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 1998 Mercury Sable submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 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
MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK MY CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP TO RETRIEVE STORED ENGINE CONTROL CODES PO443 AND PO455. I REPLACED THE PART AND THERE IS STILL THE SAME CODE PO443 AND PO455. I KEEP MY OLD PART. *TR
FOR YEARS I HAVE HAD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ON 1998 MERCURY SABLE--THE DOME LIGHT, FLOOR LIGHTS AND DOOR LIGHTS CONSTANTLY ON. I KEEP THE DOME LIGHT OFF. THE FLOOR LIGHT BULBS WERE REMOVED. DOOR LIGHTS ARE CONSTANTLY ON. HOWEVER, 1.5 YEARS AGO, I LOST ALL HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT UPON ENTERING A HIGHWAY. I COULD RISK USING HIGH BEAMS BY HOLDING IN PLACE. MULTIFUNCTION ARM WAS REPLACED AND THE DIAL ON DASHBOARD. THEN BOTH DIALS WERE REPLACED FOR FAN AND HEATING, DEFROST AND AIR CONDITIONER. THEN TOLD MY COMPUTER CHIP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE NO DEFROSTER, HEAT, FAN OR AIR CONDITIONER. ALSO, LAST YEAR AFTER DEALING WITH SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ON AND OFF THEN STAYING ON FOR YEARS, HAD TO REPLACE THE EMISSIONS SENSOR FOR CAR TO BE INSPECTED. WOULD A DEALER BE WILLING TO GIVE ME A DEFROSTER FIX AND/OR HEAT. MANY PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME THAT FORD AND MERCURY ARE KNOWN FOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. AND OVER 1500 DOLLARS LATER AND I STILL HAVE A DEFECTIVE, UNSAFE CAR. *NM
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED OVERDRIVE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. THIS CAUSED THE SPEEDOMETER TO DROP TO ZERO, AND THE SRS LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. ALSO, HORN BECAME INOPERATIVE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TOT HE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. *AK
THE ENGINE ON MY SABLE WAGON ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN AFTER IT IS PUT INTO PARK, AND MANY TIMES BEFORE I TAKE IT OUT OF PARK. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS!
WHILE THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED THEN RESTARTED BY ITSELF. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE SWITCH AND A LOOSE WIRE. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED ON IT'S OWN AND WAS SOMETIMES HARD TO START. (HARD TO START, HOT OR COLD) WHEN THE VEHICLE DIED AT LOW SPEEDS, IT DID NOT RESTART AND WAS HARD TO START IMMEDIATELY AFTER BUT WOULD START WITHIN 2-3 MINUTES. *SCC *JB
WHILE EXITING VEHICLE AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES, VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. THERE WERE NO WARNING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
CONSUMER STATED ON 2 SEPARATE INCIDENTS WHILE DRIVING, THE ALTERNATOR OVERCHARGED AND BLEW OUT CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *MR *TT
WHILE SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE VEHICLE WENT COMPLETELY DEAD, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DELERSHIP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*JB
VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL VEHICLE OVER AND EXIT IT BEFORE VEHICLE WAS CONSUMED IN FLAME. AN INVESTIGATOR DETERMINED THAT AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE (UNKNOWN LOCATION) IGNITED FUEL LINE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHEN DOOR IS COLSED AND SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING INTERIOR LIGHT WILL STAY ON. DEALER HAS REPLACED WIRING HARNESS; HOWEVER, PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.*AK
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE CUTS OFF WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS YET TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON & THEN GO OFF ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. DOOR/ DOME & FLOOR LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ON AT SAME TIME. DO NOT GO OUT. RAN DOWN BATTERY. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP.
THE VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, THE RADIO HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES BECAUSE OF A SHORT, THE BATTERY IS DRAINING CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE INOPERABLE. *SLC
POWER RADIO ANTENNA FAILED. YH
RADIO FAILED. *YC
BATTERY FAILED. NLM
HORN WILL NOT FUNCTION WHEN PUSHED. DEALERS ARE UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM. CONSUMER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR SAFETY. *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 .