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 2003 Mercury Sable owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Originally, 2 days prior, car felt like I was dragging something underneath. Got out and looked around car, didn't see anything. Left car for 2 days, then started to head to work. Was going only about 20mph when smoke poured out from under my car. A moment later my front passenger side tire blew. Had a friend come to help me change to the spare. He drove the car about 2 minutes back to my house and as soon as he parked it, he took the spare off because we heard a weird popping noise when he was jacking the car back up. Looked and the coil spring on the passenger side had broken and rubbed so violently against the tire that it had torn a 10-14" long hole in the tire and had burnt a ring around the inside of the tire. Thankfully I had 2 friends to replace the whole unit. …
I recently had a tire blow out on my vehicle. Upon removing the tire it was discovered that the right front spring snapped, which had ruptured the tire. I was able to get the car to a local shop to replace the spring and tire at my expense, with a used spring to keep the cost down. I contacted Ford ,and Ford advised they would not cover any expenses related to this. The carwas a 2003 Mercury Sable with low miles on it. Also , contacted my dealer , and the dealer agreed that this type of damage should not have occurred , yet could not rectify the problem since Ford has not recalled it for springs. I believe there was a fault in the springs ,and was fearful this May happen to the remaining springs on this car. Ford's advice to me was to have the remaining springs examined, at my own expense, as they reminded me that therewas no recall for faulty springs. …
Ford springs. On Saturday, January 5, 2010, the front drivers side coil spring on my 2003 Mercury Sable gs snapped and punctured my tire. (car has 70K miles). There is corrosion on the coil but only were it failed. I have saved the piece of coil that was in my tire. My brother is a mechanic and told me that there May be a recall on the spring. He did the work on the car because I needed to be at work on Monday morning but told me to check it out. I found many complaints on the consumer affairs website but none for my model year. I contacted Ford and registered a complaint (#0289562315). The gentleman told me that my car wasn't included in the recall and that my car wasn't covered under warranty. He told me that I would be responsible for the cost of the repairs. I am very worried about the rear springs too. I frequently drive with children in my car. …
My 2003 Sable suffered a front left coil spring fracture that destroyed the front left tire and caused me to veer into a fence post while driving in a parking lot. The coil spring that sliced into the tire was pinpoint sharp, as was the smaller portion of the spring that fell off the car. The front left tire was destroyed, the strut an spring assembly needed to be replaced after the car was towed to a repair facility. The car was not drivable. The fence post damaged the left door of the car. If this failure had happened at highway speeds, the tire would have been shredded to pieces and the car would be sent off the highway with catastrophic results. I am afraid to drive the car at highway speeds. …
2003 Mercury Sable suspension-front:springs:coil spring NHTSA action # pe04044 campaign id #04V332000 this is a old problem that is still here and alive. My 2003 Mercury Sable has broken a spring and destroyed the driver side front tire. I call the local Ford dealer service department and was told there are no recalls for this problem. I had my car towed to a repair shop and they said this is a normal problem with Ford & Mercury. They replaced both struts and coils and tire and alignment for $1366.00. The car had just arrived home and was in the garage when the tire blow. This could have happened while driving and caused injury. I think the recall should be extended to include all Ford & Mercury cars until this problem goes away. …
2003 Sable wagon was driven home and parked in driveway. When we went to move it again a horrible grinding sound was coming from the front end, sounded like something scraping on the driveway or caught in wheel well. Car was subsequently parked. When it was light and upon further investigation, a piece of the front end coil spring was found lying under the car, approximately 1 foot long that is sheared off from the rest of the spring. No visible rust on the part, just apparently a defective part that broke. Now the car has to be towed to fix the problem. However the rest of the spring is embedded in the tire, wedged between it and the wheel well. It is impossible to move the car even to allow for a tow truck to get under it. The tires were also just purchased approximately one month ago and this certainly has ruined at least one of them.
The left front spring failed and punctured the tire as the car was being backed out of a garage. According to NHTSA campaign id #04V332000, a protective device was to be installed to prevent the tire from being punctured because of spring fracture and the warranty was extended on the spring. The manufacturer refuses to fix my vehicle because it was manufactured after the latest date applied to the recall as noted above. Since, the failure is the same as explained in the recall description; I claim the manufacturer is obligated to cover the repairs based on past history. Plus, the "fix" was not installed on my vehicle at the time of manufacture therefore exposing the tire to the catastrophic failure of being punctured by the broken spring.
I was backing out of a driveway and I heard a loud wooshing noise. I got out to investigate and saw my front driver's side tire was flat. I tried to remove it but couldn't get a jack under the vehicle because it was so low to the ground. I finally managed to jack up the car and had a lot of trouble removing the tire. Upon further investigation I realized that the spring had broken and lodged about 3 inches into my tire. I had to have the car towed to a service station and the total cost of repair was $600.51 in addition to the cost for towing and two new tires. I had just driven 40 miles on the express way at 70 MPH and I could have been killed had this happened en route.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Mercury Sable. While driving 20 MPH, the contact heard a loud popping sound coming from the front passenger wheel. She exited the vehicle and noticed that the front passenger side tire was blown. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and inspected by a technician, who determined that the front passenger side coil spring failed. As a result, the driver's side coil spring also failed; however, the tire was not punctured. The driver and passenger side coils springs and two front tires were replaced at the cost of $720. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 49,400 and current mileage was 57,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Mercury Sable. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, a loud noise emitted outside of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the rear passenger side tire exploded due to a fractured coil spring. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that both front clock springs, the coil springs, and the stabilizer spring bar needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that the failure occurred on the front driver's side several months later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The approximate failure and current mileage were 91,000.
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 2003 Mercury Sable?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the suspension of the 2003 Mercury Sable, 23% of the model year's 201 complaints. The component named most often is front (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Mercury Sable suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2003 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 2003 Mercury Sable suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 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.