Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||||
| 9716 | 01/02/1997 | 51361 | Some power steering hoses have been replaced with a revised design and should no longer be used for service. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| BC9584961001 | 10/01/1996 | 50503 | Information for concerns of grunt or groan during wheel return from full right turn. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| 95191 | 09/01/1995 | 46461 | The power steering system may have a 'grunt' and/or 'groan' noise. this may be caused by hydraulic fluid movement within the power steering rack. | 04/25/1996 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 12570 | 03/01/1999 | 6091815 | Some vehicles may exhibit front outer tie rods squeak and / or pop noise over bumps and / or turning. *tt | 11/15/2000 | |
| 5897 | 03/01/1999 | 605254 | Experiencing a squeaking and / or popping noise from the front outer tire rods. *tt | 06/04/1999 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| PE93058 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 06/15/1993 | 02/16/1994 | BROKEN TIE RODS | ||
| There is no summary currently available | ||||||
| PE92044 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 04/27/1992 | 08/31/1992 | POWER STEERING LEAKS/FIRES | ||
| There is no summary currently available | ||||||
| EA94008 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 02/16/1994 | 02/27/1995 | BROKEN TIE RODS | ||
| There is no summary currently available | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||
| 10/14/1994 | 1 | ||
| Power steering hose leaked resulting in vehicle fire. | |||
| 05/29/1997 | 1 | ||
| Under the hood compartment fire, power steering fluid leak, the hoses are routed too close to exhaust manifold, a heat source, causing a fire. | |||
| 06/15/1996 | |||
| While driving power steering hoses burst, leaked fluid, fluid ignited, causing underhood fire.*ak | |||
| 10/11/1995 | |||
| Leak from power steering hose resulting in vehicle fire while driving. please describe details. tt | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 10/05/1999 | |||
| The subframe bolts have to be replaced because they have worn down. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Motor mounts broke, causing engine to shift resulting in a cracked steering fluid pump. | |||
| 11/01/1996 | |||
| Recall related, 93v106002, structure , failure of motor mounts, causing the engine to move and steering fluid pump cracked. *ak | |||
| 07/01/1996 | 1 | 08/01/1990 | |
| Transmission planetary set, torque converter and mounts failed, also power steering pump, right wheel boot and axle failed. | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 02/06/1999 | 1 | 04/01/1995 | |
| I have removed the tie rod and examined the end - sheared off inside of rubber boot. absolutely no apparent damage to other components in the wheel/steering assemblies. we were very very lucky that this failure did not occur at speed. | |||
| After a cursory look through the nhtsa list of complaints for 1990 sables, i noticed many tie rod failures & wonderat what point failure constitutes ground. * | |||
| 10/07/1994 | 7 | ||
| Broken tie rod. *ak | |||
| Both front tie rods failed w/poor handling and severe wear of right front tire. please describe details. tt | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 05/25/1997 | |||
| Heard a clicking noise in front of vehicle. while backing out of driveway inner tie rod broke off. tie rod ball was rusted in the socket. contacted dealer, and dealer replaced tire rod.*ak | |||
| 1 | 05/01/1990 | ||
| Tie rod broke while driving causing loss of control. mjs | |||
| 04/01/1995 | 02/16/1990 | ||
| Outer tie rod failed. also, fuel leak. *ak | |||
| 06/12/1996 | 1 | ||
| Tie rod snapped, causing steering difficulty. | |||
| 03/01/1995 | 1 | ||
| Both inner tie rods failed twice. | |||
| Inner tie rod broke. tt | |||
| 02/20/1995 | 1 | ||
| While backing out of parking lot, tie rod end broke at approx. 5mph, rendering steering capability inoperative. tt | |||
| 08/18/1994 | 1 | ||
| Outer tie rod that connects wheel to steering broke/snapped without any warning; very low speed. tt | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 02/16/2001 | 2 | ||
| Consumer was following a right curve at 40 mph when steering froze up, halfway around, could not turn or move steering. consumer continued off road, and applied brakes in order to stop vehicle. defect was due to faulty rack and pinion steering. also, midas told him that there was a specific problem with rack and pinion. consumer was aware of another sable 1990 that was involved in a crash due to failure of rack and pinion, and killed the passenger in other vehicle. consumer was told by professional mechanic that this model and year of vehicle should have been put on recall for this defect because it was a known defect. *ak *slc | |||
| 09/01/1990 | 1 | ||
| Steering rack and pinion replaced 3 times. *sd | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK | |||
| 01/27/1995 | 2 | ||
| Had to replace the steering rack when making turns steering wheel would make a cracking noise and did not return properly. tt | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 06/26/2002 | |||
| Consumer can hear noise in steering column which can result in loss of steering. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak | |||
| 12/09/1998 | 0 | ||
| When wife was driving vehicle she tried to make a left turn and at the middle of the road with oncoming trafic, the steering wheel locked up and did not turn, forcing the vehicle to go straight, but at the last minute the consumer's wife pulled to left and handled vehicle. dealer was contacted. *ak | |||
| 07/22/1998 | 3 | 07/09/1996 | |
| Was driving vehicle about 35mph, started to turning left, was unable to return steering wheel to original position. had to be forced back. took to dealer for repairs. *ak | |||