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 sudden acceleration problems
111 of the 4,888 owner complaints about the Mercury Sable describe sudden unintended acceleration, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 111
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical mileage
- 69,090
By model year
Often reported together
Adaptive cruise 13Check engine light 4Brake failure 4Stalling 3Jerking 3Slipping 2Hesitation 2No deployment 2
What owners say
I bought a used 1999 mercury sable gs with the u type 3.0l v6 engine 2 months ago. Just recently I noticed the car wanting to lunge forward while holding the brake at stops. Then a few days later whenever I start the car it lunges forward. Nothing dramatic but definitely noticeable. I started looking online to see about a recall and 1 was present a long time ago. Is it to late to get my car checked or how to see if it was ever serviced or called for the recall.
Sudden acceleration and continued high rpms. Accelerates without depressing accelerator pedal. This is a known issue for mercury sable / ford taurus 2000-2003 and I just discovered a recall was done in 2013 by ford. The cause is a malfunctioning of the throttle body and/crusie control cables.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury sable. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle accelerated without warning and the rpms increased to 500 or more. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and did not assist. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was 116,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mercury sable. While driving various speeds, the brakes hesitated to stop the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. While attempting to park the vehicle, it experienced unintended acceleration. As a result, the vehicle jumped a curb and struck a metal table outside. The vehicle would not stop even with the brake pedal depressed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop where the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the brakes did not feel as though they were fully operational. A police report was filed. The contact suffered minor injuries to the knee, back, and neck, which required medical attention and physical therapy. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
While traveling down the highway, the car accelerated without explanation or warning. Brakes were not able to slow the vehicle to a controllable level. Brakes overheated from constant application. The car plowed over a parking barrier and through the grass before running a stop sign and stop light. Only way to stop the car was to throw it into park which caused the engine to rev and smoke. Given the level of traffic and time of day, the probability of an accident (possibly fatal) was extremely high. Car had to be towed to the repair garage but we do not have the documentation on cause of problem yet. Contacted manufacturer regarding covering cost of repair and they refused indicating this specific car is not on recall list, although there are several documented cases of this exact problem on the same make, model & year.
While on cruise control on a 6 lane divided highway the car suddenly accelerated from 72 to 85+ MPH. Brakes did not disengage cruise control and could not slow down car. I had to shut the engine off to regain control and with flashers on I managed to get to the shoulder of the road and stop the car. Tried to restart the car to establish if condition cleared up, but could not. Had car towed to ford dealer who was unable to duplicate the condition the following morning. They changed the mass air sensor but said it was unrelated to the acceleration problem.
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.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A dash insulator retainer clip was not fully assembled to the accelerator cable dash fitting. The clip can disengage from the accelerator cable and fall into the accelerator pedal arm pivot area.
- Risk
- If this condition occurs, the engine may not fully return to idle. Also, the insulator may not stay in the intended location and could interfere with the accelerator cable.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect these vehicles to ensure proper installation of the accelerator cable clip, and re-install if needed.
Recall number 98V204000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: vehicles equipped with 3.8l engines and originally sold or currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, iowa, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, north dakota, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. Water can accumulate within the speed control cable conduit. If enough water accumulates, it could freeze within a low area of the cable routing when exposed to a long term cold soak at temperatures at least several degrees below freezing.
- Risk
- Driver control of vehicle speed using the speed control system or the accelerator control system would be diminished increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will add a boot to the speed control cable.
Recall number 97V025000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mercury Sable sudden acceleration
Which Mercury Sable years have sudden unintended acceleration problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (15 complaints), 2000 (13 complaints) and 2002 (12 complaints).
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