Mercury Sable Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 168 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Mercury Sable across 12 model years. The 2000 model year has the most (33). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (36% of reports).
- 168air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 98mention a crash
- 76mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 26%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 61 of 168 complaints (36%)
- Upon impact: mentioned in 25 of 168 complaints (15%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 20 of 168 complaints (12%)
- Deployed driver: mentioned in 9 of 168 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 57 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 168 complaints, 98 mention a crash, 76 an injury.
Mercury Sable air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Sable | 4 | 7% | 150,000 |
| 2005 Sable | 4 | 5% | 180,500 |
| 2004 Sable | 2 | 4% | 78,000 |
| 2003 Sable | 8 | 4% | 29,500 |
| 2002 Sable | 24 | 5% | 49,500 |
| 2001 Sable | 27 | 6% | 60,000 |
| 2000 Sable | 33 | 7% | 30,000 |
| 1999 Sable | 17 | 7% | 91,000 |
| 1998 Sable | 14 | 7% | 94,500 |
| 1997 Sable | 12 | 5% | — |
| 1996 Sable | 15 | 5% | 166,000 |
| 1995 Sable | 8 | 2% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags:frontal
Model years: 2008
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was involved in a crash. The contact's son was the only occupant in the vehicle during the crash. The contact stated that none of the air bags deployed. The contact stated that there were…
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. The contact stated their daughter was driving at 55 mph, when the driver was approaching an intersection at a red light the driver depressed on the brake pedal and the brake pedal went straight to the floor and the vehicle could not stop causing the vehicle to…
The air bag on the front passenger side has partially inflated
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE BRUSHED AGAINST A CURB AND THE SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TERRY'S FORD OF PEOTONE (363 S HARLEM AVE, PEOTONE, IL 60468, [redacted]) AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED, BUT IT WAS…
The airbag warning light has started coming on intermittently while the car is running on a city street. I don't know why but it appears to be a critical safety problem. The car has never been in an accident and only has 78,000 miles , very low for a 2004 vehicle. Ford motor dealer says there is no…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Mercury Sables have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 168 owner complaints about air bags for the Mercury Sable. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Mercury Sable air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Mercury Sable?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 61 of 168 complaints, followed by “upon impact” (25).
Other Mercury Sable problems
See all Mercury Sable problems.