1999 Mercury Sable Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sable years
- More complaints than other years 6th of 14 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 258 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 Mercury Sable. That ranks 6th out of 14 Sable model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (48 complaints, 19%), typically at around 73,000 miles. Complaints mention 22 crashes, 4 fires, 24 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 258owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 22complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1999 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 48 | 19% | 73,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 33 | 13% | 66,383 | — | — |
| Power Train | 28 | 11% | 62,263 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 26 | 10% | 45,826 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 22 | 9% | 61,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 21 | 8% | 58,850 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 20 | 8% | 74,800 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 17 | 7% | 91,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 16 | 6% | 132,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 10 | 4% | 115,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 3% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 7 | 3% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 6 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 2% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 1% | 91,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 1% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0% | 155,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1999 Mercury Sable recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:front:springs:coil springs
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, the front coil springs could fracture due to corrosion associated with salt used on the roadways during the winter. A fractured spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire.
Risk: If this occurs, the tire may rupture resulting in a rapid air loss, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install protective spring shields. In addition, ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. If the vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2005. If either front coil spring fractures, dealers will replace both front springs at no charge to the owner. An interim notice was sent to owners on august 2, 2004. Parts are now available for the 2000-2001 my vehicles and owners were sent a letter on january 10, 2005, advising them to bring in their vehicles for repair parts are expected to be available for the 1999 my vehicles by the end of february 2005 and owners of these vehicles will be notified then. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Seat belts:front:anchorage
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The seat belt retractor may have a pin shaft in the switchable elr/alr mechanism that is incorrectly formed. In some circumstances, the switching mechanism could become nonfunctional, preventing the seat belt webbing from being extracted from the retractor. It is also possible that malfunction of the mechanism could prevent the belt from being switched into the alr mode. The elr mechanism is not affected by this condition.
Risk: If the mechanism malfunctions and does not allow the webbing to be extracted, the lap and shoulder belt could not be worn by a vehicle occupant. In the event that the mechanism does not allow the alr mode to be engaged, the operator may be unable to properly install a child seat in that seating position.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the lap and shoulder belt assemblies. Assemblies with julian date codes of 200 through 223 are suspect and will be replaced.
Power train:automatic transmission:cooling unit and lines
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equpped with the "california" emissions package. An incorrect transmission oil cooler line was installed. The line contacts the anti-lock braking system module support bracket and over time, can wear and develop a leak.
Risk: Transmission fluid leakage onto the exhaust manifold or catalytic converter can result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install the appropriate transmission oil cooler line.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A dash insulator retainer clip was not fully assembled to the accelerator cable dash fitting. The clip can disengage from the accelerator cable and fall into the accelerator pedal arm pivot area.
Risk: If this condition occurs, the engine may not fully return to idle. Also, the insulator may not stay in the intended location and could interfere with the accelerator cable.
Fix: Dealers will inspect these vehicles to ensure proper installation of the accelerator cable clip, and re-install if needed.
Seat belts:front:anchorage
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual seat tracks. The front seat belt buckle attaching stud may have been improperly heat treated. This heat treatment may have resulted in cracks developing in the stud.
Risk: If the stud is cracked, in the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle mounting bracket and stud assembly.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Front suspension coil spring fracture (PE04044) — opened May 24, 2004, closed Aug 16, 2004, led to recall 04V332000.
- Front suspension coil spring fracture (PE02080) — opened Oct 22, 2002, closed Apr 29, 2003.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I bought a used 1999 mercury sable gs with the u type 3.0l v6 engine 2 months ago. Just recently i noticed the car wanting to lunge forward while holding the brake at stops. Then a few days later whenever i start the car it lunges forward. Nothing dramatic but definitely noticeable. I started…
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mercury sable wagon. While driving 40 mph, the steering wheel became loose and was unable to control the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's…
While driving the steering wheel became loose and made it very hard to steer almost causing me to have a accident after coming to a stop the steering wheel was off center and very hard to turn had to get car towed.i find this to be a complete rip off because i see numerous complaints of steering…
Rear subframe connection passenger side rusted through due to factory put air conditioner condensate line so that it constantly dumps condensate on this area instead of draining condensate beyond and to the ground. The result is a rusted out severed connection thereby causing the engine and…
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mercury sable. While driving various speeds, the brakes hesitated to stop the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure…
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 | 258 | 5 |
| 1998 Sable | 190 | 2 |
| 1997 Sable | 228 | 3 |
| 1996 Sable | 304 | 5 |
| 1995 Sable | 350 | 5 |
See all Mercury Sable problems by year, every Mercury model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Mercury Sable?
Owners most often report suspension, steering, power train problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 48 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1999 Mercury Sable?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1999 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 1999 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.