2001 Mercury Sable

On June 21, 2013, Ford initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 13B04 to address a concern with Speed Control Cable damage in certain model year (MY) 2000 through 2003 Taurus and Sable vehicles equipped with 3.0L 4V Duratec engines and built at the Chicago assembly plant.In the dealer letter for the program, Ford indicates that the Speed Control Cables on affected vehicles may be susceptible to damage or becoming partially disconnected during under hood vehicle maintenance (e.g., replacing a battery or changing the air filter) and that a damaged Speed Control Cable could interfere with the throttle's full return to idle when the accelerator pedal is released.Ford's program instructs dealers to inspect the Speed Control Cables and replace any with any portion of either collar retention tab missing.Dealers will install a Collar Reinforcement Clip at the Speed Control Cable collar in all vehicles. Figure 1 shows the location of the Speed Control Cable in the engine compartment and the proximity of the battery and air filter.The failure mode of the cable assembly is associated with the plastic collar used to secure the cable to a bracket near the throttle body (Figure 2).Damage to one or both retention tabs used to secure the cable ferrule within the collar may allow the ferrule to become disconnected from the collar when the throttle is opened during accelerator pedal application.Additional examples of Speed Control Cables with damaged collar retention tabs and partial ferrule displacement are shown in Figures 3 through 5.If the displacement pulls the ferrule completely out of the collar, the ferrule end may contact the face of the collar when the accelerator pedal is released and the throttle is returning to idle (Figure 6).This results in a throttle stuck at approximately 26-29% open.Testing conducted at NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Test Center found that brake booster vacuum may become depleted, resulting in reduced brake effectiveness, if the brake is applied repeatedly when the throttle is stuck at this position.Drivers who experienced this condition have reported being surprised that the engine speed did not drop as expected and in some cases misjudged the degree of braking required to slow the vehicle.Some drivers reported difficulty in braking the vehicle and responded by shifting to neutral or turning the engine off.One minor crash occurred when the vehicle contacted a roadside fence post after the driver responded to the stuck throttle by shifting the car to neutral, turning the engine off and coasting to the side of a roadway with no shoulder, resulting in approximately $400 damage to the vehicle.There were four crashes reported which were attributed to increased stopping distance caused by the increased engine power and/or reduced brake effectiveness, including two of the complaints to ODI.In one crash reported to ODI (VOQ 10516101), the subject vehicle allegedly hit the back end of a truck at approximately 40 mph causing about $2000 damage.In the other crash complaint to ODI (VOQ 10501834), the subject vehicle side-swiped a vehicle as the driver was unable to stop in time and attempted to maneuver around a line of vehicles stopped at a traffic light.When the tow truck driver subsequently started the incident vehicle, the engine was still racing and it was verified that the Speed Control Cable ferrule was stuck on the collar.After further investigation, ODI does not consider the crashes reported in VOQs 10456249 and 10159399 to be related to the Speed Control Cable problem.

ODI'S ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED A HIGH COMPLAINT RATE FOR THE REAR COIL SPRINGS IN THE SALT BELT STATES (APPROXIMATELY 250 PER 100,000 VEHICLES).APPROXIMATELY 59 PERCENT OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGED THAT THE COIL SPRING FAILURE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE ADJACENT REAR TIRE, WITH ABOUT HALF OF THESE (30 PERCENT OF TOTAL COMPLAINTS) ALLEGING THAT THE DAMAGE RESULTED IN AIR LOSS.BECAUSE AIR LOSS FROM A REAR TIRE CAN RESULT IN CHANGES IN VEHICLE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS, ODI EXAMINED FIELD DATA, TEST DATA AND INTERVIEWED CONSUMERS TO ASSESS THE SAFETY CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION.ANALYSIS OF ALL AVAILABLE FIELD DATA DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY CRASHES OR INJURIES RESULTING FROM THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.VRTC TESTING CONDUCTED TO SIMULATE A COIL SPRING INDUCED REAR TIRE FAILURE DID NOT RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.WHEN INTERVIEWED BY ODI, NONE OF THE CONSUMERS WHO EXPERIENCED INCIDENTS OF TIRE AIR LOSS DUE TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURES CAUSED A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.TIRE DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE ALLEGED DEFECT HAS INVOLVED RUBBING/ABRASIVE WEAR OF THE INNER TIRE SIDEWALL WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR AIR LOSS FROM PIN-HOLE SIZED LEAKS IN THE WEAR GROOVE.THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT HAS CAUSED ANY SUDDEN, CATASTROPHIC TIRE FAILURES IN EITHER STRAIGHT OR TURNING MANEUVERS.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL MONITOR THIS ISSUE AND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.SEE DOCUMENT FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS RESUME.

THE OFFICE OF DEFECT INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED PRELIMINARY EVALUATION, PE05-054, BASED ON 131 VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRES RELATED TO ALLEGED REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURES.SINCE OPENING THE INVESTIGATION THERE HAVE BEEN AN ADDITIONAL SIXTY-THREE (63) COMPLAINTS ALLEGING REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURE.AN ANALYSIS OF THE VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRES (VOQS) SUBMITTED TO ODI REVEALS THAT 42% OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGE THAT THE ADJACENT TIRE WAS PUNCTURED AS RESULT OF A REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURE. ADDITIONALLY, AN ANALYSIS OF THE COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED BY ODI FROM FORD REVEALS THE FOLLOWING: THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 553 UNIQUE VEHICLE COMPLAINTS OF COIL SPRING FRACTURE. 30% OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGE THAT THE REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURE RESULTED IN THE ADJACENT TIRE BEING PUNCTURED. AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-002) IS BEING OPENED TO FURTHER EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF THE REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURES AS RELATED TO TIRE PUNCTURES.

MS. RODMAN REPORTED THAT AFTER HER VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED FOR THE RECALL, HER MOTHER EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND CRASHED THE SABLE INTO A LIGHT POLE.PREVIOUSLY NHTSA HAD CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION FOR THIS ISSUE (PE02-035) THAT RESULTED IN THE RECALL (02V-266) OF 369,000 MY 2000-2002 TAURUS AND SABLE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ADJUSTABLE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS TO INSURE THAT THE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE PEDALS WAS AT LEAST 50MM..A REVIEW OF ODI'S DATABASE FOR COMPLAINTS REGARDING RECALL 02V-266 DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY RECALL REMEDY COMPLAINTS OTHER THAN THE PETITIONER'S.MS. RODMAN?S VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY ODI USING FORD?S SPECIAL TOOL AND HER VEHICLE WAS FOUND TO EXCEED 50MM.ALSO, THE LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE PEDALS WAS FOUND NOT TO BE EXCESSIVE RELATIVE TO OTHER COMPARABLE TAURUS AND SABLE VEHICLES.THEREFORE, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT NHTSA WOULD ISSUE AN ORDER REQUIRING FORD TO PROVIDE A DIFFERENT REMEDY FOR THIS DEFECT.IN VIEW OF THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE NHTSA?S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY?S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS ANALYSIS, PLEASE REFER TO THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE DATED MARCH 23, 2004 (VOL 69, NO 56, PAGES 13619-13620).

Lately my car has been over accelerating to about 4,000 rpm’s at random moments. I almost got into a wreck today and I was driving 30 mph. I’ve cleaned the throttle body and the idle air control valve and still the same issue. The car only has 113,000 miles on it but now I’m too scared to even drive it!

NHTSA ID

11452347

Incident

Feb 16, 2022

I GOT IN MY CAR STARTED TO DRIVE AND HEARD SOMETHING SNAP THEN SMOKE CAME FROM THE HOOD AND THE CAR PULLED HARD RIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND PARKED THE CAR. THE COIL SPRING BROKE AND DUG INTO MY FRONT PASSENGER TIRE AND IT PULLED THE AXLE OUT OF THE CV JOINT.I WAS IN ALLENTOWN,PA. ON A MAIN ROAD IN THE CITY. FEB.8,2020.

NHTSA ID

11321890

Incident

Feb 8, 2020

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT HAD TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH FULL FORCE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO EVENTUALLY STOP. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 02V266000 (SERVICE BRAKES). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

NHTSA ID

11191343

Incident

Mar 25, 2019

Mileage

113,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. ALSO, WHILE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THE CONTACT HAD TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOORBOARD TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT POWERED OFF AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE WHILE AT A RED LIGHT AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TOWED TO HELFMAN FORD (LOCATED AT 12220 SOUTHWEST FWY, STAFFORD, TX 77477, (281) 240-3673) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A FAULTY BRAKE SENSOR THAT NEEDED A BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,200. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11189691

Incident

Nov 20, 2018

Mileage

40,200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SUDDENLY DROPPED DOWN AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 120 MPH. THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, BUT THE RPMS CONTINUED REVVING AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY. WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN, THE CONTACT TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY CAME TO A ROLLING STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT WAITED TEN MINUTES AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT THE ENGINE REVVED UP AGAIN; THEREFORE, THE CONTACT QUICKLY TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME. FUTURE FORD OF SACRAMENTO (4625 MADISON AVE, SACRAMENTO, CA 95841, (916) 473-1047) STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11180282

Incident

Feb 11, 2019

Mileage

180,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE BRUSHED AGAINST A CURB AND THE SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TERRY'S FORD OF PEOTONE (363 S HARLEM AVE, PEOTONE, IL 60468, 708-258-9200) AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED, BUT IT WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11151781

Incident

Dec 24, 2009

Mileage

60,000 mi

SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND CONTINUED HIGH RPMS. ACCELERATES WITHOUT DEPRESSING ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR MERCURY SABLE / FORD TAURUS 2000-2003 AND I JUST DISCOVERED A RECALL WAS DONE IN 2013 BY FORD. THE CAUSE IS A MALFUNCTIONING OF THE THROTTLE BODY AND/CRUSIE CONTROL CABLES.

NHTSA ID

11121080

Incident

Jul 1, 2016

Mileage

164,000 mi

TRANSMISSION ISSUES INCLUDED A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE WHEN FAULTY CRUISE CONTROL WIRING / FUNCTIONALITY CAUSED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO REV TO TO HIGH RPMS. WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL GEAR AND WAS FORCED TO JUMP FROM VEHICLE TO AVOID POTENTIALLY FATAL WRECK. BRAKE PADS BURNED THROUGH TO THE CALIPERS WHEN TRYING TO BRAKE.

NHTSA ID

11067172

Incident

Jun 18, 2016

Mileage

145,000 mi

This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel replacement is recommended.

Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel replacement is recommended. Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition

Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel replacement is recommended. Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition

For 1999-2001 Taurus or Sable vehicles Safety Recall 04S17 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where the front coil springs could potentially fracture. A fractured front coil spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire. If a front coil spring should fracture and come in contact with a tire, the tire may rupture resulting in rapid air loss, which could increase the risk of a crash without warning.

Safety recall 04S17 - Front coil springs - requests for recall service action

MERCURY/FORD: SAFETY RECALL REGARDING FRONT COIL SPRINGS CAN FRACTURE ON VEHICLES OPERATING FOR EXTENDED PERIODS IN HIGH CORROSION AREAS. MODEL 1999-01 TAURUS, SABLE. *PE