Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Mercury Sable owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Approximately 39,000 miles. No rust car. Rubbing noise and all tires with history of losing air. While replacing all tires, wheel tech noticed right rear coil spring was fractured and completely wore off interior tire ridge. Placed doughnut tire on and advised I take to mechanic to have all springs fully checked. Car currentlyat mechanic shop this evening. Right rear coil spring definitely fractured. Seems many reports of same nature on this model. Why no recall on rear coil springs with so many complaints? Rubbing sound from beneath car has been noted and tires constantly needed air. Other issue(s): 1) ignition extremely hard to turn.2) accelerator seems to stick upon attempting to decelerate by letting up foot pressure. I inherited this car from my deceased father. I was always concerned that he accelerated too quickly from a stopped position. …
Our 2002 Sable was brought in for an emergency brake cable issue. While working on the rear brakes, the mechanic noticed that a rear suspension spring was broken. He said we were very lucky it did not rupture the tire. We had both rear springs replaced, because we did not know what caused it to break. After that work was done the car needed to be aligned, and that is when they noticed that a front suspension spring was even more severely broken that is when we searched for possible bulletins or recalls. There were many complaints about 2002 Sable spring breakage, and some actually rupturing tires. There in fact was a recall issued for 2001 Mercury sables with spring breakage problems, but not for 2002s. We know in fact that the same part is used on 2001 and 2002s. So, for safety reasons we had no choice but to replace both front springs. We feel that this is a severe safety issue. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable gs. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, there was a loud bang and the front passenger tire blew. The contact almost lost control of the vehicle as she merged onto the shoulder and rolled into a ditch. There were no injuries and the vehicle was not damaged. The tire was removed and the spare was installed. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where the tire was originally purchased and after inspection, the technician advised that the coil spring caused the tire damage. The dealer was notified of the coil spring failure and advised that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted who confirmed that there were no recalls and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. While driving approximately 55 MPH on normal road conditions, the contact heard a loud noise outside of the vehicle. Suddenly, the tire flattened. The driver attempted to pull over to the side of the road and swerved into a ditch. There were no damages or injuries. The vehicle was removed from the ditch and the driver's side front tire was replaced. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The failure was related to the front driver's side suspension coil spring. The vehicle is in the process of being repaired at the authorized dealer. The failure and current mileages were 95,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the contact heard a rubbing sound from the driver side rear tire. He noticed smoke and immediately pulled off the road. The rear of the vehicle was extremely low. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the rear coil springs failed, causing the driver side tire to fail. The dealer replaced the driver side rear tire and the rear coil springs. The contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 58,000 and current mileage was 65,000. Updated 02-14-08
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the front driver's side tire exploded. The suspension coil spring on the driver's side fractured and slashed the tire causing the tire to explode. The contact stated that the suspension needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,500.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, a tire became flat without warning. The contact did not specify which tire became flat. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front passenger and driver side coil spring was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. Upon starting the vehicle, it would not move. The failure occurred without warning. Upon inspection, the front coil springs fractured and detached, damaging the front driver side tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 04V332000 (suspension), but the VIN was excluded. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
On 2/6/2017 my 2002 Mercury Sable wagon with 63512 miles on it the front spring broke tore the inside of tire apart not sure what else was damaged at this point . My car being in very good condition not your typical n.y rust not a issue this is a very dangerous design defect.
I own a 2002 Mercury Sable gs. I returned to my car in a parking lot to find it had a flat tire. After attempting to inflate the tire with no luck, I started to jack the car up to put the spare on. In this process, I realized that the tire was blown out from the coil spring breaking and puncturing the tire. This was the front driver's side tire and I am very lucky to have not been driving at the time of the incident. I had the car towed and started doing some research because I had never seen anything like this before. I found several recalls for Mercury Sable's and Ford taurus', but none that matched the year of my vehicle. I called Ford motor company and a Ford dealer and they both confirmed that there was no recall on my car. …
NHTSA investigations
Front Suspension Coil Spring Fracture
To date, ODI is aware of 2,401 non-duplicative complaints related to the alleged defect. In addition, ODI is aware of 1,411 subject vehicles with one or more warranty claims related to the alleged defect. In total, ODI is aware of 3,645 unique subject vehicles that have experienced one or more front suspension coil spring fractures.
Suspension complaints in other Sable years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2002 Mercury Sable?
NHTSA has 239 complaints about the suspension of the 2002 Mercury Sable, 54% of the model year's 440 complaints. The component named most often is front › springs › coil springs (97 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Mercury Sable suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2002 Mercury Sable, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Mercury Sable suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 2 injuries to suspension 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.