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Expensive Mercury Sable repairs by problem area

Engine (26%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (31%)

Brakes and Traction Control (0%)

Suspension and Steering (36%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (8%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (0%)

Other (0%)

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Chart based on 39 repairs.

See TSBs and recalls for the Mercury Sable.

Mercury Sable repair cost distribution

$2500+ (12%)

$1000 - $2499 (88%)

$500 - $999 (0%)

$100 - $499 (0%)

< $100 (0%)

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Chart based on 26 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

88400 mi US $820	Had leak - something to do with condenser. It and connection into it had to be replaced.
92000 mi US $870	Don't remember name of parts -- 1 of 6 "something" was misfiring (red engine warning light on) and needed replacing. Because the repair was fairly labor-intensive in requiring removal of a large part and the working life of the parts was near to estimated end point, I replaced all 6. Major cost was for the labor and I think the parts were only about $180). [Note: probably ignition coils.]
97000 mi US $365	leaking sunroof -- needed resealing
122000 mi US $1700	Sway bar replaced in front; needed it in back but unable to replace because of rust. So repair was partially successful but not completely successful.
129000 mi US $750	Cracked seals within transmission so all transmission fluid had leaked out (can't remember the exact name of the seals). Both seals replaced and transmission fluid added. 3rd visit to address water leaks into car -- finally seems to be fixed. 1st visit told that problem was due to squirrel or rats' nest. 2nd visit still didn't solve problem. 3rd visit they cleared out an obstruction of drain on passenger front side and appears to be fixed.

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104500 mi US $1400	Cooler for automatic transmission had leak. Replaced by dealer
169000 mi US $823	Replaced all four brake disks and pads

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119000 mi US $1500	Transmission went out and needed to be replaced
128000 mi US $600	Alternator

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129000 mi US $3100	torque converter and transmission fluid pump were replaced and while in there, the transmission pads were replaced. The car is driving now, but there is a transmission fluid leak. In theory, it will be fixed by the transmission shop for free. Transmission shop went under. Another place fixed the problem. It was a bushing in the torque converter.
150000 mi US $400	replaced catalytic converter
189000 mi US $100	Replaced the transmission valve body because the transmission wasn't shifting into overdrive.

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121000 mi US $250	Ignition coil failure
124000 mi US $175	Replace final remaining factory original ignition coil
143000 mi US $1100	Catalytic converter failure Shop broke egr connecter replaced but installed incorrect hose, which kept melting. Finally replaced with correct hose and problem fixed.
148000 mi US $425	Radiator hose leak caused by worn motor mounts. Replaced all 3

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57000 mi US $800	Transmission pump & torque converter.
59000 mi US $1500	Transmission pump shaft failed. Torque converter failed.
64000 mi US $100	AC clutch & bearing failure.
81000 mi US $100	Plugs, & other maintenance performed. One coil appears to be failing as indicated by an intermittent 'miss'. Replacement coil obtained but not yet installed.
82000 mi US $600	Replaced all four worn struts & sagging springs.

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69000 mi US $570	evap canister replaced
74000 mi US $500	Reattached loose heat shield.
89000 mi US $1140	Broken rear spring, leaking rear strut. Replaced spring, struts, strut mounts and sway bar links; 4 wheel alignment

132000 mi

US $2300

Trunk wouldn't automatically open, it always had to be unlocked with a key. Also, my front headlight was dim--not burnt out, just uncharacteristically dim. Trans failed while going down the freeway at 78mph on cruise. Lost power, felt like the car was in neutral. Nothing but...

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121000 mi US $400	Tie Rods replaced
126300 mi US $150	Check engine light. Fuel evaporation problem solved with new cap. Fan motor only worked on high. replaced resistor fixed problem.
135000 mi US $1500	Tie rod, struts, Tires
155000 mi US $295	Bad blower motor

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297600 mi US $2621	Rebuilt original transmission (first time). Unknowingly, a piece of small plastic somehow got into transmission after fluid change and clogged value for overdrive gear. Transmission stopped shifting past 3rd gear. Discovered in rebuild.
304900 mi US $125	Replaced leaking PCV tube
321000 mi US $800	Replaced all tie rods

85157 mi US $240	R/R Passenger Door Panel and Installed Missing Panel retainer
119000 mi US $458	Transaxles leaking. I believe this problem was caused by a result of earlier work done poorly on the car.
135000 mi US $176	Car died while driving home from work. Son loaded it onto a flatbed and brought it to a local shop. That saved me at least $200 bucks. The problem was a bad FAL sensor.
142006 mi US $268	Very Bad shake. Replaced frt and rear struts, tie rod ends Replace MAF sensor harnessplug and sensor
152000 mi US $815	Replaced faulty fuel pump, PCV. Replaced inner tie rod ends and purchased 2 tires.
167000 mi US $285	Replaced Bad starter
172242 mi US $1423	Replaced Rack & Pinion due to cracked housing. Got new tires and alignment in the process.
172000 mi US $2550	Replaced Engine.

175000 mi

US $1000

Had front axle and front CV joints replaced.

79500 mi US $1300	replace transmission pan gasket, fuel pump, cooling system relay housing, struts,tie rod ends,rear springs,ball joints,stablizer bar
83600 mi US $900	struts front and rear ball joints torsion bar sway bar and all links
84200 mi US $1000	fuel pump,transmission gasket

73000 mi US $125	Bought radio from recycling yard, father (a mechanic) installed it.
76800 mi US $400	AC compressor clutch broke.
83000 mi US $280	Alternator light came on first cold night in VA. New Alternator ordered from Dealer in NY where Father works. Unfortunately the rebuilt Alternator was defective. Renting car until Father returns with new alternator.
82315 mi US $668	Along with finally a WORKING altenator. Ford parts lable the altenators wrong 3x mixing Taurus with Sable. Repairs made for VA inspection oil pan gasket, tie rod ends, struts, wheel alignment. Nothing wrong with parts taken off!!! Ford Supply Company SCREWED ME 3 rebuilt altenators 2 shipped from NY and 1 from here in Virginia and NONE OF THEM WORKED. Bought a used 2001 Altenator from Salvage yard. It worked drove Sable back to N.Y. to have repair completed.
106000 mi US $800	Brake Cylinder Booster FAILED

70000 mi US $241	Ck eng lite on: Vacuum leaks at intake manifold. Replaced upper & lower gaskets and vacuum hoses Tach fluctuated-found/replaced IAC valve internal fault. Also NYS inspection
72000 mi US $763	Oil pan leaking-Gasket N/G L/F axle seal leaking-replaced seal

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93000 mi US $550	part broken in front left hub, new rotors and pads
103000 mi US $400	front ball joint replaced, also corrected rear sway bars which were installed incorrectly resulting in worn bushings.
104200 mi US $100	installed new water pump
108100 mi US $1500	Rear springs cracked on strut assembly. Thermostat New heater blower motor
109000 mi US $700	broken front strut, both front struts replaced, and a ruined tire replaced.
137500 mi US $400	replaced water pump due to heater not working properly

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184300 mi US $1350	Front end making noise while turning, handling very loose on highway. Replaced struts/springs/mounts, tie rod ends and ball joints, aligned.
191000 mi US $240	Lower intake manifold gaskets leaking, r & r
199000 mi US $150	Misfire was caused by sparkplug electrodes missing, replaced and tightened spark plugs
221000 mi US $1900	Transmission begun to slip in 2nd and 3rd gear. Fluid change made problem worse. R/R with rebuilt trans from ETE/Rockauto.com at Performance Acura.

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58000 mi US $800	Broken rear-stabilizer bar link replaced. Front-right tie-rod end and ball joint replaced.
68000 mi US $2000	Replace fuel pump, filter, and relay. Replace broken rear springs
68000 mi US $400	Replaced dead coil-on-plug ignition coil.
69000 mi US $935	Replace front struts due to broken spring.
72000 mi US $630	Replace dead alternator

233000 mi

US $1300

Power steering pump/hose compressor replacement all CV joints and boots replaced

116000 mi US $1900	struts, brakes, springs, ball joints, tie rod ends, engine repairs.....
116000 mi US $2000	complete suspension repairs, ball joints, tie rod ends, brakes, tires, AC.

198000 mi

US $1800

Replaced Struts & shocks on all 4 wheels

102000 mi US $767	A/C compressor failed. Dealer installed remanufactured unit, evacuated system and filled with refrigerant.
110000 mi US $147	A/C would not cool. Shop found low refrigerant level, but could not find a leak. System evacuated and charged. Tracer dye left in system to assist mechanic if problem recurs.
120000 mi US $324	Replaced worn left front wheel bearing. Mechanic discovered problem on a previous service visit and stated that it didn't need immediate attention, so I chose a convenient time to have it fixed. Mechanic replaced an exhaust system clamp that had rusted and fallen off the car. He checked the exhaust system for leaks after installing the clamp.
123000 mi US $234	Engine sagged, stumbled and stalled immediately after refueling. This happened twice during April. Shop found a weak PCV hose that collapsed at high vacuum. I paid for replacement of the hose and the valve, and the problem has not recurred.
129000 mi US $986	Intermittent hard starting traced to failing fuel pump. Pump and gauge sender unit replaced. Mechanic found a torn CV joint boot during inspection. Since the price was the same for a new OEM boot or a new aftermarket halfshaft, I had the halfshaft replaced.
141000 mi US $982	Car suddenly developed a front-end clunk and grinding noise. Shop diagnosed the problem as a failing CV joint and replaced the halfshaft. While crawling under the car to inspect the CV joints, I found a large quantity of oil on the outside of the oil pan. Shop replaced the pan gasket, front main seal and an oil-soaked crankshaft damper.
143000 mi US $1000	Car developed front-end noise and a slight steering wander. Ball joints, front struts and front stabilizer end links were replaced to correct the problem.
146000 mi US $385	Water leaked into the front passenger footwell during a rainstorm. Shop replaced the RH cowl screen and installed a rain hat over the cabin air filter as described in a Ford TSB. Check Engine light came on with no drivability symptoms. The problem was an evaporative leak caused by a cracked and rusted fuel fill pipe.
170300 mi US $132	Replaced all five instrument cluster illumination bulbs. One of them had burned out and the other four were factory-original parts that would probably have failed soon.
180000 mi US $141	Muffler was rusted-out internally and was noisy. Shop replaced the muffler and re-used the exhaust pipes, which were still in good condition.
192000 mi US $100	Check Engine light was on. Mechanic retrieved codes from PCM and determined that intake manifold gaskets were leaking. Since there were no drivability issues at this time, the shop ordered parts and promised to notify me when the parts arrived. They failed to do this follow-up and could not perform the repair in a timely manner when the drivability symptoms appeared in December, so I took the car to another shop for the gasket job.
192000 mi US $426	Check engine light came on. Engine stalled and stumbled. PCM codes indicated intake manifold gasket leaks on both cylinder banks. Gaskets were replaced and leaking PCV valve was changed while the upper intake manifold was off the engine.

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118360 mi C $300	new right side ball joint
116560 mi C $2000	trans started making noise and puking oil; needed complete rebuild!

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105000 mi US $480	Engine timing cover was warped and leaking coolant externally. Timing cover machined true and reinstalled, gasket replaced, water pump replaced, serpentine belt replaced.
113800 mi US $1400	Replaced water pump and engine head gasket. Both leaking.
114000 mi US $300	Brake line had ruptured and others were corroding. All brake lines replaced.
123300 mi US $145	Replaced passenger side rotor and pads. Excessive wear was caused by frozen caliper guide on drivers side causing passenger side to carry all breaking load. Replaced drivers side pads, caliper bracket and caliper guides.

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Expensive Mercury Sable repairs by problem area

Mercury Sable repair cost distribution

2009 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2008 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2005 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2005 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2004 Mercury Sable 4dr Wagon

2004 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2003 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2003 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2001 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2001 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

2000 Mercury Sable 4dr Wagon

2000 Mercury Sable 4dr Sedan

1999 Mercury Sable

1997 Mercury Sable 4-door

Mercury Sable Expensive Problems