Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1991 Mercury Sable submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 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
AUTO WAS PARKED. APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF LATER, ACCORDING TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT, A FIRE WAS REPORTED COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. FIRE GUTTED OUT THE ENTIRE MOTOR AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. NO INJURIES. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS INDICATION OF ANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. MR
VEHICLE WAS ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP TO A MAJOR HIGHWAY WHEN ENGINE POWER WAS SUDDENLY LOST. CAR WAS RESTARTED AFTER A TEN MINUTE COOL DOWN. DROVE FOR ANOTHER 10 MINUTES WHEN ENGINE POWER WAS LOST FOR A SECOND TIME. CAR WAS UNABLE TO START AFTER THE SECOND FAILURE. ROOT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS A CORRODED GROUND CONNECT, ITENTIFIED AS C112 (FORD #). THIS CONNECTOR PROVIDES THE GROUND (NEGATIVE) FOR MAJOR ENGINE AND INSTRUMENTATION COMPONENTS (INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, INTEGRATED CONTROL MODULE, POWER STEERING MODULE, COOLING FAN, ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, OXYGEN SENSORS). THE LOCATION OF THIS GROUND CONNECTOR NEXT TO THE BATTERY, INCREASES ITS SUSCEPTABILITY TO ACCELERATED CORROSION. THE GROUND PLUG IS NOT A WATER TIGHT DESIGN. SEVERE CORROSION OF THE CONNECTOR BLADES WERE FOUND UPON DISASSEMBLY . CONNECTOR SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH A TYPE LESS SUSCEPTABLE TO CORROSION. FAILURES ARE MORE LIKELY WHEN THE CAR IS OPERATING IN HOT DRY WEATHER AND WITH HIGHER ELECTRICAL LOADS.
TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL AND SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. ALSO, THERE WAS VIBRATION WITHIN THE STEERING WHEEL. ALSO, LOSS OF CRUISE CONTROL, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. IN ADDITION,SMOKE CAME FROM UNDERHOOD. *AK
HEAD GASKET FAILED.
WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE UP, VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER , SMOKE STARTED COMING UP BY WINDSHIELD, WHEN DRIVER AND PASSENGER GOTOUT OF VEHICLE, FLAMES WERE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF FRONT OF VEHICLE. THE FIRE TOTALED THE VEHICLE. *AK
LIGHTING SYSTEM BULBS HAVE ALL FAILED, CONSUMER REPLACES BULBS EVERY FEW MONTHS.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS MESSING UP, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DON'T WORK HALF OF THE TIME, HALF OF THE TIIME THE ELECTRICL SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. *AK
ENGINE MOUNTS FAILED TWICE.
AXLES FAILED.
AXLES FAILED.
VEHICLE FIRE CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH CAN TURN/START ENGINE WITHOUT A KEY. GEAR SHIFT CAN BE MOVED AS WELL. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS CAR WOULD NOT START. TT
STARTER FAILURE.
VEHICLE STALLS OUT WITH NO WARNING AT HWY SPEEDS.POSSIBLY FUEL PUMP PROBLEM, INSTALLED NEW FUEL PUMP AND STALLING CONTINUES. *AK
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 .