Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2005 Mercury Sable submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 38 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.
The 25 most recent of 38, in the owner's own words
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..
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.
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.
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.
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.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WITHOUT WARNING. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,780. UPDATED 8/19/15*CN
I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR BEGIN TO ACCELERATE ON IT'S ON. THE ENGINE WAS REVVING AND WHEN I WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES THE CAR DIDN'T AT FIRST SLOW DOWN. WHEN I FINALLY REACHED HOME AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK THE ENGINE WAS STILL REVVING AS IF I WAS STEPPING ON THE GAS. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND INTIMIDATING. THE SAME IDENTICAL THING HAPPENED TO MY HUSBAND WHEN I ASKED HIM TO DRIVE THE CAR AROUND THE BLOCK. *TR
MY 2005 MERCURY SABLE SUDDENLY HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL STOP WORKING APPROXIMATELY 30 DAYS AGO. THE NEXT DAY SOME SERIOUS ISSUES BEGAN TO HAPPEN. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A CURVY 4 LANE ROAD AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 45MPH. KNOWING THERE WAS AN UP COMING LIGHT I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND ANTICIPATED THE NORMAL DECELERATION. SUDDENLY RATHER THAN SLOWING DOWN MY ENGINE INDEPENDENTLY REVVED UP TO 3/4 RPM CAUSING ME TO INSTANTLY JUMP TO 50/55 MPH. APART FROM THE IMMEDIATE PANIC I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE REACT IN THIS MANNER AND WAS AT A LOSS FOR WHAT TO DO. I HIT THE BRAKES EXTREMELY HARD TO COMBAT THE ACCELERATION WHILE PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL (STILL GOING 40+ MPH). DESPITE HAVING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL IT WAS STILL REVVING ITSELF AT AROUND 3 RPM. AFTER SLOWING DOWN TO A SAFE SPEED I TURNED INTO A PARKING LOT AND IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF. I LEFT THE CAR RESTING FOR ABOUT MINUTES AND WHEN STARTED AGAIN, IT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN REVVING THE SAME AS BEFORE. I AM VERY CONCERNED AND HAVE BEEN SINCE TROUBLESHOOTING WITH MY MECHANIC. THIS IS CLEARLY A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE AND SIGNIFICANTLY LOWERS MY MPG WHILE PUTTING TRIPLE THE STRESS ON MY BRAKES. *TR
WHILE DRIVING RECENTLY, MY 2005 SABLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED, FORCING ME TO BRAKE AND PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL WHILE AT SPEED. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 OR 4 OTHER TIMES.IN THE PAST. NOW THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE. *TR
ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT AND LETTING OFF ACCELERATOR PADDLE, THE PEDAL. APPROACHING THE NEXT LIGHT, BRAKING HARD HELPED. BUT PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL WAS THE BEST OPTION, GIVEN THE SPEED AND HOW CLOSE THE LIGHT WAS WHEN I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP THE PEDDLE FROM STICKING. AT THE LIGHT IN NEUTRAL, I PUMPED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL IT DID NOT STICK ANY MORE. IF BREAKING HARD AND PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, IF GOING THE POSTED SPEED OR MORE TRAFFIC, THERE DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THAT DAY I SAW ON DIFFERENT WEBSITE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. THEY INSPECTED THE CAR AND LUBRICATED THE ACCELERATOR CABLE THROTTLE BODY AND THE CABLE JUST INCASE. BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. *TR
GOT ONTO EXPRESS WAY AND TRIED TO SET CRUISE CONTROL AT 70 MPH. CRUISE CONTROL WOULDN'T MAINTAIN SPEED, SO I SHUT OFF. GOT OFF OF EXPRESS WAY TO A 40 MPH ZONE. TOOK FOOT OFF OF BRAKES, AND CAR WAS ACCELERATING TO 60 MPH. IN PARK 4000 RPMS. INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED 4 TIMES IN THE PAST 3 DAYS. UNTIL THIS TIME, I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. NOW IT WILL RANDOMLY KICK ON AT ANY POINT IN TIME (HOUR INTO DRIVING, FIVE MINUTES, 3 HOURS ETC.) CANNOT GET TO SHUT OFF WHEN IT OCCURS. HAVE NOT USED CRUISE CONTROL OPTION SINCE 1ST INCIDENT. DOES NOT STOP IF YOU SHUT CAR OFF AND TURN BACK ON. *JS
MY CAR HAS ACCELERATED WITHOUT APPLICATION OF THE THROTTLE. I DID NOT HAVE CRUISE CONTROL ON OR ENGAGED AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO FUNCTION AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS NOW. ONCE, WHILE AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 30 MPH, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER AND PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE RPMS CONTINUED TO RACE UPWARD AS IF THE CAR WAS UNDER LOAD AND UNDER THROTTLE INPUT. THERE WERE NO FLOOR MATS OR ANY OTHER OBSTACLES OR OBJECTS MAKING CONTACT WITH ANY CONTROLS OR DEVICES. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO 60 MPH. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ABOUT 30 MPH. THE CAR ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 60 MPH AT WHICH TIME I WAS RIDING THE BRAKES THE ENTIRE TIME TILL I COULD PULL OVER. THE ENGINE GOES TO 4000 RPM WHILE IN PARK. IF RESTARTED ITS THE SAME THING. THIS WAS HAPPENING OFF AND ON. I TOOK TO GARAGE AND THEY CLEANED AND CHECKED CARBURETOR AND FUEL PUMP. IT CONTINUED AGAIN AND I FINALLY TOOK IT IN AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY CHANGES THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE. AGAIN, IT CONTINUED AGAIN AND I FINALLY TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH THEY REPLACED THE GASKET. AND AGAIN I AM STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. I WOULD LOVE TO SELL THIS CAR AND GET A NEW ONE, BUT I CANT AFFORD IT. I WAS HOPING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THIS CAR TO MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, BUT THAT IS TOTALLY OUT OF THE QUESTION AS I DO NOT FEEL THE CAR IS SAFE TO BE DRIVING. I ALSO CAN NOT AFFORD TO BE TAKING THIS VEHICLE IN THE SHOP AND PAYING FOR PARTS THAT JUST DON'T SEEM TO BE WORKING. PLEASE LOOK IN TO THIS MATTER AS I BELIEVE THEIR ARE MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE IN MY SAME SITUATION, BUT HAVE NOT TAKEN ACTION AS THEY JUST GIVE UP. THE LAST THING WE NEED IS FOR PEOPLE TO GET INJURED OR DIE FROM THIS PROBLEM. *TR
MY CAR IS ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN LIKE THE GAS PEDAL IS STUCK OR SOMETHING. THE RPM GOES ALL THE WAY UP TO 4,000. IT IS VERY SCARY BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE CONTROL OF THE CAR SPEEDING ON ITS OWN WHICH IS VERY HARD TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP .WHEN I FINALLY MANAGE TO STOP THE CAR BY PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND HITTING MY BREAKS, I THEN PUT THE CAR IN PARK. THE CAR STILL CONTINUES TO ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN. I HAVE TO TAP THE GAS PEDAL TO MAKE IT CALM DOWN OR IT WILL KEEP ACCELERATING EVEN IF I TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND START IT BACK UP AGAIN. *TR
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN NEIGHBORHOOD SITUATIONS OR OTHER SITUATIONS THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN BEYOND THE ON THE DESIRED SPEED THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO BE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AND VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP INCREASES THE STOPPING DISTANCE NEEDED TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN IT ALSO CAUSES THE ENGINE TO RACE EVEN WHEN PLACED IN NEUTRAL. RECENTLY WHY STOP AT A STOP SIGN THE CAR WAS PUSHING IT SOUTH FORWARD SO HARD I HAD A HARD TIME KEEPING IT STOP AND IT ACTUALLY MOVED ME BEYOND THE STOP SIGN INTO A ONCOMING TRAFFIC. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION THERE WILL B FATALITIES IF THIS IS NOT CORRECTED. THIS SPONTANEOUS ACCELERATION EVEN ALLOWS ME TO DRIVE UP HILLS WITHOUT HAVING MY FOOT PLACED ON THE GAS CAR WILL NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP EASILY. THIS STARTED IN MARCH AND IT'S HAPPENING EVERYDAY CAUSING WEAR AND TEAR ON THE BRAKES IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO STEER AND I AM IN FEAR WHILE DRIVING. I'VE NOW STARTED TO DRIVE WITH THE BRAKES ON 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME IN ORDER TO KEEP THE CAR AT A CONTROLLABLE SPEED I'VE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS ON MINE SIMILAR TO THIS I BELIEVE IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE AND I'M HOPING FOR A SPEEDY RECALL BY FORD TO CORRECT THE CAUSE. SINCE THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND AND I THINK THEY LINKED IT TO EITHER THE ACCELERATOR CABLES OR THE CRUISE CONTROL .WHILE DRIVING IN NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC AT 25 MILES AN HOUR THE CAR CAN ACCELERATE ABOVE 50 VERY DANGEROUS!!!!!!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT 90,000
2005 MERCURY SABLE WITH ONLY ABOUT 60,000 MILES CAR ACCELERATES BY ITSELF NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THE ACCELERATION IS SO STRONG THAT IT OVERPOWERS THE BRAKES AND HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE CAR IS TO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. FORD DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS A FAULTY SPEED CONTROL LINE WHICH THEY WANT NEARLY $500 TO REPLACE. *TR
THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN TO 80 MILES PER HOUR IN A 35 MPH ZONE. THERE WAS A HIGH RISK OF STRIKING PEDESTRIANS. IMMEDIATELY PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND SLAMMED THE BRAKES AND ALSO ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE. IT WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM IN THE PARKING LOT. GOT THE CAR THROTTLE BODY REPLACED FOR $376. APPARENTLY THE THROTTLE BODY STICKS. DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT NHTSA HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THIS ISSUE FOR A LONG TIME. NOT SURE WHY A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED? THIS DEFECT COULD RESULT IN PEOPLE GETTING KILLED -- I FEEL THAT I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT SOMETHING IS DONE SO THAT OTHERS DO NOT EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
I WAS DRIVING 25 MILES AN HOUR WITH MY CHILDREN DOWN THE ROAD FOR THE START OF A LONG TRIP AND THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND I HAD TO USE MY BRAKES TO NOT HIT ANYTHING OR RUN A RED LIGHT. THIS HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS SINCE THAT DAY AND I CAN TELL IT HAS DONE DAMAGE TO MY BRAKES. THEY WILL HAVE TO BE FIXED BUT IF THIS CONTINUES I'M AFRAID THERE WILL BE AN ACCIDENT. *TR
VEHICLE MAINTAINED AND ACCELERATED SPEEDS WHILE ON LEVEL GROUND WITH NO CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED AND FOOT OFF OF THE PEDAL. DEPRESSING THE BRAKE SLOWED THE CAR DOWN, HOWEVER RPMS WERE STILL PUSHING 3.5X1000 ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. TURNING CRUISE CONTROL ON/OFF SEEMED TO FIX IT. UPON STARTING THE ENGINE, CAR IDLES EXTREMELY HIGH UPWARDS OF 2.75-3.00X1000 RPM'S. TURNED CRUISE CONTROL ON AND OFF THEN I HEARD A CLICK...THEN POWER CYCLED THE ENGINE AND NORMAL RPM'S SINCE. HOWEVER CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE. *TR
CAR STARTED ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN AND HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PUT BOTH BRAKES TO MAKE IT STOP. THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD WHEN IT IS STOPPED AT SIGNALS.DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT NHS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING AND IS RELATED TO THE THROTTLE NOT CLOSING. HTTP://AUTOS.YAHOO.COM/MOTORAMIC/PROBE-1-9-MILLION-FORDS-SUDDEN-ACCELERATION. WHY NO RECALL YET? *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED EXCESSIVELY AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED,. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103,353. *TR
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND MY CAR BEGAN ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. WHEN I CAME TO A STOP, IT WOULD LURCH FORWARD AND REV VERY HIGH. FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR WAS ABLE TO ACCELERATE UP TO 50+ ON ITS OWN WITHOUT EVER TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR. TO GET IT TO STOP, I EITHER HAVE TO SHUT THE CAR OFF OR "PUNCH" THE ACCELERATOR. *TR
2005 MERCURY SABLE LS WHILE DRIVING THROTTLE GOT STUCK CAUSING UNINTENDED AND UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION. HAD SERVICED AT FORD DEALER FOUND DEFECT WITH CRUISE THROTTLE CABLE AND CLIP ON THROTTLE BODY. PROBLEM NEEDED BOTH CABLE AND THROTTLE BODY REPLACED TO OPERATE SAFETY. *TR
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.
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