Mercury Sable Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 141 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the Mercury Sable across 10 model years. The 2000 model year has the most (54). The words owners use most often: “brake switch” (23% of reports).
- 141exterior lighting complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 33%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.
- Brake switch: mentioned in 32 of 141 complaints (23%)
- Stop lamp: mentioned in 10 of 141 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 63 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 141 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 2 an injury.
Mercury Sable exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Sable | 7 | 13% | 97,150 |
| 2003 Sable | 12 | 6% | 101,500 |
| 2002 Sable | 13 | 3% | 66,000 |
| 2001 Sable | 13 | 3% | 64,253 |
| 2000 Sable | 54 | 12% | 39,083 |
| 1999 Sable | 7 | 3% | — |
| 1998 Sable | 5 | 3% | 148,000 |
| 1997 Sable | 8 | 4% | 69,000 |
| 1996 Sable | 13 | 4% | — |
| 1995 Sable | 9 | 3% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
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.
Exterior lighting:tail lights:switch
Model years: 2000, 2001
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.
Exterior lighting:headlights:switch
Model years: 2000
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:headlights
Model years: 1997, 1998
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The text and/or graphics for the vehicle headlamp aiming instructions provided in the owner guides are not sufficiently clear. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Risk: If the headlamp assemblies are replaced, customers may be confused by the aiming instructions provided in the owner guides causing the headlamps to be improperly aimed.
Fix: Owner guides containing revised aiming instructions will be mailed to owners of these vehicles.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
While parked, tried to put car in reverse to back out of driveway but car will not shift out of park. Only way to get car to shift out of park is to apply emergency brakes then shift car into neutral while key turned to off position. Break lights will not illuminate when brake pedal applied. I…
Automatic headlights relay soddard into backside of fuse panel (gem) was bad location for a person with no experience to fix or locate most people never got it fixed because of no experience and amount of money to have an electrical mechanic to fix. I understand there was a few people did get it…
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury sable. The contact stated that the brake lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the lamp switch malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign…
Was pulling into parking lot brakes went out totally no warning stopped by emergency brake have no brakes at all turning after 45 mph then to a stopligh intothe city's resturant
The high beams do not function, unless the lever (which changes the beam from low to high) is pulled towards me and held constantly in that position. When this lever is released the high beams go off, but there are no low beams. The defective part , according to my mechanic, is the "lighting…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Mercury Sables have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 141 owner complaints about exterior lighting 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 exterior lighting?
Yes: 4 safety recalls list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the Mercury Sable?
The most frequent phrase is “brake switch”, in 32 of 141 complaints, followed by “stop lamp” (10).
Other Mercury Sable problems
See all Mercury Sable problems.