Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Mercury Sable submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 21 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 OWN A 2003 MERCURY SABLE, I REPLACED THE BRAKES , AND AN ASSORTMENT OF PROBLEMS FOLLOWED. FIRST THEY BEGAN LOCKING , THEN THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP AT ALL. I REPLACED PADS.ROTORS.TIRES ,BLEED THE BREAKS ALL IN AN EFFORT TO FIND THE PROBLEM. I COULD NOT, SO THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING ABOUT A YEAR. THEN I RECEIVED THE RECALL ON THE BREAKS , NOW EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS STUCK AND COULD NOT MOVE OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE WIRING HAD TO BE PUSHED DOWN TO OVERRIDE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V106000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.
MY CAR IS TRYING TO KILL ME! I WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, WHEN I STARTED TO BRAKE FOR A STOP BEFORE TURNING . THE CAR SLOWED DOWN, AS I HELD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, BUT SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE. I ALREADY HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, AND THE BRAKE HELD, BUT I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR OUT OF GEAR, AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. THE ENGINE WAS RACING AT A SPEED I WOULD ESTIMATE AT 80 MPH. IT WAS A FRIGHTENING AND DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE. I CHECKED TO SEE IF A FLOOR MAT WAS PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. IT WAS NOT. THE SAME INCIDENT HAPPENED ON TWO MORE OCCASIONS. MY MECHANIC HAS NOT FOUND THE PROBLEM. I NO LONGER DRIVE THE CAR. *TR
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND WHILE I WAS BRAKING FOR A STOP LIGHT I COULDN'T STOP. SOMETHING WAS GIVING MY CAR GAS AS I WAS TRYING TO STOP. EVER SINCE THEN WHEN I DRIVE IT MY RPM'S ARE HIGH AND MAKES A NOISE. I CALLED THE SHOP AND HAD MY IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE REPLACED BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE AUTOMOTIVE PLACE SAID WAS WRONG. SINCE THEN IT'S BEEN IN 3 OTHER TIMES AND HAD THE PART REPLACED JUST IN CASE IT WAS A FAULTY PART. NOW THE MECHANICS ARE BAFFLED AS AM I. I DID RESEARCH AND NOTICED THIS WAS A COMMON COMPLAINT ON THESE VEHICLES. I JUST TOOK IT IN AGAIN TODAY DECEMBER 6,2012 AND WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. IT'S GETTING WORSE TO WHERE I CAN'T REALLY DRIVE IT BECAUSE WHEN I GO TO BRAKE IT WON'T STOP. I CAN BE AT A COMPLETE STOP AND NOT TOUCH THE GAS AND MY CAR WILL GET UP TO 45MPH WITHOUT ME EVEN TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. *TR
I WENT TO LEAVE FROM A LOCAL PARK ON A SATURDAY EVENING, BUT MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF PARK. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER SHOWED ME A TRICK HOW TO GET THE VEHICLE TO START, BY TURNING THE IGNITION KEY EVER SO SLIGHTLY AND THEN TRYING TO MOVE THE SHIFTER TO NEUTRAL. ONCE IN NEUTRAL I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE HOME. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR ALMOST A WEEK BY STARTING IN NEUTRAL, I WAS STOPPED ON THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY BY POLICE. I WAS INFORMED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY WORKING BRAKE LIGHTS. I DROVE HOME AND LOOKED ON THE INTERNET IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE. WELL, THERE WAS A RECALL DONE IN 2004 (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: RQ03008), BUT I WAS INFORMED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY THAT MY VEHICLE BASED ON ITS VIN WAS NOT APART OF THE RECALL. I REQUESTED TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR AND WAS INSTRUCTED THAT SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT ME ON THAT FOLLOWING MONDAY. I WAS INDEED CONTACTED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND INFORMED AGAIN, THAT BASED ON MY VIN, THAT I DID NOT QUALIFY AS A PART OF THE RECALL. I WAS TOLD IF MORE COMPLAINTS WERE MADE, THEN SOMETHING COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE. I TOLD THE FORD REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WAS NOT INTERESTED IN HAVING MY VEHICLE REPAIRED AS I HAD THE REPAIR DONE BASED ON THE RECALL INFORMATION FOR APPROXIMATELY $50. THE ISSUE WAS EXACTLY AS IT WAS DESCRIBED ON THE NHTSA'S WEBSITE, MOTORTREND AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY'S. THE REPAIR TOOK APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE FUNCTIONING. MY CONCERN IS THAT FOR ALMOST A WEEK I DROVE WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS IN A VEHICLE WHERE I DRIVE AROUND WITH MY WIFE, A TODDLER, AND AN INFANT AND AT ANY POINT I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS 10 YEARS OLD, IT WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT DIMINISH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOSS OF LIFE FROM THIS DETECT. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION, THERE WERE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BEFORE THE GEAR WOULD SHIFT OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE NEUTRAL GEAR SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER ONE MONTH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR THE IDENTICAL FAILURE. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE WIRING. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V106000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
I HAVE A 2003 MERCURY SABLE WITH A FAILED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH THAT FORD ACKNOWLEDGED AND RELEASED A RECALL FOR (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V106000, NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: RQ03008) HOWEVER, WHEN I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER CARE THEY DECLINED TO ASSIST IN THE MATTER UNTIL I URGED THEM THAT THEY NEEDED TO REPAIR THE ISSUE AT NO COST TO ME. AFTER A LONG DISCUSSION THEY SAID THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS, BUT ONLY AFTER I PAID A DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE FEE TO RULE OUT ANY OTHER CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE. AS IT IS NOW THE CAR IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET OUT OF PARK, AND WHEN IT IS THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE INTERMITTENT AT BEST. I DO NOT WANT THIS TO RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY AS A RESULT OF FORD'S NEGLECT TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. IS THERE ANYTHING THE NHTSA ODI CAN DO TO HELP ME RESOLVE THIS ISSUE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE? *TR THANK YOU, SCOTT RITTER
I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR AND WAS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY BRAKE LIGHTS NOT WORKING AND THEN EVERY TIME I TRIED TO TAKE THE CAR OUT OF PARK IT GOT STUCK. MY BATTERY ALSO WENT DEAD. ALL WITHIN DAYS OF MY PURCHASE. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL THAT HAD ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS AND THEY WERE CONNECTED. WHEN I WENT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THIS CAR WHICH I FIND HARD TO BELIEVE BECAUSE IT IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS LISTED IN THE RECALL. MY CAR IS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. SEE RECALL INFO BELOW: ------------------------ MAKE: MERCURY MODEL: SABLE MODEL YEAR: 2003 MANUFACTURER: FORD MOTOR COMPANY MFR'S REPORT DATE: MAR 01, 2004 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V106000 RQ03008 NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: RQ03008 COMPONENT: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH FORD RECALL 04S12 SUMMARY: CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ARE BEING RECALLED TO CORRECT A PROBLEM WITH A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH AND/OR ASSOCIATED WIRING. THIS MALFUNCTIONING COULD RENDER THE STOP LAMPS INOPERABLE OR CAUSE THEM TO STAY ON ALL THE TIME. THIS COULD CAUSE CONFUSION TO A FOLLOWING DRIVER, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A CRASH. CONSEQUENCE: IN ADDITION, IF THE SWITCH AND/OR ASSOCIATED WIRING FAIL IN THE OPEN POSITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT ACTUATE AND THE DRIVER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. IF THEY FAIL IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL REMAIN ON, WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW THE SPEED CONTROL TO BE ACTIVATED. THIS COULD ALSO CAUSE THE BATTERY TO DISCHARGE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED ISSUES WITH SHIFTING THE GEAR SHIFT INTO THE APPROPRIATE GEARS. HE COULD NOT MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT AT ALL, EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. HE ALSO NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE GEAR SHIFT WOULD NOT BUDGE FROM THE PARK POSITION. THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V106000. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 157,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE, THE CONTACT'S FOOT STRUCK THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL INSTEAD. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD AT A FAST PACE. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER AND COULD CAUSE A CRASH WHEN PRESSED INCORRECTLY. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS ADVISED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE INSPECTED. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRASH. HE NOTICED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED INTERMITTENTLY, BUT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE SAFELY TO HIS DESTINATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND INSPECTED BY A TECHNICIAN, WHO STATED THAT HE DOES NOT WORK ON STEERING FAILURES. THE CONTACT WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN INSPECTED AND NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED. THE CONTACT IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 57,063.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE IS EXPERIENCING BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE COULD START THE VEHICLE, BUT IT FAILED TO SHIFT OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIRS, ALTHOUGH A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE COMPONENT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 51,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000. UPDATED 07/16/08.*LJ UPDATED 07/16/08
CUSTOMER IS ASKING FOR INFO ABOUT A CUSTOMER COMPLAINT**CC THE CONSUMER HAS A SIMILAR SITUATION AND WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION. *TR
ABS ACTIVATED AFTER GOING OVER SEVERAL "BUMPS" IN A SERIES AND BRAKES APPLIED LIGHTLY. LIGHTLY BEING AS WHEN SLOWING DOWN IN TRAFFIC FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND STOPPING. ABS LIGHT DID NOT COME ON. HOWEVER, ABS LIGHT HAS SUBSEQUENTLY COME ON. ABS LIGHT DOES NOT NECESSARILY COME ON AGAIN THE NEXT TIME THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. ALSO THE BRAKES CAN APPEAR TO BE FINE UNTIL THE NEXT SERIES OF "BUMPS" IS ENCOUNTERED WHEN DRIVING. *NM
WHEN STOPPING ON AN INCLINE FOR A LIGHT OR SIGN WITH FOOT ON BRAKES VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS WHEN FOOT WAS TAKEN OFF THE BRAKES TO ACCELERATE. WOULD EITHER DEPRESS THE BRAKES AGAIN OR ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO KEEP VEHICLE FROM HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE BEHIND. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIPS BUT MECHANIC DID NOT NOTICE OR FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED AT LEAST 6 TIMES BEFORE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING IN HIGH SPEEDS CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD CLANKING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP COMPLETELY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. *AK THERE WAS A GAS SMELL INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE, A STEERING VIBRATION AND THE OIL PAN GASKET WAS REPLACED. *JB
CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLIED. VEHICLE WAS TO DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND DEALER WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. AFTERWARDS VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH BECAUSE THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WHILE COMING ONTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHOINFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE MASTER CYLINDER. *AK
DEALER INDICATED THAT PARTS WON'T BE AVAILABLE FOR 4 TO 6 WEEKS. LINCOLN MERCURY, 24400 CENTER RIDGE, WESTLAKE OH, 440-835-3700. *AK
NHTSA RECALL 04V105000 CONCERNING AIR FILTER PAPER/FIRE. CONSUMER MADE AN APPOINTMENT ON 3/22/2004 FOR RECALL REPAIRS. DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS, BUT TOLD CONSUMER WHEN THE APPOINTMENT WAS MADE THAT THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. ALSO, DEALER PERFORMED THE RECALL FOR THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WHICH THE CONSUMER HAD NO INFORMATION ON THIS RECALL. DEALER DID NOT KNOW WHEN THE PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE AIR FILTER PAPER.*AK
PROBLEMS WITH BRAKING SYSTEM ON 2003 MERCURY SABLE STATION WAGON.*MR (NAR) *CB
THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS, CAUSING DRIVER TO UNINTENTIONALLY PRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHEN TRYING TO BRAKE. *AK
THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDAL WERE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER AND CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO INADVERTENTLY DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL. *NLM *SCC *JB
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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