and 2006 Ford Taurus vehicles.The speed control cable, throttle body attachment arm (?nail head?) for the speed control cable, cable mounting bracket and cable routing for the MY 2005 and 2006 Ford Taurus are common to all MY 2004 through 2006 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable vehicles equipped with either the 155 HP 3.0L 2-valve Vulcan engine or the 200 HP 3.0L 4-valve Duratec engine (the ?subject vehicles?). Figures 1 and 2 show the throttle body cam and speed control cable installed and a cable interference condition caused by contact between a detached cable and the ?nail head.?Ford?s assessment of the condition in incident vehicles noted that the interference conditions produced tended to be short in duration as the cable end tended to dislodge itself from the throttle body due to vibration, road loads or engine roll in addition to tapping the acceleration pedal.Ford inspected three incident vehicles and measured maximum throttle openings of 5.8% to 14.9%, resulting in engine speeds ranging from 1600 to 2200 rpm with the transmission selector in Drive.A Ford stack-up analysis of the speed control cable length from the attachment bracket to the throttle body indicated a maximum theoretical throttle opening of 16.4% that could result from the alleged defect. Engineers at the federal safety agency Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) inspected an incident vehicle to evaluate throttle positions and engine speeds that could result from the alleged defect and performed brake testing of a vehicle with the throttle stuck at the worst case throttle opening that could result from the condition.The VRTC vehicle inspection noted that, depending on the orientation of the detached cable end, the amount of throttle opening that could result from interference by a detached speed control cable end varied from 4.8% to 11.3%.VRTC brake testing of a MY 2006 Taurus with a Vulcan engine and the throttle held open at 16% found that, even with multiple brake applications, sufficient vacuum was available for the brake booster assist and the brake pedal efforts required to stop the vehicle did not increase significantly from normal operating conditions. ODI?s analysis of 100 complaints related to the alleged defect found that drivers were generally able to free the interference condition or safely brake to a stop without incident.Approximately one-third (32) reported that the stuck throttle condition was corrected with no action or by tapping the accelerator pedal while the vehicle was still moving, another third (34) reported braking to a stop with the vehicle in Drive prior to correcting the condition, and the remaining third (34) reported that the driver responded to the incident by shifting to Neutral before stopping the vehicle.One complaint alleged that stuck-throttle type symptoms caused the vehicle to pass partially through a traffic light and into an intersection before stopping, however,ODI was unable to contact the owner to verify the cause or relationship to the alleged defect condition.ODI has not identified any crashes related to the alleged defect. Tables 1 and 2 provide a breakdown of complaints and warranty claims related to the alleged defect by engine and model year.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation do
PE12005
What 2004 Mercury Sable owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury sable. While driving at high speeds, the rpms increased without warning. The vehicle surged forward and exhibited rapid acceleration. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
While driving on the freeway the engine keeps constant speed even after removing foot from accelerator pedal. It's like a stuck throttle. The only way to stop it is to apply brake and shift to neutral and stamp on the accelerator. Traffic had come to a stop and my engine was still revving at 3500 rpms pretty scary, only thing holding car back is brakes.
Started sudden acceleration while driving at 25 MPH. Pressed hard on brakes to stop, put it on park mode. Still RPM was around 4000. Turned off engine. When cranked back, RPM kept on increasing without foot on accelerator. Tapped hard on accelerator couple of times, RPM went back to normal.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury sable. The contact stated that the vehicle surged forward and exhibited rapid accelerated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on several occasions, who was not able to replicate. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.
While driving and I go over 50 MPH my car will speed up which cause the throttle cable to come apart an d the engine or transmission speeds up.
I received a panicked phone call from my 16 year old daughter after a life threatening experience. She was driving at 35 MPH when the car began to accelerate on it's own, the engine raced to 4,000 RPM and stayed there, while she frantically pressed the brake. Thankfully she was able to contain control of the vehicle as she pulled off it the road. She immediately turned off the engine, after waiting a few minutes she started the car, again it raced to 4,000 RPM. After trying this multiple times I had the car towed home. A call to ford verified there has been no recalls or recall work done on this vehicle. I researched this issue online, to my amazement there are many people who have experienced this same issue.in fear for my child and anyone else who might drive this vehicle I have removed it from use, and feel stuck with unsafe vehicle. I am highly disappointed in the lack of response/resolve from the manufacture.
Throttle gets stuck. This was repaired in february of 2009 and has occurred again now in october 2013. Statement from ford dealership nov 4, 2013: speed control cable broken needs replace may be causing throttle linkage to bind. Dealership indicates that a recall on the 2000-2003 mercury sables covers the exact repairs that are necessary on my vehicle but my vehicle is not covered as it is a 2004. Contacted ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673 and they are currently not willing to pay for repairs to my vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury sable. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The contact was able to merge to the shoulder and turn the vehicle off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the speed control cable had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 76,794.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury sable. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently while the contact was sitting idle at a traffic stop. The vehicle lunged forward and the rpms increased before the sudden acceleration occurred. Failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 198,000 and the current mileage was 203,000.
Questions about the 2004 Mercury Sable acceleration
Does the 2004 Mercury Sable have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 15 complaints about the acceleration of the 2004 Mercury Sable, 29% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2004 Mercury Sable acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 82,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2004 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 2004 Mercury Sable problems
Brakes 12Transmission 12Lights 7Electrical 6Engine 5Seat belts 3Seats 3Airbags 2Fuel system 2Body 1Suspension 1Tires 1Visibility 1
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