1998 Mercury Sable problems
The 1998 Mercury Sable has 243 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (14%) concerns cruise control. Next are brakes (13%) and suspension (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 243 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 35 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 24 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 91,000 miles 59 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 20 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 59 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 91,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 35 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 24 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 18 model years of the Mercury Sable with enough data (141 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Consumer was driving over 50 MPH on highway, and in between two 18 wheelers.the 18 wheeler on right hand side hit vehicle on side. Then, pushed vehicle into another 18 wheeler on left side. Then consumer's vehicle hit a pickup truck with front end. Upon hitting median, bumper broke in half. Also, dual airbags did not deploy,causing injuries
The interior dome light appears and will not go off. The dealer is aware of the problem. The light stayed illuminated since it was broke. As a result, it impaired the consumer's vision and caused an accident. Vehicle was totaled. Consumer sustained head injuries and his pregnant fiance' was went into early labor.
While sitting at a stop sign, the consumer's vehicle accelerated, resulting in a rear end collision the vehicle in front. The consumer's vehicle proceeded to knock down a stop sign. The vehicle was totaled. (sudden acceleration) there was a repair for the same problem in june 02, 2004. The problem would occur when the brake was released and there was a strong pull when in reverse. This problem was diagnosed as an idle air control issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury sable. The contact stated that the vehicle would accelerate independently when driving at various speeds. In addition, the horn would sound independently. The contact further inspected the vehicle and stated that there was a buildup of corrosion found on an unknown pin inside of the steering column. The contact believed the failure was caused by the corrosion of the steering column components. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable.