Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury sable. While driving 35 MPH over a bump, the contact heard an abnormal noise underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that both springs had fractured. The mechanic also diagnosed that the brakes and ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the springs were not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Mercury Sable ball joint problems
62 of the 4,888 owner complaints about the Mercury Sable describe ball joint or control arm failure, most of them for the 1990 model year.
- owner complaints
- 62
- worst model year
- 1990
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 76,600
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Coil spring 4Pulling 3Transmission failure 2Headlights 2Grinding brakes 2ABS 2Water leak 1Stalling 1
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercury sable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a safety inspection, where the mechanic notified her that the brake lines were corroded and the ball joints were detaching from the vehicle. Also, the mechanic advised the contact that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
1-spring -wife was driving locally, heard loud noise like hitting something; pulled into friend's driveway; walked back into roadway and found spring; towed to ford, bothsprings replaced under recall 04m04 2-fill pipe - 11/12/2010- at routine service dealer said rusted (90672mi) parts had to be replaced - $428. 3-subframe -07/19/2012- routine service (106097mi) dealer said car not road worthy; left front subframe rusted thru, l frt control arm assembly about to break away from subframe - astonishing!!! - had just completed 300mi trip , was about to leave on 700mi trip - would probably have been killed along with drivers of nearby vehicles on interstate; have photos; ford subframe no longer available, never any after mkt mfg; would be crazy to trust used part! Can't believe how close I came to major accident/death - [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and making a turn the steering became had become very difficult to maneuver. After shutting off and restarting the vehicle, the power steering seemed to have reset but the failure recurred after attempting to park the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and they advised him that front tie rods failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 18,600.
The wheel stiffens up while making a turn. Also when sitting still/stopped the wheel completely freezes up. The ball joints, bearings, and racket pinion was checked out by a mechanic and the conclusion he came to was he thinks it could be the power steering pump has faulted. This started in the beginning of november and currently is getting worse. Due to the car only having 16,000 miles and he heard of this happening to other mercury's we were wondering if there is any sort of recall, and if there isn't if this problem could be noted for future reference.
Sub frame rusted through around front lower control arm bolts causing excessive play in steering and possible separation of control arm from sub frame. Front mount bolt is recessed 1/2 inch in to the sub frame where water/salt can collect and has no where to drain.
Front coil spring broke and blew through front driver's side tire had to have car towed. Had to replace broken front coil springs, struts and upper mounts and lower ball joints and the tire and a wheel alignment. Thankfully this happened when the car was parked. It was very scarey.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable gs . While driving approximately 35 MPH, there was a loud noise from under the vehicle and it pulled to the left. Also there was a burning rubber odor. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front coil spring on the driver side was broken. The contact stated there was an open investigation for that failure (the federal safety agency action number: ea08018). The manufacturer was contacted and stated they could not provide assistance and the contact would have to repair the vehicle at his own expense and save receipts if in the future there was recall. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 112,409. Updated 03/29/11 *bf the consumer stated the struts, bearing plates and left lower ball joints had to be replaced. Updated 08/22/11
I own a 2000 mercury sable. I went to my mechanic to have my tie rods replaced. Upon inspection my mechanic found my right front coils spring broken. He also stated the coil had been broken for some time due to the amount of rust found at the break. I have installed kyb struts installed.
I drive a 2002 mercury sable that was purchased a few months ago. We are a family of three that doesn't drive often or like a nascar driver. But last week while reversing, my tires blew. We were going to put the spare on when we noticed that the strut/spring that punctured and blown the tire. We are so thankful that we were not on the interstate when this happened because we could've been killed. Not only that, but we are spending hundreds of dollars on this issued that should be recalled! I have done some research on this car and noticed that this is a common problem for many owners of the mercury sable anad ford taurus. It is not right for a company to think that they can get away with this. Our family was hit head on, on the interstate a year ago adn could've died!! We are still disabled and will be for the rest of our lives. The last thing I want in my life is to have another close call to death! This needs to be addressed! I now have to purchase 2 brand new tires, even though I just got new ones! Need new strut/spring combos on each side, otherwise they wear differently and could have more issues later and new ball joints on each side. Not only that but I have to get these tires balanced and rotated at another fee. Didn't have a car for over a week, and missed school. Fix this issue! Do some research yourself and you will see we have a big problem on our hands!!! Why should I have to pay and suffer for thier mistake? Can you answer these questions for me?
Related recalls
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, the front coil springs could fracture due to corrosion associated with salt used on the roadways during the winter. A fractured spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the tire may rupture resulting in a rapid air loss, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install protective spring shields. In addition, ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. If the vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2005. If either front coil spring fractures, dealers will replace both front springs at no charge to the owner. An interim notice was sent to owners on august 2, 2004. Parts are now available for the 2000-2001 my vehicles and owners were sent a letter on january 10, 2005, advising them to bring in their vehicles for repair parts are expected to be available for the 1999 my vehicles by the end of february 2005 and owners of these vehicles will be notified then. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 04V332000 · Recall details
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of new york, michigan, ohio, illinois, wisconsin, pennsylvania, massachusetts, indiana, new jersey, maine, connecticut, new hampshire, rhode island, vermont, minnesota, iowa, missouri, kentucky, maryland, delaware, and west virginia. The front coil springs can fracture as a result of corrosion in combination with small cracks in the springs.
- Risk
- The front tire could deflate due to a broken front coil spring contacting the tire, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a spring catcher bracket which will prevent a fractured spring from contacting a tire.
Recall number 98V094000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mercury Sable ball joint
Which Mercury Sable years have ball joint or control arm failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1990 (12 complaints), 1991 (9 complaints) and 1999 (7 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ball joint or control arm failure on the Mercury Sable?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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