Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1999 Mercury Sable, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Suspension48
- Steering33
- Power train28
- Service brakes, hydraulic26
- Engine and engine cooling22
- Visibility21
- Seat belts20
- Air bags17
- Vehicle speed control16
- Structure10
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 24 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 5 1999 Sable vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 5 people died inside them, and 2 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1999 Mercury Sable failed the safety check 2.62% of the time — 49% more often than the average 1999 passenger car (1.76%). Median odometer at inspection: 105,356 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 11.5–12.6 L/100 km (about 19–20 mpg US), CO₂ 265–290 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sable · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 13.5 | 9.1 | 11.5 |
| Sable Wagon · Station wagon: Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 13.5 | 9.1 | 11.5 |
| Sable # · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 14.8 | 9.8 | 12.6 |
| Sable Wagon # · Station wagon: Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 14.8 | 9.8 | 12.6 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 1999 Mercury Sable.
| 2004252 19 Jul 2004 | Suspension On certain vehicles, the front coil springs may fracture when operated in high corrosion areas (where salt is used on the roadways in winter). The potential fo… |
| 1999176 19 Oct 1999 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the seat belt retractor in certain seating positions may have a pin shaft in the switchable ELR/ALR(emergency locking retractor/automatic l… |
| 1998182 18 Sept 1998 | Structure THE DASH INSULATOR RETAINER MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FULLY ENGAGED. THE RETAINER MAY DISENGAGE, AND IN SOME CASES IT COULD BECOME LODGED ABOVE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL P… |
| 1998173 28 Aug 1998 | Seats And Restraints THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ATTACHING STUD THAT MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY HEAT TREATED. THIS HEAT TREATING MAY HAVE RESULTED IN CRACKS DEVE… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS COULD FRACTURE DUE TO CORROSION ASSOCIATED WITH SALT USED ON THE ROADWAYS DURING THE WINTER. A FRACTURED SPRING COULD MOVE PAST THE SPRING SEAT AND CONTACT A FRONT TIRE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR MAY HAVE A PIN SHAFT IN THE SWITCHABLE ELR/ALR MECHANISM THAT IS INCORRECTLY FORMED. IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, THE SWITCHING MECHANISM COULD BECOME NONFUNCTIONAL, PREVENTING THE SEAT BELT WEBBING FROM BEING EXTRACTED FROM THE RETRACTOR. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT MALFUNCTION OF THE MECHANISM COULD PREVENT THE BELT FROM BEING SWITCHED INTO THE ALR MODE. THE ELR MECHANISM IS NOT AFFECTED BY THIS CONDITION.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUPPED WITH THE "CALIFORNIA" EMISSIONS PACKAGE. AN INCORRECT TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE WAS INSTALLED. THE LINE CONTACTS THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM MODULE SUPPORT BRACKET AND OVER TIME, CAN WEAR AND DEVELOP A LEAK.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A DASH INSULATOR RETAINER CLIP WAS NOT FULLY ASSEMBLED TO THE ACCELERATOR CABLE DASH FITTING. THE CLIP CAN DISENGAGE FROM THE ACCELERATOR CABLE AND FALL INTO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARM PIVOT AREA.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL SEAT TRACKS. THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ATTACHING STUD MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY HEAT TREATED. THIS HEAT TREATMENT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN CRACKS DEVELOPING IN THE STUD.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Mercury told its dealers about the 1999 Mercury Sable: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637556 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN AX4N/4F50N TRANSAXLE MAY EXHIBIT A SHUDDER DURING A 3-4 SHIFT. *TT |
| 636065 | INFORMATION REGARDING DISCHARGED BATTERY CHARGING SERVICE TIPS AND GUIDELINES. *TT |
| 635968 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 3.0L 4V DURATEC ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATED WITH A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1518, INTAKE MANIFOLD RUNNER CONTROL. *TT |
| 630515 | ENGINE OIL SYSTEM PRIMING PROCEDURES, SERVICE TIPS FOR REPORTS OF PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE. *TT |
| 630408 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND/OR EGR DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES 332, P0401, P1407 (LACKOF EGR FLOW). *TT |
| 630356 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A PARK PULLOUT CLUNK NOISE WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO ANOTHER GEAR POSITION. *TT |
| 630351 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A GROAN/BUZZ/VIBRATION WHEN THE GEAR SELECTOR IS IN PARK. *TT |
| 630001 | SOME ENGINE ASSEMBLIES WITH ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEADS REPAIRED IN-VEHILE HAVE BEEN FOUND TO LEAK COOLANT AND/OR OIL FROM THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AREA. *TT |
| 627927 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT VACUUM OR AIR LEAKS IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND / OR ENGINE SYSTEM CAUSING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0171 AND OR P0174. *TT |
| 627774 | SOME IGNITION SWITCH LOCK CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES MAY EXHIBIT ROUGNESS AND / OR EXCESS EFFORT IN TURNING, KEY DOES NOT FULLY RETURN FROM START, A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP MAY ILLUMINATE WITH P0500, P1502 AND U1039 STORED IN POWERTRIAN CONTROL MODULE (PCM). *TT |
| 625715 | BRAKE SHIFT INTERLOCK.*JB |
| 623988 | INFORMATION REGARDING TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE CHARTS. *SLC |
| 623944 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT HEATER CORE LEAKS. *SLC |
| 622665 | ON SOME VEHICLES, ENGINE OIL MAY CONTINUE TO LEAK FROM THE ENGINE OIL PAN GASKET AREA AFTER AN ENGINE OIL PAN GASKET REPAIR HAS BEEN PERFORMED. *TT |
| 622646 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT COOLING SYSTEM CONDITIONS SUCH CONTAMINATED / CORRODED COOLANT; LEAKING / DISCOLORED COOLANT OVERFLOW BOTTLES; VIBRATION FROM ENGINE; LEAKING HEATER CORE; COOLANT OVERFLOW; HIGH TEMPERATURE GAUGE READINGS, ETC. *TT |
| 621059 | CONCERNS WITH VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A AX4N / 4F50N TRANSAXLE EXHIBITING A SHUDDER DURING A 3-4 SHIFT. *TT |
| 620504 | EXHIBITING AN OIL LEAK FROM THE ENGINE OIL PAN. *TT |
| 620388 | INFORMATION USED TO SERVICE AX4N TRANSAXLE EQUIPPED VEHICLES EXHIBITING SHUDDER DURING 3-4 SHIFT. *TT |
| 620271 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN INTERMITTENT LOSS OF INTEGRATED CONTROL PANEL (ICP) ILLUMINATION. AUDIO AND CLIMATE CONTROLS CONTINUE TO OPERATE DURING THE ICP'S LOSS OF ILLUMINATION CONDITION. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY A FAULTY INTERNAL RIBBON CABLE CONNECTION IN THE ICP. *TT |
| 619424 | SUBJECT REGARDING ENGINE OIL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USE IN 2001 VEHICLES - SAE 5W-20 MOTOR OIL. *TT |
| 619333 | SOME VEHICLES EQUPPED WITH 3.0L 2V VULCAN OR 4V DURATEC ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT AN EXHAUST RUST-THRU, WELD FATIGUE CONDITION BETWEEN THE TWO TOEBOARD CATALYSTS WHERE A TIE-IN BRACKET IS WELDED TO THE FORMED INLET PIPE OF THE REAR BANK TOEBOARD CATALYST. *TT |
| 619266 | VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH PASSIVE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM (PATS) MAY NOT START OR CRANK. *TT |
| 618630 | INFORMATION PERTAINING TO DURATEC OIL PAN INVESTIGATION. *JB |
| 618604 | SUBJECT PERTAINING TO REAR LUBE TUBE AND BRACKET REPLACEMENT. *JB |
| 618578 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A SEPARATION BETWEEN LAYERS OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. *JB |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING FRACTURE
FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING FRACTURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation