After rains the car got a wet floor on the passenger side ,no wet spots on roof or windows. It was leaking water from the dash board compartment bottom.while driving ,the heater was on and it started smoking from under the dashboard compartment by passenger side I turned everything off . I took it for repair and now, on may it rained heavy again and it has a puddle in the passenger side again ,same situation as before, water came from inside.is this a safety hazard? I bought this car on november 2013 ,and I knew too late about the heating system recall ,I don't know if it was ever repaired on that recall.ford dealer in colorado says there is no way to check it.according to some websites it needs something to have a protection under the wipers vents(cowl) and it is a factory mistake. I have had the heating system repaired 2 times,too expensive for me.I am under employed. I want to know if this is a safety hazard. It is the only way I could make ford to fix this recalled if the car was never fixed for this before.thanks for your help.
Mercury Sable water leak problems
39 of the 4,888 owner complaints about the Mercury Sable describe water leaks into the cabin, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 39
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $400
- typical mileage
- 54,000
By model year
Often reported together
Wipers 4Overheating 2Power steering loss 1Loss of power 1Knocking 1Grinding brakes 1Ball joint 1Adaptive cruise 1
What owners say
The blower motor on my 2003 mercury sable was sitting in a pool of water, ruining the motor. Caused by faulty design by ford motor co. Water gets into this area by improper design, allows water to reach area when the wiper cowl eventually warps, or when the A/C drain clogs or water leaking thru the firewall.
I have a 2003 mercury sable with 19k miles on it. We had heavy rains tuesday evening through wednesday morning, followed by sub freezing temperatures throughout wednesday into thursday. Thursday morning, (12-10-09) the blower motor for the heating/AC system would only work on it's highest setting, and continues to do so. A few times throughout the last couple of weeks, my wife and I thought we heard water rushing around somewhere in the vicinity of the passenger side area. I read over 150 complaints on topix.com for the very same problem with several different model years of both sables and taurus'. It was recommended by several folks that people with the same issues should file a complaint here. It seems that the problem with the blower motor/resistor assembly is caused by water entering the blower housing itself. I have read that ford is well aware of the problem, as they have issued a service bulletin for it. My concern is that since winter is upon us, a possible unsafe condition could arise should the blower motor quit working completely, thus preventing the windows from defrosting. Additionally, I feel strongly that this problem should be repaired at no cost to me by ford.
Leaking connection between windshield water and blowing motor of heating/ventilation causing windows to fog up after starting and beginning driving. When opening the blower motor compartment you can actually water see dripping out. Also a soaking wet floor will occur right after a severe rainstorm. This is a mayor safety issue due to bad visibility!
This is a recurring problem with my 2002 mercury sable. Water leaks into the interior blower motor and shorts it out. I've replaced the motor and switch 3 times each over the last year and it keeps happening. Ford wants about $400 to repair. I discovered that a lot of people have this problem with this make and model and the taurus.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury sable. After severe rainy conditions, the front passenger side floor exhibited an excessive accumulation of water. There were no prior warnings. The contact discovered the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v087000 (visibility, windshield) which identifies the water leakage. The vehicle experienced the failures identical to the recall; however, it has not been determined if the vehicle identification number is included in the recall defect. The vehicle will be taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The failure and current mileages were 75,000.
2002 mercury sable water leaks into the passenger side compartment of vehicle. The heater blower motor gets water and has to be replaced. Botor works on and off. Reference complaint # 101840014. Also ford related recall 03v087000.
Blower motor failed, water leak on passenger carpet. Very common issue that ford will not address. Service was done to replace blower motor, wiper cowl, cabin filter, and rain hat extension at owner's cost. Parts replaced were same as original so failure is likely to occur again.
Water leaked into car interior foot area and shorted out AC/heater blower motor.
Rain water leaks through the heater into the auto on passenger side. There is a tsb but only for 3 model years. All other model years are excluded. However fmc sells the part to replace the part that is defective for the omitted model years.
Related recalls
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virgnia, and wisconsin. The rear lower subframe mount plate nut can experience stress corrosion cracking if subjected to long term exposure to road salts. This can result in fracture and loss of the structural integrity of the subframe mount attachment. Detachment of the body mounts at the rear corners of the subframe, which supports the engine and transmission, allows the rear corners of the subframe to drop.
- Risk
- If both rear corners drop, steering would become suddenly very difficult, affecting vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install subframe rear mount bolts, reinforcement plates, and plate nuts.
Recall number 98V323000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mercury Sable water leak
Which Mercury Sable years have water leaks into the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (15 complaints), 2002 (10 complaints) and 1993 (5 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix water leaks into the cabin on the Mercury Sable?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $400 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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