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2004 Mercury Sable transmission problems

12 complaints (23% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 58,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints
12
of this car's complaints
23%
typical mileage
58,000
crashes
1
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Automatic transmission
    4

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 transmission problems in other years

1990199520002009

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2004 Mercury Sable owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jan 12, 2015 · Brakes, Lights · 99,300 miles · VA

The car will not come out of park, nor do the brake lights work and sometimes the brake lights stay on. There was a recall for this very issue. Recall #04s12 or 04v106000. However the recall stops at 2003. My vehicle has the same defective switch in it but ford is refusing to replace it. They claim my vehicle was made a few days after the recall stopped. Well that doesn't make my brake pedal switch any safer. I'm being handed a line of crap by ford. They installed a defective switch and have admitted its defective and wont fix mine because of a manufacture date. What court wouldn't prosecute ford if I have a serious accident because of this defective switch that they know is defective but refuse to fix it.

Filed Dec 12, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 54,000 miles · GA

Car will not come out of park, nor will brake lights operate when pedal depressed. Exact symptoms as described in previous model year recalls. Only wayto get car out of park is to place in neutral after turning key in ignition to first available position, then applying brake pedal to release shift lock.

Filed May 6, 2014 · Acceleration, Engine · 11,867 miles · TN

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.

Filed Jun 13, 2012 · Transmission · 59,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury sable. The contact stated while driving 8 MPH the vehicle suddenly stopped and it would not accelerate or move. The contact mentioned that no warning lamps illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 59,000.

Filed Apr 11, 2012 · Transmission · 155,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stopped accelerating. The contact was able to safely coast to a stop. The vehicle was then towed to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,000.

Filed Apr 8, 2012 · Transmission · 61,000 miles · NY

Without warning I experienced a loss of power with my 2004 mercury sable. After driving my car approximately 46 miles (I live 47 miles from job) I came to a stop sign and when I went to proceed through the stop sign, I was not able to do so. I had lost forward and reverse gears and the car would not move. There were no warning signs. No slipping, no banging, no grinding or any other noises that almost always are associated with transmission failure. I had the car towed to a transmission shop (aamco of mineola, ny) and the transmission was replaced. I never in all my 32 years of driving had a transmission fail in the manner that this transmission did. I also truly felt it was a torque converter or input shaft failure but I am not a mechanic (I do have a good knowledge of how a car and it's components work) and just decided to get the transmission fixed. I did not think much about this until I received a notice that my ford freestar is involved in a recall (11s25/the federal safety agency recall 12v‑006) which described the same failure. It just so happens that it is also a model year 2004 and is equipped with the same model transmission (ax4s). I am now very confident that the transmission's torque converter failed just as it is described in the recall for my ford freestar. I believe that there is a design problem with the splines in the torque converter when it is manufactured and a possible failure of the input shaft (which the torque converter spins on).

Filed Apr 3, 2012 · Transmission · 58,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where a diagnostic was performed, which located the failure at the transmission. The transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 58,000.

Filed Dec 5, 2011 · Transmission · CA

2004 mercury sable ls premium with dohc v-6 automatic engine. Bad slippage occurs when reverse is engaged with the transmission being warm. Only occurs when the transmission is warm. Mileage is currently at 61,000. Vehicle was purchased in 2007 with 48,000 miles with full factory warranty. I notified ford.mercury. Because the car is now out of warranty, they wont do a fix ... Only under the full cost of rebuilding or replacing the transmission.

Filed Feb 3, 2011 · Transmission · 18,500 miles · MA

My complaint is for a 2004 mercury sable sl prem wagon with a 4f50n transmission. It has approx 18500 miles. While driving close to home, the dash 'transmission' light came on, but almost instantly went off. I called the dealer, who I use for maintenance and repair. They advised it might have been a fluke or nothing, to see what happened next time. The next day I backed the car out of my driveway,no light came on. I started to drive, the hill, the light came on and immediately the car stopped moving forward. We had it towed to the dealer and have been told the transmission is bad, that it must be replaced at a cost to us of over $3,000. This transmission failed without expectation and suddenly. If this had happened in traffic, I could have had a serious accident. Vehicle is at the dealer. This seems to fit in with the problems indicated in the federal safety agency action no. Ea09016.

Filed Jul 1, 2007 · Transmission · 52,548 miles · NY

While driving home at 11pm on september 2, 2006 my car stopped moving as I was making a left-hand turn. The engine was running, the electrical system was in order; the car simply would not move. Luckily, I was able to coast across the road and stop the car in a safe location. As I live in a rural area, the road was empty or I could have been seriously injured. I walked to a nearby bar where I called aaa to come and tow the car. I had the car towed to my home, then after my husband determined it was a serious problem, we had the car towed to the dealership where we purchased it the previous march. The mechanic determined that the transmission was shot and needed to be completely replaced! I was shocked as I had serviced the transmission as recommended at 35,000 and the vehicle only had 52,000 on it.

Questions about the 2004 Mercury Sable transmission

Does the 2004 Mercury Sable have transmission problems?

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the transmission of the 2004 Mercury Sable, 23% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2004 Mercury Sable transmission problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 58,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2004 Mercury Sable transmission?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Mercury Sable have bad transmission?

The Mercury Sable model years with the most transmission complaints are 1991 (101 complaints), 1994 (95 complaints) and 1995 (93 complaints).

Other 2004 Mercury Sable problems

Acceleration 15Brakes 12Lights 7Electrical 6Engine 5Seat belts 3Seats 3Airbags 2Fuel system 2Body 1Suspension 1Tires 1Visibility 1

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