Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Mercury Sable owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
While parking my vehicle I stepped on the brake and the car took off like it was possessed. It went up onto a grassy median ran head on into and over a light pole and came to rest after hitting a parked car head on. The brakes did not stop the car and the air bags did not deploy!! The car had been taken in for a recall on the adjustable brake and gas pedal earlier in the year and I was told no adjustment was necessary. So far it has been found that our brake pedal has too much play on it (in other words it moves side to side to much--is loose?) the adjustable brake and gas pedal and the air bags not deploying are issues that must be addressed by Ford on this vehicle.
2000 Mercury Sable with adjustable brake and gas pedals was recalled for spacing issue. Told on recall no adjustment needed. Had bad crash. After crash told two more times adjustment not needed. This car has a brake pedal that wobbles side to side 7 mm and a gas pedal that wobbles side to side 1 cm. Odi in washington told me that as brake and gas pedal unit is brought forward the 3 inch distance for a shorter person the side to side wobble of brake pedal becomes worse causing you to hit the gas. They also said adjustment should have been made on this car. Ford refuses to acknowledge problem and to do anything about it. This vehicle is very, very dangerous to drive.
While braking, the consumer discovered the pedals were designed too close together, which caused the consumer to depress the brake/accelerator pedal at the same time, which caused the consumer to have an accident. The dealership was notified, but the problem was not resolved. Please provide more information.
On the first occasion I was stopped waiting in line to make a left hand turn, foot on the brake, the car suddenly accele rated as if someone had stomped on the gas pedal. I put both feet on the brake, car still was moving, I put it in park, engine raced so I shut it down. After restarting it returned to normal. The second time it happened, my daughter was driving in stop and go traffic, as she was slowing, with foot on the brake, car again accelerated, the car lurched forward and collided with a vehicle in front of her. She to had to shut down the engine for it to stop. I believe it to be a product failure and have reported it to Ford consumer affairs. It appears they have dismissed my claim without investigating it. This car is dangerous.
Component: service brakes, hydraulic:antilock details: vehicle would start to spontaneously accelerate on its own power. After engine was turned on and the gear changed to drive, vehicle would jump on its own. While vehicle accelerated, brakes started to malfunction, and vehicle could only stop when the complete engine was turned off. This has happened on twelve different occasions. Defect can cause driver to lose control and get into an accident. The accelerator and brake pedals engage simultaneously. The pedals are set unusually close together. The driver has no means to know the state of pedal adjustment.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Mercury Sable. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. In addition, the RPM's increased. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 02V266000 (service brakes, hydraulic:pedals and linkages). The contact would be responsible for the repair costs. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 120,000.
Check engine light has been going on and off along with he ABS light -both sensor have been going on and off since brought the car in May 2000 - I have taken it back to the dealer at least 10 times for the same problem they keep saying there was not thing wrong - now I have taken to my own mechanic and he said the ABS computer has blown and g it will cost $2000.00 to fix.
While driving 35 MPH consumer applied the brake pedal and the brakes failed, resulting in a collision. Upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. Driver and passenger sustained major injuries, and were transported to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. However, the dealer refused to inspect the vehicle.
Related recalls
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.
NHTSA investigations
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…
Brake/accel pedal separation
Brake complaints in other Sable years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2000 Mercury Sable?
NHTSA has 67 complaints about the brakes of the 2000 Mercury Sable, 14% of the model year's 464 complaints. The component named most often is pedals and linkages (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Mercury Sable brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-266 (pedals and linkages, Oct 2, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Mercury Sable brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 36,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.