FaultScore

Worst years for a Mercury Sable

Owners have filed 7,190 complaints about the Mercury Sable with NHTSA across model years 1984 to 2009. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.

Avoid

2000 Mercury Sable

578 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly suspension.

Cleanest on record

2005 Mercury Sable

112 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Mercury Sable year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2009 C 27 2 0 34,450 Engine & Cooling
2008 C 81 10 3 50,420 Steering
2006 2 2 0 Acceleration & Cruise Control
2005 A 112 3 0 71,000 Acceleration & Cruise Control
2004 B 75 5 0 79,600 Acceleration & Cruise Control
2003 C 251 17 2 70,000 Suspension
2002 C 541 39 5 75,650 Suspension
2001 D 528 42 11 68,330 Suspension
2000 D 578 48 10 63,850 Suspension
1999 C 302 33 4 68,000 Suspension
1998 C 243 35 3 91,000 Acceleration & Cruise Control
1997 C 326 14 7 72,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1996 C 391 25 13 95,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1995 C 485 14 14 74,560 Engine & Cooling
1994 C 534 23 11 94,000 Engine & Cooling
1993 D 981 24 15 94,687 Engine & Cooling
1992 517 14 7 101,801 Engine & Cooling
1991 346 11 9 Transmission & Drivetrain
1990 220 20 19 Engine & Cooling
1989 300 16 72 Electrical System
1988 189 5 34 Engine & Cooling
1987 105 4 7 Body & Structure
1986 55 0 6 Body & Structure
1984 1 0 0 Engine & Cooling

What breaks on a Mercury Sable

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Engine & Cooling 1,423 19.8%

Worst in 1993

Suspension 988 13.7%

Worst in 2002

Worst in 1991

Worst in 2000

Brakes 499 6.9%

Worst in 2000

Worst in 1989

Body & Structure 341 4.7%

Worst in 1993

Steering 337 4.7%

Worst in 1996

Lights 321 4.5%

Worst in 1993

Worst in 1993

Airbags 245 3.4%

Worst in 2000

Seat Belts 211 2.9%

Worst in 1989

Worst in 1993

Worst in 1993

Exactly what failed on a Mercury Sable

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Engine 719 27.3%
Automatic Transmission 497 18.9%
Coil Springs 311 11.8%
Gasoline 264 10.0%
Coil Springs 178 6.8%
Frame AND Members 174 6.6%
Front 140 5.3%
Frontal 127 4.8%
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 110 4.2%
Rear 109 4.1%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Mercury Sable, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 1995 peak 149 Nov 2025

Mercury Sable problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Mercury Sable

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.