Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1989 Mercury Sable submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 50 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.
The 25 most recent of 50, in the owner's own words
WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND THE HEAD BLEW.*AK. CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE HEAD APPEARED TO HAVE ABNORMALITIES, SUGGESTING POOR MANUFACTURING.*JB
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ENGINE FIRE, CLAIM 43-R793-568. *SLC
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TRANSMISSION MOUNTS ARE FAULTY. *SLC
CONSUMER ONLY OWNED VEHICLE FOR A MONTH AND A HALF, WHEN PROBLEMS STARTED TO ARISE, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR INSPECTION AND C0NSUMER WAS TOLD THAT TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING, SHE THEN TOOK VEHICLE INTO ANOTHER DELAER TO GET A SECOND OPINION AND SHE WAS ADVISED OF THE SAME THING. *JB
EXPERIENCED CONTINUOUS OVERHEATING PROBLEMS, COOLING SYSTEM REPAIRS AT 62539,72,913 WITH NO IMPROVEMENTS. *AK
WHILE HAVING VEHICLE SERVICED TECHNICIAN NOTICED ENGINE MONTS WERE BROKEN. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
BOLTS ON REAR BODY MOUNTS ARE LOOSE, AND MAKE NOISE WHEN TURNING. DEALER COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE. *AK *ML
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALLS ON ENGINE MOUNTS, AND SEATBELTS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID THEY CORRECTED RECALLS. BUT WHEN CONSUMER TOOK CAR TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC, CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT WORK HAD NEVER BEEN DONE. *AK
WON'T PASS SMOG AND EGR PLUG AND WIRE ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE FROM DEALER OR ANY OTHER AUTO PARTS STORE. HOW DO I GET IT SMOGGED WHEN PARTS ARE MELTED AND I CAN'T GET THE PARTS TO REPLACE THE BURNED ONES?
HEAD GASKET WENT FIRST, THEN 11 MONTHS LATER ENGINE BLEW NOW NOT EVEN TWO YEARS LATER HEAD GASKET BLOWN AGAIN. *AK
THE ORIGENAL AND REPLACEMENT OIL FILLED MOTOR MOUNTS FAILED ABOUT YEAR APART FROM EACH OTHER. THE SECOND TIME CAUSED THE POWERSTEERING LINE TO RUPTURE SQURITING POWERSTEERING FLUID ON TO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM WHICH SENT SMOKE INTO THE PASSENGER CARPARTMENT. THIS CAUES TEMPORARY OBSTRUCTION OF MY DRIVING VEIW. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED A CRASH. MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MOTOR MOUNTS FAILURE IS VERY HIGH AFTER REPLACEMENTS. THE REPLACEMENT MOTOR MOUNTS WHERE NOT PURCHASED FROM A FORD DEALER BUT SUPPOSABLY THEY ALSO ARE FAILING.
RECALL (98V-323) FAILED SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE, FINAL FAILURE RESULTED IN ENGINE FIRE WHEN THE MOUNTS FAILED CAUSING STRESS AND BREAKAGE OF THE POWER STEERING HOSE WHICH LEAKED ONTO HOT ENGINE (FIRE). MJS
HAVE OTHER FORD OR MERCURY VEHICLES EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS? WERE THESE VEHICLES RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE? NO SAFETY DEFECTS LISTED WITHIN SUMMARY. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WAS STALLING AND CUTTING OFF. ALSO, WINDSHIELD WIPERS WON'T GO DOWN. *AK
DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND APPLYING THE BRAKES AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP, WITHOUT NO PRIOR WARNING, THE VEHICLE STALLS. *AK
ENGINE MOUNTS ARE BROKEN, CAUSING ENGINE TO JUMP OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THERE IS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE EVERYTIME IT JUMPS AND HITS THE HOOD. *AK
HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSED POWER STEERING LINES TO MELT, CAUSING FLUID TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE, RESULTING IN AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY DETAILS. *AK
POWER STEERING IS DEFECTIVE. WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY HOT DAY THE ENGINE OVERHEATED AND THE POWER STEERING WAS LEAKING, CAUSING A VAPOR WHICH IGNITED ON THE MANIFOLD, RESULTING IN A FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME OUT, THE CAR WAS TOTALLED. AN INSURANCE ADJUSTER WILL INVESTIGATE THE VEHICLE. THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BURNED UP. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
AIR BYPASS VALVE FAILED.
FAILURE OF THE AIR BYPASS VALVE ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS CAUSING THE VALVE TO LOCK UP AT HIGH RPMS.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WAS SUDDENLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS THE ENGINE. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
MOTOR MOUNTS FAILED, PRIOR TO RECALL.
AIR BYPASS VALVE FAILED AND REPLACED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
REAR SUB-FRAME MOUNTS BECAME DETACHED DUE TO CORROSION PRIOR TO RECALL, RECALL REPAIRS COMPLETED(93V-106).
AIR BYPASS VALVE FAILED SEVERAL TIMES.
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 .