2005 Mercury Sable

Preliminary Evaluation (PE)12-005 was opened to investigate allegations of speed control cables detaching from the throttle body and subsequently interfering with the throttle closing fully to the idle position in model year (MY) 2005 and 2006 Ford Taurus vehicles.The speed control cable, throttle body attachment arm (?nail head?) for the speed control cable, cable mounting bracket and cable routing for the MY 2005 and 2006 Ford Taurus are common to all MY 2004 through 2006 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable vehicles equipped with either the 155 HP 3.0L 2-valve Vulcan engine or the 200 HP 3.0L 4-valve Duratec engine (the ?subject vehicles?). Figures 1 and 2 show the throttle body cam and speed control cable installed and a cable interference condition caused by contact between a detached cable and the ?nail head.?Ford?s assessment of the condition in incident vehicles noted that the interference conditions produced tended to be short in duration as the cable end tended to dislodge itself from the throttle body due to vibration, road loads or engine roll in addition to tapping the acceleration pedal.Ford inspected three incident vehicles and measured maximum throttle openings of 5.8% to 14.9%, resulting in engine speeds ranging from 1600 to 2200 rpm with the transmission selector in Drive.A Ford stack-up analysis of the speed control cable length from the attachment bracket to the throttle body indicated a maximum theoretical throttle opening of 16.4% that could result from the alleged defect. Engineers at the NHTSA Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) inspected an incident vehicle to evaluate throttle positions and engine speeds that could result from the alleged defect and performed brake testing of a vehicle with the throttle stuck at the worst case throttle opening that could result from the condition.The VRTC vehicle inspection noted that, depending on the orientation of the detached cable end, the amount of throttle opening that could result from interference by a detached speed control cable end varied from 4.8% to 11.3%.VRTC brake testing of a MY 2006 Taurus with a Vulcan engine and the throttle held open at 16% found that, even with multiple brake applications, sufficient vacuum was available for the brake booster assist and the brake pedal efforts required to stop the vehicle did not increase significantly from normal operating conditions. ODI?s analysis of 100 complaints related to the alleged defect found that drivers were generally able to free the interference condition or safely brake to a stop without incident.Approximately one-third (32) reported that the stuck throttle condition was corrected with no action or by tapping the accelerator pedal while the vehicle was still moving, another third (34) reported braking to a stop with the vehicle in Drive prior to correcting the condition, and the remaining third (34) reported that the driver responded to the incident by shifting to Neutral before stopping the vehicle.One complaint alleged that stuck-throttle type symptoms caused the vehicle to pass partially through a traffic light and into an intersection before stopping, however,ODI was unable to contact the owner to verify the cause or relationship to the alleged defect condition.ODI has not identified any crashes related to the alleged defect. Tables 1 and 2 provide a breakdown of complaints and warranty claims related to the alleged defect by engine and model year.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 do

ON OCTOBER 11, 2006, PUBLIC CITIZEN PETITIONED ODI TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF ENGINE STALLS CAUSED BY E85 FUEL IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2003 - 2005 FORD TAURUS FLEX-FUEL VEHICLES (FFV). ODI'S REVIEW OF THE PETITION AND OTHER AVAILABLE DATA FOUND A LOW STALL RATE ATTRIBUTABLE TO E-85 FUELING AND THAT THE MAIN CONCERNS,PROLONGED ENGINE START AND ROUGH IDLE DURING COLD ENGINE STARTUP AT WINTER TEMPERATURES, WERE RESOLVED BY AN ENGINE SOFTWARE UPDATE.TO ENSURE THAT ALL SUBJECT VEHICLES RECEIVE THIS UPDATE, FORD INITIATED A NOTIFICATION CAMPAIGN TO OFFER FREE ENGINE COMPUTER RECALIBRATION.BASED ON THIS INFORMATION, THIS DEFECT PETITION IS DENIED. THIS DENIAL SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A FINDING THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RECONSIDER THIS ISSUE IF FUTURE DATA WARRANT.ADDITIONAL DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE POSTED IN THE DP06-005 PUBLIC FILE.

Im owner of Mercury Sable 2005 only 79000 miles..The car problem speed control idle over 2200 so high when stop red light have to brake pedal to slow the vehicle down, and the vehicle failed to accelerrate..

NHTSA ID

11544491

Incident

Sep 14, 2023

Purchased vehicle from a private seller 10 days prior to incident. Seller informed me they had replaced throttle body sensor to fix unintended acceleration issues. Drove vehicle home on 4/10/22 with one incident on highway where I attempted to slow vehicle after reaching approx 70mph, and vehicle seemed to jolt/shudder as if unable to brake smoothly. Did not drive again til 4/18/22: I attempted to drive vehicle to tire shop to have new tires installed. After backing out of driveway, I accelerated quickly to approx. 25mph. Acceleration continued past 25mph despite me letting off the gas pedal. I hit the brakes and felt the acceleration continuing to push against them, causing the car to jolt/shake with the application of the brakes. I slowed to a stop at a nearby traffic light, where the engine continued to rev at approx. 2000rpm. When I let off the brakes and drove through the intersection, the car continued to accelerate to around 30-35mph without me pressing the gas pedal at all. I again applied the brakes to regain control of the vehicle, and it again jolted against them as the engine continued to rev excessively. After the next light, I pulled over and placed the car in park. Here, engine stopped revving high, and when I put it in drive again, the issue had ceased. Reading up on complains, have found dozens of similar driver issues with uncontrollable acceleration on similar model-year Mercury Sables and Ford Tauruses, with no clear solution to the issue to allow me to safely drive this vehicle with my child inside. My and my child's safety is placed at risk with increased chance of brake failure, without recourse from manufacturer or NHTSA, who've concluded their investigation despite frequent complaints. Problem has not yet been confirmed by dealer/ISC. Vehicle has not been inspected. No check engine lights or other warning of issue from vehicle. At no point was gas pedal physically stuck in the acceleration position. Issue is known to NHTSA, but not resolved.

NHTSA ID

11461348

Incident

Apr 18, 2022

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY TO 80 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE THEN FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT CONTACTED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND INFORMED THEM OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.

NHTSA ID

11365405

Incident

Oct 8, 2020

Mileage

130,000 mi

THE AIR BAG ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE HAS PARTIALLY INFLATED

NHTSA ID

11299171

Incident

Dec 2, 2019

Mileage

180,500 mi

AFTER LEAVING A STOP, THE CAR WAS ABLE TO MOVE, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CAR WOULD NOT CHANGE GEARS AND STAYED IN A NUETRAL POSITION. AFTER SAFELY PARKING THE CAR, IT WILL NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. LOOKING ONLINE I SEE NUMEROUS CONSUMER WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND THE COST IS MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH, BUT IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT TAKE THE BLAME ON.

NHTSA ID

11270869

Incident

Oct 24, 2019

Mileage

120,000 mi

GAS PEDAL STICKS. CRUISE CONTROL RANDOMLY TURNS ITSELF ON VEHICLE ACCELERATES ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT WARNING. HAVE HAD TO SHUT THE CAR OFF OR SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING. IT'S ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.

NHTSA ID

11252862

Incident

Feb 1, 2019

Mileage

65,000 mi

THE CARS UNDERBODY HAS FULLY RUSTED EVERY SINCE I BOUGHT IT BACK IN 2015 MY FLOOR PANELS ARE COMPLETELY RUSTED. THE CARS SIDE SKIRTS CAME OFF THE CAR ON BOTH SIDES BECAUSE I HIT A POTHOLE IN THE STREET, UNDER THAT IS FULL OF RUST. THE CAR WAS DRIVEN TO AND FROM WORK. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS POSING A THREAT TO ME AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS. ANYTHING CAN COME A LOOSE AND I CAN CRASH AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE CAN HAPPEN.

NHTSA ID

11222297

Incident

Jun 5, 2018

Mileage

140,000 mi

CAN NOT SEE OUT MY FRONT AND BACK WINDOWS. I WILL CLEAN THE WINDOWS 3-4 TIMES A DAY. IMPROPER CODES REQUESTING REPAIR AND ONCE REPAIRED STILL THE SAME THING. STARTS NO CRANKS. VERY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS, COULD NOT CONTINUE TO WORK DUE TO VISION ISSUES. ANTI THEFT FUNCTIONS PREVENTING ME FROM OPERATING MY CAR.

NHTSA ID

11130293

Incident

Sep 19, 2018

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

EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR VEHICLES WITH HARD START WHEN OPERATING ON E85 FUEL, POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) CALIBRATION. WARRANTY EXTENDED FOR 10 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES WHICH EVER COMES FIRST. SAMPLE CONSUMER LETTER ATTACHED. *KB

CAMSHAFT TICK NOISE - 3.0L 4V ENGINE ONLY. *TT

POWER WINDOW CONCERNS - SERVICE TIP. *TT