Most common 2000 Mercury Sable problems
Share of the 464 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mercury Sable complaints by model year
Best Sable years: 2009, 2004, 2008. Years to avoid: 2000, 2001, 2002, 1995, 1996. Compare all years →
2000 Mercury Sable recalls (7)
Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the…
Remedy: Dealers will install protective spring shields. In addition, Ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles,…
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
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.
Remedy: 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.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Pedals and linkages
Certain passenger vehicles equipped with adjustable padels are being recalled in order to adjust the brake and accelerator pedals to a minimum of 50 mm of lateral separation. Simultaneous application of both the brake and accelerator pedals could result in an increase in engine RPM.
Remedy: Owners will be instructed as to the proper way to set the position of the pedals and to take their vehicles to a dealer to have the spacing between the brake and accelerator pedals measured.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began August 20, 2001.
Exterior lighting › Headlights › Switch
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.
Remedy: 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…
Exterior lighting › Tail lights › Switch
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake lamp switch and wipe down the adjustable pedal assembly to remove excess grease. Owner notification began March 22, 2001.
Show 1 more recall
Equipment › Other › Labels
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The "vehicle capacity weight" and "designated seating capacity" information was not printed on the safety certification labels affixed to these vehicles.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with a supplemental label with the correct information, along with instructions for affixing the label adjacent to the vehicle certification label. Owner notification began October 20, 2000.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 9 possible defects involving the 2000 Mercury Sable:
Brake light switch failure
Ford conducted a recall in March, 2001 to correct a defect affecting the brake light switch in my 2000 through early-2001 taurus and sable vehicles equipped with power adjustable pedals (recall 01v-078).rq03-008 was opened to investigate complaints concerning the remedy and scope of 01v-078.odi's analysis identified concerns with post-repair failures in recalled vehicles,failures in my 2001-02 vehicles with…
Brake/accelerator pedal application
Ms. Rodman reported that after her vehicle was inspected for the recall, her mother experienced a sudden acceleration and crashed the sable into a light pole.previously NHTSA had conducted an investigation for this issue (pe02-035) that resulted in the recall (02v-266) of 369,000 my 2000-2002 taurus and sable vehicles equipped with adjustable brake and accelerator pedals to insure that the separation between the…
Speed control cable damage
On June 21, 2013, Ford initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 13B04 to address a concern with Speed Control Cable damage in certain model year (MY) 2000 through 2003 Taurus and Sable vehicles equipped with 3.0L 4V Duratec engines and built at the Chicago assembly plant.In the dealer letter for the program, Ford indicates that the Speed Control Cables on affected vehicles may be susceptible to damage or becoming…
Rear coil spring fracture
The office of defect investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation, pe05-054, based on 131 vehicle owner questionnaires related to alleged rear coil spring fractures.since opening the investigation there have been an additional sixty-three (63) complaints alleging rear coil spring fracture.an analysis of the vehicle owner questionnaires (voqs) submitted to odi reveals that 42% of the complainants allege that the…
Front suspension coil spring fracture
Odi possesses 130 vehicle owners questionnaires (voq) alleging front suspension coil spring failure in the subject (model year 1999-2000) vehicles.an additional 11 voqs concerning my 2001 vehicles have been found, bringing the total to 141.more than 75% of these reports allege that the broken spring damaged or punctured the adjacent tire.all of these reports originated in the salt belt states located in the…
Frontal air bag non-deployment in crash
Ford motor company has identified 260 reports alleging frontal air bag non-deployment for any (severity) frontal or near-frontal crash on model year 2000-2001 Ford taurus and Mercury sable vehicles.additional crash reports are contained in NHTSA's fatality analysis reporting system (fars) database.the single odi report listed in the report summary is NHTSA's special crash investigation's case no.
Brake/accel pedal separation
Rear coil spring fracture
Odi's analysis identified a high complaint rate for the rear coil springs in the salt belt states (approximately 250 per 100,000 vehicles).approximately 59 percent of the complaints alleged that the coil spring failure caused damage to the adjacent rear tire, with about half of these (30 percent of total complaints) alleging that the damage resulted in air loss.because air loss from a rear tire can result in changes…
Frontal air bag non-deployment in crash
This investigation identified a total of 427 reports alleging non-deployment of the frontal air bags.of the 427 reports, two incidents (fatal crashes) have been identified as severe frontal crashes in which the frontal air bags did not deploy.a defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of…
What 2000 Mercury Sable owners say
Suspension all 158 →
The front driver's side coil spring fractured, dropping the front left side of the car and causing it to veer to the left. The end of the broken spring also pierced the inside sidewall of the almost new Michelin tire and instantly deflated it. [redacted] suffered sprained wrists and a sprained back from the sudden loss of control of the 2000 Mercury Sable gs wagon. If the vehicle had been moving at a higher speed or on an interstate road, serious injury and severe damage would have occurred. The spring failure and damage was reported to Ford's customer relations center, heather nabb, Ford supervisor. This problem has already resulted in recall 04s17. I was never notified by Ford on this recall and I have owned the car since it was purchased new in 2001. It has always been registered in nh. …
My daughter was driving my 2000 Mercury Sable around a curve to the left when the rear of the vehicle began to slide to the left causing her to loose control and strike 2 guard rails,2 vehicles traveling in the opposite direction and then head-on into a stone retaining wall. Vehicle was severely damage and my daughter suffered a minor head injury. The airbags did not deploy even after striking the wall head-on. We are concerned that the rear coil springs were defective, rusted and May have cause her to loose control and the rear-end of the vehicle to slide to the left. 1 week prior to vehicle crash/incident, the rear end of the vehicle slid to the left on dry pavement while turning to the right. Vehicle tires were fairly new and in good condition. Please review the 2000 Mercury Sable for defects in the rear coil springs and the airbag deployment failure.
Speed control & acceleration all 71 →
I was in a parking lot of a store, started my car, headed out onto a city street, turned right. All of a sudden my vehicle took off, started speeding up. I stepped on the brake, it slowed the vehicle down a little, but the brake felt like air and didn't feel like it was braking correctly. Luckily, I had a green light, went through that, kept braking. The car slowed down a little bit but then would not stop completely, surged a little more; I was able to pull into a parking lot; braked again, my car kept going at slow speed; I pulled on my parking brake, nothing happened. Then, I put the car into park, which stopped it. Then I pulled out the key. I called the mechanic I use. He sent a tow truck to me. My car is at the mechanics now.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle erroneously accelerated and crashed into a gate. The contact applied constant pressure to the brake pedal and traveled approximately four car lengths before stopping. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 112,000. Updated 04/10/13..updated 04/25/13 the consumer stated the gate crushed the right side of the vehicle from the front bumper to the rear bumper. The iron gate bent almost in half taking it off the track and rendering it inoperable. Updated 06/04/2013
Brakes all 67 →
Petition to open an immediate investigation into why the Mercury Sable has excessive movement of the brake pedal, she owns a 2000 Mercury Sable with a defective brake pedal & airbags. The vehicle is equipped with an adjustable brake and gas pedal system which was recalled for the spacing between the pedals. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they indicated that the vehicle needed no adjustment. One day the driver was turning into a parking space when the vehicle suddenly accelerated onto a grassy median and hit a light pole. The vehicle came to rest after hitting a vehicle head on. The air bags did not deploy and both occupants were injured. On inspection of the car it was noted that the brake pedal had excessive side to side movement. The manufacturer indicated this was a normal condition.
I was in a parking lot of a store, started my car, headed out onto a city street, turned right. All of a sudden my vehicle took off, started speeding up. I stepped on the brake, it slowed the vehicle down a little, but the brake felt like air and didn't feel like it was braking correctly. Luckily, I had a green light, went through that, kept braking. The car slowed down a little bit but then would not stop completely, surged a little more; I was able to pull into a parking lot; braked again, my car kept going at slow speed; I pulled on my parking brake, nothing happened. Then, I put the car into park, which stopped it. Then I pulled out the key. I called the mechanic I use. He sent a tow truck to me. My car is at the mechanics now.
2000 Mercury Sable engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 26 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Mercury Sable a good car?
Based on 464 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2000 Sable rates avoid: 2.1× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sable at the same age. It is one of the Sable years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 Mercury Sable?
The suspension — 158 complaints, 34% of all complaints for this model year, most often about front › springs › coil springs. Next are the speed control & acceleration (71) and brakes (67).
How many recalls does the 2000 Mercury Sable have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2000 Mercury Sable, the most recent from July 15, 2004 (coil springs). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mercury Sable?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009, 2004 and 2008. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2000, 2001, 2002, 1995 and 1996. See the full Mercury Sable years comparison.
At what mileage do 2000 Mercury Sable problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 64,000 miles; 34% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.