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 2001 Mercury Sable submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 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
UNABLE TO SHIFT 2001 MERCURY SABLE SEDAN OUT OF "PARK" GEAR/POSITION. IT SEEMS LIKE A SIMILAR ISSUE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID 04V106000. THE MANUFACTURER (FORD) CLAIMS THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. *TT
I PURCHASED A 2001 MERCURY SABLE, I TOOK THE AUTO AND ON THE SECOND DAY I PUT THE AUTO IN DRIVE, THE MOTOR RACED LIKE THE PEDAL WAS PUSHED TO THE FLOOR,I CALLED THE DEALER AND TOLD THEM I WILL NOT DRIVE THIS AUTO THEY SENT ATOW TRUCK ANDTHE NEXT DAY THEY GAVE ME A NEW SABLE. SINCE I HAVE THIS NEW SABLE THE GAS PEDAL GIVES ME THE SAME REACTION AS THE OLD ONE. IT OCCURRED ABOUT 9 OR 10 TIMES OVER THE LAST 9 YEARS. VERY RARE BUT IT DOES OCCUR. MY WIFE REFUSES TO DRIVE IT. BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ACCELERATOR. EVERY TIME I START THE CAR I MAKE SURE MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE. I FEEL ITS THE COMPUTER THAT OCCASIONALLY GOES BESERK. I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE I SEE WHERE TOYOTA IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THERE COMPUTERS ALSO. IT'S VERY FRIGHTENING WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATES LIKE SOMETHING IS CONTROLLING THE GAS PEDAL AT THIS HIGH RATE OF SPEED. WHEN THIS DOES OCCUR I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE GOES BACK TO NORMAL. *TR
MY MERCURY SABLE 2001 LS WAGON TRANSMISSION FAILED IN MAY 2002 (25 K MILES). AT THAT TIME FORD VOIDED MY WARRANTY SAYING I HAD ABUSED THE CAR (DRAG RACING). I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BY A TRANSMISSION SPECIALTY SHOP, COST $3,000). THAT TRANSMISSION FAILED IN MAY 2004 (52K MILES) AND WAS REBUILT BY AAMCO TRANSMISSIONS (COST $2,200). THAT TRANSMISSION FAILED DECEMBER 2006 (78K MILES). IT IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP FOR TRANSMISSION REPAIR. IN JULY 2002 I HAD INITIATED AN INDEPENDENT REPORT DONE ON THE CAR, THERE IS A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION DESIGN. MY COST FOR TRANSMISSION REPAIRS IS IN EXCESS OF $5,000 PRIOR TO THIS LATEST TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WERE TWO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST BEING THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START INTERMITTENTLY. THE ENGINE WOULD START IF IT WAS BOOSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION. THE REPAIR PERSONNEL DISCOVERED THE BATTERY CABLES HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TERMINALS. THE CABLES WERE REPAIRED. THE SECOND WAS A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTED INTO PARK AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AND THE VEHICLE DRIVES NORMAL. THE FRONT BUMPER FASCIA CRACKED. THE LEFT REAR TIRE FAILED. UPDATED 03/03/06. *JB
2001 MERCURY SABLE, 31,000 MILES. GOT INTO VEHICLE AFTER WORK,PUT INTO REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF PARKING SPOT, VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. TRANSMISSION FOUND TO HAVE FAILED-LOCKED INTO FORWARD GEAR. ALL GEAR SELECTOR POSITIONS ARE NOW FORWARD INCLUDING NEUTRAL AND REVERSE. DEALER AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY NOTIFIED OF SITUATION. TRANSMISSION TO BE REPLACED. OLD TRANSMISSION MAY BE AVAILABLE AFTER WORK IS COMPLETE. I AM DISSATISFIED WITH FORD'S RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE, BOTH FINANCIALLY AND THE LACK OF CONCERN FROM THE SAFETY ISSUE THIS COULD CREATE.*JB
VEHICLE HAD BEEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE JUMPED FORWARD. TRANSMISSION POPPED INTO GEAR ON ITS OWN. THE RPMS ACCELERATED, THEN VEHICLE WOULD STALLED. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS PLACED ON DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE, AND COMPUTER WAS REPROGRAMMED. CONSUMER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN, AND HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GEAR INDICATOR WAS MISSING FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONSUMER DID KNOW WHAT GEAR THE VEHICLE WAS IN. *AK *JB
THE TRANSMISSION WOULD LOCK IN PARK AND DISENGAGE AT 40K, A SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THEN AT 49K THE TRANSMISSION BLEW WHILE DRIVING (INTERNAL). POOR TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING. I'LL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD/MERCURY. *JB
TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT AT 67,500 MILES. *AK
WHEN THE GEAR WAS SWITCHED FROM PARK TO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *JB..*AK
CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN BREAKING THE VEHICLE WILL SURGE FORWARD WITH NO WARNING. DEALER NOTIFIED TS
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. CAUSE OF PROBLEM STILL UNKNOWN. TS
WHILE IN MOTION, THE TRANSMISSION BLEW. THE VEHICLE HAD SUDDENLY JOLTED AS IF CONSUMER HAD PLACED THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL. AFTER A FEW SECONDS DURING WHICH THE VEHICLE HAD SLOWED CONSIDERABLY, IT WENT BACK INTO GEAR SUDDENLY AND RESUMED HIGHWAY SPEED. WHEN CONSUMER CHECKED BENEATH THE HOOD, THERE WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID ALL OVER THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AS AN INTERNAL FAILURE. THE TRASNMISSION WAS REPLACED. TEH NEW TRANSMISSION IS WARRANTED FOR 24 MONTHS OR 24,000 MILES. CONSUMER REQUESTS TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR A FULL 36 MONTHS OR 36,000 MILES OR TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. *JG
THERE IS A VIOLENT JARRING OF THE VEHICLE NEAR THE END OF A STOP. DEALER CLAIMS THAT IT IS A NORMAL DOWNSHIFT OF THE TRANSMISSION.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
TRANSMISSION FITTING NOT SECURED CAUSING LOSE OF FLUID, TRANSMISSION TO SLIP WITH SUDDEN RAPID ACCELERATION RESULTING. CAUSING VERY NEAR MISS WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. GROSS NEGLIGENCE , NO EVIDENCE OF SAFETY INSPECTION HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED 35 MILES BECAUSE IT WAS UNDRIVABLE, CAR ONLY 4 DAYS OLD. DEALER CLAIMS NEGLIGENCE DUE TO FACTORY ERROR.
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
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