2000 Mercury Sable Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sable years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 14 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 464 complaints with NHTSA about the 2000 Mercury Sable. That is the most of any Sable model year in the database (14 years). The most reported problem area is suspension (158 complaints, 34%), typically at around 67,000 miles. Complaints mention 34 crashes, 8 fires, 20 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 9 defect investigations involving it.
- 464owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 9NHTSA investigations
- 34complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2000 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 problems | 158 | 34% | 67,000 | “coil spring” (47%) | $860 |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 71 | 15% | 86,198 | “too close” (13%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 62 | 13% | 35,109 | “close together” (15%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting problems | 54 | 12% | 39,083 | “brake switch” (35%) | — |
| Air Bags | 33 | 7% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 31 | 7% | 44,175 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 25 | 5% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 23 | 5% | 62,721 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 14 | 3% | 84,600 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 12 | 3% | 59,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 11 | 2% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 10 | 2% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 2% | 72,661 | — | — |
| Structure | 8 | 2% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 5 | 1% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 5 | 1% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 1% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 3 | 1% | 50,835 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | 141,216 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 0% | 125,743 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 0% | 77,670 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 0% | 117,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 132 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 130,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2000 Mercury Sable recalls (7)
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.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: Dealers will remove the stop lamp switch and associated wiring assembly and install a newly designed stop lamp switch and wire assembly. Owner notification is expected to begin on april 5, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Service brakes, hydraulic:pedals and linkages
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles equipped with adjustable padels are being recalled in order to adjust the brake and accelerator pedals to a minimum of 50 mm of lateral separation. Simultaneous application of both the brake and accelerator pedals could result in an increase in engine rpm.
Risk: This could result in a customer experiencing an "unintended vehicle speed increase" or a perceived "unable to stop" condition.
Fix: Owners will be instructed as to the proper way to set the position of the pedals and to take their vehicles to a dealer to have the spacing between the brake and accelerator pedals measured. If the spacing is found to be less than 50 mm, the dealer will adjust the pedals to increase the distance between them to greater than 50 mm. Owner notification began october 28, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or ignition of the plastic cover material. Switch malfunction is most likely to occur when the intermittent setting of the wipers is being used, or when snow or ice obstructs the blades from returning to the "parked" position at the bottom of the windshield. These vehicles were built at the following assembly plants: atlanta plant from 2/11/00 through 7/31/00; chicago plant from 2/14/00 through 8/4/00; kansas city plant from 2/26/00 to 9/4/00; kentucky truck plant from 2/18/00 to 8/31/00; michigan truck plant from 2/23/00 through 8/3/00; norfolk plant from 2/21/00 through 7/27/00; wayne stamping and assembly plant from 2/25/00 through 8/15/00; and wixom plant from 2/15/00 through 8/8/00.
Risk: Loss of visibility while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began august 20, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Exterior lighting:headlights:switch
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles. Due to the use of incorrect material by a supplier, the headlamp switch knob can fracture and separate from the headlamp switch.
Risk: This would cause difficulty for the driver to activate the headlamps, which could affect driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the headlamp switch knob. Owner notification began april 9, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Exterior lighting:tail lights:switch
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with adjustable pedals. If the grease from the adjustable pedal assembly enters the stop lamp switch, it can contaminate the contacts leading to carbon build up, and potentially, a short circuit.
Risk: A short circuit could lead to either the brake lamps staying on, or to a loss of brake lamp function, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake lamp switch and wipe down the adjustable pedal assembly to remove excess grease. Owner notification began march 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The "vehicle capacity weight" and "designated seating capacity" information was not printed on the safety certification labels affixed to these vehicles. On affected sable sedan vehicles, the "vehicles capacity weight" (and also the luggage load) information printed on this label is incorrect - sable wagon luggage load was incorrectly used for the sable sedan. These vehicles do not comply with the label requirements of fmvss no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
Risk: Excessive loading can cause tire and vehicle damage that could result in a crash.
Fix: Owners will be provided with a supplemental label with the correct information, along with instructions for affixing the label adjacent to the vehicle certification label. Owner notification began october 20, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
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
- Speed control cable damage (PE12033) — opened Oct 24, 2012, closed Jun 26, 2013.
- Rear coil spring fracture (EA06002) — opened Jan 24, 2006, closed Feb 5, 2007.
- Rear coil spring fracture (PE05054) — opened Sep 27, 2005, closed Jan 24, 2006.
- Front suspension coil spring fracture (PE04044) — opened May 24, 2004, closed Aug 16, 2004, led to recall 04V332000.
- Brake/accelerator pedal application (RP03001) — opened Oct 31, 2003, closed Mar 23, 2004.
- Brake light switch failure (RQ03008) — opened Oct 23, 2003, closed Mar 5, 2004, led to recall 04V106000.
- Frontal air bag non-deployment in crash (EA03010) — opened Jul 2, 2003, closed Jun 23, 2004.
- Frontal air bag non-deployment in crash (PE03002) — opened Jan 6, 2003, closed Jul 2, 2003.
- Brake/accel pedal separation (PE02035) — opened Mar 15, 2002, closed Oct 22, 2002, led to recall 02V266000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE HEATER FAILED TO BLOW HOT AIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER WAS INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LB SMITH FORD LOCATED AT 1100 MARKET ST, LEMOYNE, PA 17043, [redacted], TO BE…
I am having problems with it stalling constantly when i have sat at a light i dont javw the money to fix this due to on a fixed income was told it has a problem with the throttle control issue and they said there was a recall on it due this
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury sable. While driving various speeds, the vehicle handled poorly and was unstable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the entire suspension was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was…
The cap indicator light is on. After checking it several times i was informed by an auto technician that the neck of the fuel pipe needs to be replace.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury sable. The contact stated that the defrost feature for the front windshield did not work. The contact stated that the failure occurred every time the defroster was activated for the past three years. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent…
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 | 464 | 7 |
| 1999 Sable | 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 2000 Mercury Sable?
Owners most often report suspension, vehicle speed control, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 158 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2000 Mercury Sable?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2000 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 2000 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.