NHTSA — Vehicle Speed Control Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,696 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Mercury Sable engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Mercury Sable Owner Comments

problem #10

Mar 182016

Sable

  • 75 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While on cruise control on a 6 lane divided highway the car suddenly accelerated from 72 to 85+ mph. Brakes did not disengage cruise control and could not slow down car. I had to shut the engine off to regain control and with flashers on I managed to get to the shoulder of the road and stop the car. Tried to restart the car to establish if condition cleared up, but could not. Had car towed to Ford dealer who was unable to duplicate the condition the following morning. They changed the mass air sensor but said it was unrelated to the acceleration problem.

- Pleasant Valley, NY, USA

problem #9

Oct 172015

Sable

  • 54,000 miles
Unintended acceleration resulting in an accident car rev'd on it's own and bolted forward while at a full stop at a red light and hit the car in front of it. Car was driven in twice and towed in once to the local Ford dealership, over the course of the 2 years prior to the accident, with the same complaint. They have not been able to find anything wrong with the car. Cause unkown. Problem is intermittent. After doing some online research I've discovered that there have been similar complaints. Tried to attach repair invoice and insurance claim, but "select image or document link " button below is not working.

- Blauvelt, NY, USA

problem #8

Jun 152012

Sable

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. While driving at a low speed, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle accelerated independently. As a result, the contact crashed into a light pole and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to multiple dealers who were unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.

- Charles Town, MA, USA

problem #7

Aug 302014

Sable 6-cyl

  • 108,483 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We were stopped behind traffic, and as we slowly started to proceed, the car surged at a high rate of speed, and as the brakes were applied, they either were not working or else it was the ABS coming on. This was a dry, sunny day-no moisture on the road-of course that would not have had a bearing on why the car surged/accelerated. Then the car shut itself off completely. We then got it started again, and nothing happened getting it back the aproxx. 4 miles back to home-all was normal after the incident all the way to home, though it has not been driven since. It has been reported to Ford hq's and to the dealership we purchased from.

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

problem #6

Jul 012014

Sable 6-cyl

  • 36,000 miles
There were two separate incidents with this same vehicle. Incident #1 with first driver: At about 5 mph, the gas pedal was pressed significantly down. The gas pedal then stuck down in that position and the car started to quickly accelerate. After a quick tap on the gas pedal, the gas pedal started to operate normally. At no point was the cruise control on. We took our car in to the local Ford dealer. They inspected the car but didn't find any problems. Incident #2 with second driver: A couple of months later (estimated mileage 38,000), we were driving at about 45 mph and I pressed the pedal down almost all the way. The gas pedal stuck again and the car started to accelerate quickly to about 65 mph. I am not sure whether cruise control was on or not. I shifted out of drive into neutral while the engine was at high RPM. After aggressively stomping on the car pedal, the gas pedal started working again normally. I shifted back into drive and the car then drove normally. The first driver was in the car when this happened. Both drivers have about 35 years of driving experience. This is a very serious issue that needs to be investigated! in our case, no one was injured but with less experienced drivers it could have been much different.

- Richfield, WI, USA

problem #5

May 082013

Sable 6-cyl

  • 50,420 miles
Accelerator stopped responding and vehicle stalled shortly after.

- Guttenberg, IA, USA

problem #4

Jun 292011

Sable

  • 108,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck when it was depressed to the floor. In order to release the pedal, the contact had to shift the vehicle into neutral. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 108,000.

- Newton, IA, USA

problem #3

Sep 282008

Sable

  • 31,998 miles
2008 Mercury Sable AWD had an electrical issue[melt down] that required replacement of the main electrical harness. Then in September of 2008 a sudden acceleration problem caused it to jump a concrete parking lot barrier and travel down into a drainage basin--40 feet. $9000+ damage. Repeated attempts to Ford has fallen in deaf ears. Updated 05/12/10 updated IVOQ 05/17/10.

- Summit Hill, PA, USA

problem #2

Apr 112010

Sable

  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. While driving at approximate speeds of 3 mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the brakes would not engage. The vehicle proceeded to crash into two other vehicles. The police arrived to the scene and a police report was filed accordingly. There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants. The contact confirmed the failure had occurred at least three times prior to the crash. The current and failure mileages were 8,000. Updated 05/19/10.

- Lake Forest, FL, USA

problem #1

Nov 162009

Sable

  • 44,980 miles
On a 2008 Mercury Sable, on two separate occasions when the accelerator pedal has been fully or near fully depressed, it has become caught under the driver's floor mat, causing the engine to continue to race even when all pressure has been removed from the accelerator pedal.

- Portsmouth, NH, USA

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