1996 Mercury Sable Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sable years
- More complaints than other years 5th of 14 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 304 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Mercury Sable. That ranks 5th out of 14 Sable model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (69 complaints, 23%), typically at around 90,000 miles. Complaints mention 20 crashes, 10 fires, 119 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 304owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 20complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Mercury Sable problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 69 | 23% | 90,000 | “transmission failed” (7%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 60 | 20% | 81,750 | — | — |
| Steering | 36 | 12% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 29 | 10% | 101,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 27 | 9% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 20 | 7% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 19 | 6% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 17 | 6% | 56,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 15 | 5% | 166,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 13 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 4% | 132,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 10 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 10 | 3% | 166,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 9 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 7 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 2% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 1% | 71,500 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 96,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 137,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Mercury Sable recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles previously serviced under ford service bulletin 97-17-9 from august 1997 through december 1997. These vehicles were inadvertenly equipped with an 18-gallon fuel tank rather than the 16-gallon as specified. The 18-gallon tank has a second valve location where a shipping plug should be installed.
Risk: If this shipping plug is displaced, fuel leakage can result. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could potentially result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install the correct fuel tank.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: The automatic transmission park pawl shaft may not be free to rotate as intended. If the park pawl shaft does not rotate, it would prevent the park pawl from engaging the park gear when the shift lever is in the park position.
Risk: This condition could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral with the shift lever in the park position.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft rotation and those shafts with restricted rotation will be replaced with a shorter shaft that will not restrict rotation.
Power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl)
Problem: The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.
Risk: Unintended and unexpected vehicle movement can result in personal injury and property damage.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin may not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.
Risk: This could result in the park pawl occasionally not engaging when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. This could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral if the vehicle operator does not apply the parking brake.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced. In addition, owners will be reminded to fully apply the parking brake, in addition to placing the transmission in park.
Service brakes, hydraulic:brake fluid low warning: lamp
Problem: The brake system fluid level indicator lamp switch can malfunction. This does not comply with fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
Risk: Consequence of non-compliance: if the switch malfuntions, the brake system warning lamp will either remain illuminated continuously or fail to light as intended when the fluid level falls to a certain level. In either case, the vehicle operator would not be warned of a low brake fluid level condition.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake system fluid level indicator lamp switches.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Just bought a mercury sable 1996. After driving this vehical for about 10 miles, the transmission began to slip badly. It began with having trouble accelerating from a complete stop. Luckily i was driving in a rural area with few stops and little traffic. By the time i stopped at the 3 stop sign…
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercury sable. While driving at various speeds, a squeaking noise was heard under the vehicle, especially when slowing down, making turns, and reversing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the cradle and subframe bushing were…
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercury sable. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic for routine maintenance and the mechanic discovered that the engine cradle and the subframe were severely rusted and corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified…
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercury sable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where unknown repairs were performed. The failure recurred however and the…
Relevant information---engine was repaired on sept. 9/10, 2012 same morning as the accident--car was driven to bank but as i was leaving i could not put car into reverse. A gentleman passerby was able to put it into reverse with effort and a loud noise in the gears. I proceeded to my exercise class…
Other Mercury Sable years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 Sable | 20 | 0 |
| 2008 Sable | 61 | 1 |
| 2006 Sable | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 Sable | 83 | 0 |
| 2004 Sable | 52 | 1 |
| 2003 Sable | 201 | 3 |
| 2002 Sable | 440 | 3 |
| 2001 Sable | 430 | 8 |
| 2000 Sable | 464 | 7 |
| 1999 Sable | 258 | 5 |
| 1998 Sable | 190 | 2 |
| 1997 Sable | 228 | 3 |
| 1996 | 304 | 5 |
| 1995 Sable | 350 | 5 |
See all Mercury Sable problems by year, every Mercury model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Mercury models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Mercury Sable?
Owners most often report power train, engine and engine cooling, steering problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 69 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Mercury Sable?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Mercury Sable a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sable model years, the 1996 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.