Problems · NHTSA complaints
2001 Mercury Sable problems
Owners filed 430 complaints about the 2001 Mercury Sable with NHTSA between Dec 2000 and Feb 2022. The most-cited component is suspension (204).
Complaints
430
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
32
Reported by owners
Fires
7
Reported by owners
Injuries
30
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Suspension204
- Vehicle speed control61
- Service brakes, hydraulic33
- Air bags27
- Electrical system25
- Engine and engine cooling23
- Power train22
- Equipment15
- Exterior lighting13
- Seat belts12
- Structure11
- Visibility10
- Fuel system, gasoline9
- Steering7
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
29
30
21
35
60
49
48
46
22
15
13
18
12
7
10
5
0
3
3
1
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2 |
| 2001 | 29 |
| 2002 | 30 |
| 2003 | 21 |
| 2004 | 35 |
| 2005 | 60 |
| 2006 | 49 |
| 2007 | 48 |
| 2008 | 46 |
| 2009 | 22 |
| 2010 | 15 |
| 2011 | 13 |
| 2012 | 18 |
| 2013 | 12 |
| 2014 | 7 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Suspension
204 reports1 fire1 related recall
“I GOT IN MY CAR STARTED TO DRIVE AND HEARD SOMETHING SNAP THEN SMOKE CAME FROM THE HOOD AND THE CAR PULLED HARD RIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND PARKED THE CAR. THE COIL SPRING BROKE AND DUG INTO MY FRONT PASSENGER TIRE AND IT PULLED THE AXLE OUT OF THE CV JOINT.I WAS IN ALLENTOWN,PA. ON A MAIN ROAD IN THE CITY. FEB.8,2020.”
Vehicle speed control
61 reports12 crashes1 fire
“Lately my car has been over accelerating to about 4,000 rpm’s at random moments. I almost got into a wreck today and I was driving 30 mph. I’ve cleaned the throttle body and the idle air control valve and still the same issue. The car only has 113,000 miles on it but now I’m too scared to even drive it!”
Service brakes, hydraulic
33 reports12 crashes2 related recalls
“MY CAR STARTED LOOSING BRAKE POWER 3 DAYS AGO AND DUE TO THAT I ENDED UP HITTING A TREE BROKE MY TAIL LIGHT DENTED MY CAR ON BOTH PASSANGERS DOORS. HAD THE BRAKES BLEED THOUGHT MAYBE AIR IN LINES NOTHING THATS WHEN I FOUND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. NOW I HAVE A CAR NO WORKING MY FIANCE CANT GET TO WORK AND A CAR WITH DENTS OF THE TWO DOORS ANOTHER ONE AT THE REAR AND A MISSING HEAD LIGHT. PLUS I HAVE A BACK INJURY WITH TWO BULDGING DISK THAT HITTING THE TREE AGGRIVATED IT AND HURT MY RIBS. *TR”
Air bags
27 reports11 crashes
“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, 708-258-9200) AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED, BUT IT WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.”
Electrical system
25 reports2 fires
“FOR OVER TEN (10) YEARS THE HEADLIGHTS (BUT NOT THE SIDE DRIVING LIGHTS) HAVE BEEN GOING OFF (FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES) AND THEN COMING BACK ON. THIS DOES NOT OCCUR EVERY TIME THE LIGHTS COME ON AND SEEMS TO BE MORE FREQUENT IN THE SUMMER TIME WHEN IT IS WARM OR HOT OUTSIDE. THE DATE BELOW IS JUST APPROXIMATELY WHEN THIS PROBLEM STARTED AND IS NOT THE ONLY DATE/'TIME IT HAS OCCURRED, IT HAS OCCURRED SPORADICALLY BUT CONTINUOUSLY SINCE THAT DATE.”
Engine and engine cooling
23 reports
“SOMETHING DRASTICALLY WRONG WITH THE RADIATOR SYSTEM, ANTIFREEZE IS ALWAYS BROWN, HAVE IT CHANGED AND IN 1 DAY IT TURNS BROWN. THE WINDOWS HAVE BEEN BROKEN IN THIS CAR SINCE 2005, THE TWO FRONT WINDOWS DO NOT GO UP AND DOWN, I DON'T FEEL SAFE WITHOUT THE WINDOWS WORKING. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SUSPENSION AND I CONSTANTLY HAVE TO PUT AIR INTO MY TIRES AND TIRES WEAR OUT QUICKLY BECAUSE SUSPENSION IS MESSED UP. WINDSHIELD WASHER HAS NOT WORKED SINCE 2003. IF IT WAS BUILT WITH PRIDE LIKE THE COMPANY SAYS IT IS, IT WOULD BE A NICE CAR. FALLS APART TOO EASILY. I NEED HELP. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.