Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. 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. 23 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
I DROVE THE CAR TO DO ERRANDS AND IT WAS NOT HAVING ANY PROBLEMS. I PARKED THE CAR AT THE MALL AND CAME BACK TO DRIVE HOME AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE GEARS WOULD NOT ENGAGE. I WAS FORCED TO HAVE IT TOWED HOME. IT SHOWED NO SIGNS OF HAVING A PROBLEM, AND THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS INTACT WITH NO SIGNS OF A PROBLEM. THIS APPEARED TO BE A COSTLY REPAIR, SO I CHOSE NOT TO FIX IT AT THIS TIME.*AK
CONSUMER PRESSED DOWN ON ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. INTERNAL FAILURE. HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. *AK
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 DRIVER PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATED PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS. THE DEALER FOUND INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. *NLM
WHILE WAITING AT A STOP VEHICLE SHOOK/VIBRATED. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER,AND VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. *NLM
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE. *AK
I'VE NOTICED SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THAT IT SOMETIMES HESITATES WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS FROM A DEAD START AND YOU MUST MAINTAIN YOUR FOOT ON THE PEDAL UNTIL IT SHIFTS OR IT WOULD JERK. I'VE NEVER DRIVEN A VEHICLE THAT PERFORMED THIS WAY AND NOT KNOWING MUCH ABOUT CARS, DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. NOW IT'S STUCK IN GEAR AT 60MPH. IT HAS ALSO DROPED INTO NEUTRAL FOR NO APPARENT REASON BUT ONCE I SHIFTED IT INTO REVERSE AND THEN DRIVE, THE GEAR KICKED IN.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
AFTER TURNING A CORNER TRANSMISSION HESITATES IF I TRY TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY. I THINK IT IS "HUNTING" BECAUSE IT WILL DROP DOWN TO 1ST GEAR AND ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. IT DOES HESITATE LONG ENOUGH TO BE DANGEROUS.*AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WITH NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR INTERMITTENTLY / MOMENTARILY WHILE TRAVELING. THIS PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED ON FOUR OCCASIONS WITHIN 2 1/2 YEARS. VEHICLE BEEN INTO DEALER'S SHOP ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM.. *AK *JB
VEHICLE EXPERIENCES TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *SLC
MAKES A PRONOUNCED CONTINUAL "WINDING UP/DOWN" NOISE WHILE ACCELERATING/TRANS SHIFTS. TRANSMISSION SHOP CAN'T PINPOINT NOISE; ONLY THAT IT'S COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. *AK
THE CAR LOST DRIVE POWER, AND APPEARED TO GO INTO NEUTRAL. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP LATER FOUND THAT A SHAFT, FROM THE TORQUE CONVERTER TO THE PUMP, HAD SNAPPED. THE SHAFT IS A FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL PIECE OF METAL. THE SHOP REPAIRED THE TRANSMISSION BUT COULD NOT MAKE A GUESS AS TO THE REASON FOR THE METAL FAILURE. I HAVE THE SHAFT THAT SNAPPED AND CAN PROVIDE DIGITAL IMAGES. THERE IS NO OBVIOUS REASON TO ME WHY IT WOULD HAVE SNAPPED WETHER IT IS DESIGN OR METALLURGY. I CAN PROVIDE DIGITAL IMAGES OF THE COMPONENT BREAKAGE. IF YOU SO DESIRE, I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE PART IF YOU WISH TO PERFORM FAILURE ANALYSIS FOR METAL DEFECTS / MANUFACTURING PROBLEMS, OR DESIGN ISSUES. IN MY CASE, THE FAILURE HAPPENED ON A LIGHTLY TRAVELLED ROAD, WITH NO TRAFFIC AROUND. IF THIS A FAILURE THAT HAD OCCURRED ON A BUSY HIGHWAY, WHILE TURNING IN TRAFFIC, OR DURING MANY SCENARIOS - THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A REAL PROBLEM FOR ME, PASSENGERS, OR OTHER MOTORISTS. I HOPE THAT ANYONE ELSE WITH THE SAME FAILURE IS AS FORTUNATE.
A $2 RETAINING CLIP AFFECTING THE 4TH GEAR IN THE AUTOMATIC TRAN IS BROKEN OR HAS COME OFF, ACCORDING TO THE DEALERS COMPUTER CODE READING AND SERVICE BULLETIN, AND IT IS GOING TO COST UP TO $900 TO FIX IF IT DAMAGED THE HOUSING INSIDE.
WHEN TRAVELING AND STOPPING TRANSMISSION WILL GO INTO NEUTRAL, AND CAR WILL NOT GO FORWARD OR BACKWARD. CONSUMER HAS TO PUT TRANSMISSION INTO PARK, AND THEN BRING IT BACK INTO DRIVE. *AK
BRAKES FAILED. YH
LOCKED TORQUE CONVERTER SEEMS TO DISENGAGE WHEN GOING DOWN HILL. ALSO, SPEED CONTROL CANNOT CONTROL SPEED OF CAR GOING DOWN ANY SLIGHT HILL. SEEMS TO BE NOT LOCKED UP, ETC. CANNOT USE ENGINE COMPRESSION, ETC, TO SLOW VEHICLE. CRUISE CONTROL US IS USELESS ON ANY TYPE OF DOWNGRADE! IS THIS A DESIGN FLAW OR CAN IT BE REPAIRED? VEHICLE IS A LEASED CAR THROUGH WHEELS, INC. THANK YOU. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED. YH
TIRE WORN OUT (GENERAL P205/65R15). YH
SERVO VALVE BODY PISTON FAILED TO OPERATE. NLM
TRANSMISSION WILL INTERMITTENTLY DROP OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL, LEAVING VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER. WILL REENGAGE WITHIN A FEW SECONDS.
VEHICLE DOES NOT WORK EFFECTIVELY IN SLOWING VEHICLE WHEN ENGAGING SPEED 2 OR SPEED 1.
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 .