Owner-reported complaints naming the interior system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1988 Mercury Sable submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
FIVE HOURS AFTER LAST USE HORN WENT OFF,WHEN I WENT TO SEE THE PROBLEM SMOKE POURIHG OUT CRACK MADE IN WINDSHIELD FROM FIRE.BATTERY DISCONNECTED STOPPED FIRE,HOWEVER POLICE STILL HAD FIRE DEPT. GIVE IT A GOOD HOSING.
DRIVER SEAT OUTER BRACKET BROKE AT FRONT BEND, SEAT IS LOOSE, CAR HAS FAILED NJ STATE INSPECTION FOR SAFETY. SEAT CAN BREAK COMPLETELY LOOSE IN A COLLISION CAUSING ADDITIONAL INJURIES AND DEATHS. THERE ARE ALREADY 10 ODIS THAT I FOUND FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A FATIGUE FAILURE, SO OVER TIME MANY MORE WILL FAIL. THIS IS A SERIOUS DESIGN DEFECT TREND, A RECALL SHOULD BE ORDERED TO REPLACE THE TRACK (SEE OIDS 545300,963608,483070,947504,924010,935076,372411,389368,712732,942605)
THE ORIGINAL DEFECT OCCURRED ON 3/11/91 AS INDICATED IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND WAS REPAIRED BY HEMPSTEAD LINCOLN MERCURY. THE CAR WAS PICKED UP ON 3/13/91. UNFORTUNATELY, ON 3/28/91, THE CAR WAS BROUGHT IN AGAIN FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED PROBLEM (DRIVERS SIDE POWER SEAT TRACK, BROKEN AND DISLODGED). THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS NOT IN STOCK AND HAD TO BE ORDERED. THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED AND THE VEHICLE WAS PICKED UP A FEW DAYS LATER. BOTH OF THESE REPAIRS WERE DONE UNDER OWNER'S WARRANTY (IN ADDITION TO PURCHASING AN EXTENDED 5-YR WARRANTY). LAST WEEK, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. DRIVERS SEAT DOES NOT STAY IN POSITION WHEN ACCELERATING, WHICH IS A SAFETY PROBLEM. I RETURNED TO HEMPSTEAD LINCOLN MERCURY, TOLD THEM OF THE CURRENT PROBLEM AND SHOWED THEM PAPER WORK OF THE TWO PREVIOUS REPAIRS. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THAT NO DOCUMENTATION EXISTED SINCE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, EVENTHOUGH THE PROBLEM HAS EXISTED THROUGHOUT NUMEROUS REPAIRS AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED. HAVE OTHER COMPLAINTS BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT ARE SIMILAR TO MINE? DO I HAVE TO BE CHARGED THE FULL AMOUNT FOR REPAIR SINCE THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AND HAS BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY? PLEASE ADVISE.
DRIVERS SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET FAILED. NM
WHILE DRIVING, EXPERIENCED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE WHEN NOTICED BURNING SMELL, FOUND WIRING HAD MELTED UNDER DASH, RESULTING IN A FIRE. *AK CONSUMER STATES BOTH FAILURES INVOLVED THE IDENTICAL PARTS, THE IGNITION SWITCH AND THE PLASTIC HARNESS CONNECTOR THAT PLUGS INTO THE SWITCH ALONG WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF 10 OR 8 WIRE, CONSUMER STATES IT IS OBVIOUSLY AN INTERNAL RESISTANCE PROBLEM WITH THE SWITCHES AS THERE IS NO DRAW (CURRENT) THAT WOULD INDICATE A SHORT CIRCUIT AND NO OTHER ABNORMAL INDICATIONS OF ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS. *SLC
WIRING HARNESS CAUGHT FIRE. *SD
BENT SHEET METAL BRACKET THAT ATTACHES DRIVER'S SEAT TO THE FLOOR PAN FRACTURED DUE TO THE DESIGN, CAUSING THE SEAT TO BE UNSUPPORTED/UNATTACHED. *SD
IGNITION SWITCH CONNECTOR BURNT UP TWICE. *AW
POWER SEATS. DRIVERS SIDE BRACKET BROKE WHILE DRIVING. ALSO HEADREST BROKE AT FIFTY THOUSAND MILES. TT
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .