Purchased vehicle from a private seller 10 days prior to incident. Seller informed me they had replaced throttle body sensor to fix unintended acceleration issues. Drove vehicle home on 4/10/22 with one incident on highway where I attempted to slow vehicle after reaching approx 70mph, and vehicle seemed to jolt/shudder as if unable to brake smoothly. Did not drive again til 4/18/22: I attempted to drive vehicle to tire shop to have new tires installed. After backing out of driveway, I accelerated quickly to approx. 25mph. Acceleration continued past 25mph despite me letting off the gas pedal. I hit the brakes and felt the acceleration continuing to push against them, causing the car to jolt/shake with the application of the brakes. I slowed to a stop at a nearby traffic light, where the engine continued to rev at approx. 2000rpm. When I let off the brakes and drove through the intersection, the car continued to accelerate to around 30-35mph without me pressing the gas pedal at all. I again applied the brakes to regain control of the vehicle, and it again jolted against them as the engine continued to rev excessively. After the next light, I pulled over and placed the car in park. Here, engine stopped revving high, and when I put it in drive again, the issue had ceased. Reading up on complains, have found dozens of similar driver issues with uncontrollable acceleration on similar model-year Mercury Sables and Ford Tauruses, with no clear solution to the issue to allow me to safely drive this vehicle with my child inside. My and my child's safety is placed at risk with increased chance of brake failure, without recourse from manufacturer or the federal safety agency, who've concluded their investigation despite frequent complaints. Problem has not yet been confirmed by dealer/ISC. Vehicle has not been inspected. No check engine lights or other warning of issue from vehicle. At no point was gas pedal physically stuck in the acceleration position. Issue is known to the federal safety agency, but not resolved.
Mercury Sable brake failure problems
71 of the 4,888 owner complaints about the Mercury Sable describe brake failure, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 71
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $800
- typical mileage
- 50,000
By model year
Often reported together
ABS 7Sudden acceleration 4No deployment 4Stalling 3Adaptive cruise 3Power steering loss 2Transmission failure 1
What owners say
Was pulling into parking lot brakes went out totally no warning stopped by emergency brake have no brakes at all turning after 45 MPH then to a stopligh intothe city's resturant
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury sable. While driving 35 MPH, the brakes failed. Due to the brake failure, the vehicle was involved in a crash at an intersection with an oncoming vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact and passenger sustained injuries to the back and face that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 179,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mercury sable. While pulling into a parking space at 2 MPH, the vehicle accelerated on its own. The failures occurred intermittently for three years. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failures. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 22,300. Updated 9/4/14*cn the consumer stated when an incident would occur the vehicle had no brakes unless put in nuetral. The acceleration maintained the current speed. For the past 39 months the owner had been driving with one hand on the shifting lever to be able to stop. Updated 1/5/2014
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH there was an increase on engine rpms and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact mentioned the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. However, once the vehicle was shifted into neutral and then park he was able to turn the engine off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnose that the cruise control cable failed. The contact had the cable disconnected. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 131,000 and the current mileage was 132,000.
Tl* the contact owns 2001 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle began to accelerate independently. The contact tried to slow the vehicle but the brakes failed. The contact had to repeatedly apply abrupt force to the brake pedal before the vehicle would respond. The contact shut the vehicle off and noticed that there was a piece of plastic broken and sitting on the accelerator throttle. The vehicle was not repaired. The cause of the failure was unknown. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 215,000.
My wife purchased a 2001 mercury sable ls on 1/31/01,I drove the auto for 2 days, when I put the auto in gear the gas pedal reacted as though the pedal was pushed to the floor board. I called port motors and told them about the situation and told them I refused to drive the auto. The next day they came and towed the auto away. When I went to the dealer they gave me another auto,for which I still have the old VIN #. After driving the new auto they gave I began having the same problems. Over the past 8 years the accelerator problem has occurred about 9 or 10 times. When I put the car in gear I always make sure my foot is always on the brake as I fear the auto will accelerate as though the pedal goes to the floor,my wife refuses to drive this auto and I will not let anyone drive as I don't know when this racing will occur. I have reported this to ford motor but got know positive response, I also reported this to national safety board and they gave me a complaint #.
When stopping for a red light, the brake pedal went to the floor. I was lucky there was no traffic. The dealer replaced several feet of rusted brake line. The dealer told me this happens all the time. Why is it not mandatory that brake lines are stainless steel or covered with a protective material?
Complete brake failure. Pedal went to the floor and car would not stop. I used the emergency brake to safely stop the vehicle. This happened once before about three years ago and a repair center was unable to duplicate. Brake master cylinder failed and needed to be replaced.
Vehicle -- 1990 mercury sable station wagon, 3.8 engine experienced loss of steering control due to failure of engine/transmission lower subframe mount failing. Subsequent motion also breached both rear brake lines with major loss of braking power. With significant effort, I was able to maintain control of the vehicle.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles equipped with adjustable padels are being recalled in order to adjust the brake and accelerator pedals to a minimum of 50 mm of lateral separation. Simultaneous application of both the brake and accelerator pedals could result in an increase in engine RPM.
- Risk
- This could result in a customer experiencing an "unintended vehicle speed increase" or a perceived "unable to stop" condition.
- Remedy
- Owners will be instructed as to the proper way to set the position of the pedals and to take their vehicles to a dealer to have the spacing between the brake and accelerator pedals measured. If the spacing is found to be less than 50 mm, the dealer will adjust the pedals to increase the distance between them to greater than 50 mm. Owner notification began october 28, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 02V266000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: brake fluid low warning: lamp
- What is wrong
- The brake system fluid level indicator lamp switch can malfunction. This does not comply with fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
- Risk
- Consequence of non-compliance: if the switch malfuntions, the brake system warning lamp will either remain illuminated continuously or fail to light as intended when the fluid level falls to a certain level. In either case, the vehicle operator would not be warned of a low brake fluid level condition.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake system fluid level indicator lamp switches.
Recall number 96V016000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- The retainer clip which holds the master cylinder push rod to the brake pedal arm is missing or not completely installed. The push rod can separate from the brake pedal arm.
- Risk
- This can result in loss of braking ability and an accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, install the retainer clip.
Recall number 94V198000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Anti-lock brake system controllers designed for rear wheel drive cars may have been installed on these front wheel drive cars..
- Risk
- This could result in reduced braking ability and possiblevehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Replace the rear wheel drive ABS controller with a front wheel drive ABS controller.
Recall number 93V023000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: rotor
- What is wrong
- Front disc brake rotors of the subject vehicles may experience severe corrosion if operated in areas where calcium chloride and sodium chloride are used extensively.
- Risk
- Severely corroded rotors may fracture or separate nearthe inner edges of the brake discs resulting in reduced braking effectiveness,higher than normal pedal efforts, loud grinding noises, and moderate pulls whenthe brakes are applied. Reduced braking effectiveness may increase minimumstopping distances, possibly resulting in an accident.
- Remedy
- Replace front brake rotors with full cast front brake rotors.
Recall number 91V134000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mercury Sable brake failure
Which Mercury Sable years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (11 complaints), 1997 (8 complaints) and 1999 (8 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix brake failure on the Mercury Sable?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $800 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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