Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - DISC - ROTOR | |||||
| 9845 | 03/02/1998 | 601264 | Availability of hub-mount brake rotor machining equipment. *yc | 07/15/1998 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||||
| 4647 | 08/01/1998 | 615184 | Important pre-delivery information regarding some vehicles delivered with covers over the front brake rotors. *tt | 01/03/2001 | |
| 99194 | 09/20/1999 | 6090082 | Information for servicing and diagnosing brake vibration, brake inspection, and brake friction material replacement. *tt | 03/06/2000 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||||
| 5304 | 12/01/1998 | 615407 | Information on front disc brake rotor protectors currently being installed on certain vehicles. *tt | 01/16/2001 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||||
| 11764 | 08/01/1998 | 615265 | Subject regarding vehicles which will be delivered with covers over the front brake rotors. *tt | 01/10/2001 | |
| 9814 | 01/19/1998 | 605562 | Subject regarding the availability of hub-mount brake rotor machining equipment. *tt | 07/09/1999 | |
| 984647 | 11/01/1998 | 603662 | Some vehicles will be delivered with covers over the front brake rotors. *yc | 03/01/1999 | |
| 985A5 | 03/18/1998 | 601003 | Hub-mount brake rotor machining equipment from rotunda is now approved for warranty and service use. *yc | 06/17/1998 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - SWITCHES - BRAKE LIGHT | |||||
| 02176 | 09/02/2002 | 10008580 | Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. *mj | 08/05/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 03/15/2004 | 2 | ||
| Consumer was complaining about brake problems. when pressing the brake pedal it went down to the floor, and brakes failed. also, interior light stayed on. *ak | |||
| 07/02/2003 | 59000 | 1 | |
| While driving consumer attempted to apply brakes and pedal went completely to the floor. dealer notified.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 11/19/2004 | 94950 | 5 | 09/07/1998 |
| In 1998 i purchased a new mercury sable. stopping distance has been inadequate since new. returned to dealer 3 times, checked and stated everything was fine. in panic stops it feels as if only the rear wheels are braking. now, after 95,000 miles i have changed the rear brake pads 3 times and rear rotors once, but the original front pads are still on the car - just now needing replacement. front rotors excellent - no outer ridge. obviously, front brakes are not working effectively - normally front brakes provide about 60% of braking power. on november 19 2004 i rear-ended another car in a chain-reaction panic stop. body damage is now repaired, but i hesitate to put it back in service without determining and repairing the brake problem that has existed since the car was new. i wrote ford about the problem years ago but received no answer. the service manager at the dealership has no record that i ever complained about inadequate braking. car was checked at brakemasters, but they could find nothing wrong. with millions of sables and tauruses built by ford, i can't believe i have the only car with this problem. i wonder how many of these cars have been involved in rear-end collisions with the owners never realizing that they had a braking problem? i would like to know why the front brakes are not working, so i can repair the problem!*ak | |||
| 11/19/2004 | 1 | 09/07/1998 | |
| In 1998 i purchased a new mercury sable. stopping distance has been inadequate since new. returned to dealer 3 times, checked and stated everything was fine. in panic stops it feels as if only the rear wheels are braking. now, after 95,000 miles i have changed the rear brake pads 3 times and rear rotors once, but the original front pads are still on the car - just now needing replacement. front rotors excellent - no outer ridge. obviously, front brakes are not working effectively - normally front brakes provide about 60& of braking power. on november 19 i rear-ended another car in a chain-reaction panic stop. body damage is now repaired, but i hesitate to put it back in service without determining and repairing the brake problem that has existed since the car was new. i wrote ford about the problem years ago but received no answer. the service manager at the dealership has no record that i ever complained about inadequate braking. car was checked at brakemasters, but they could find nothing wrong. with millions of sables and tauruses built by ford, i can't believe i have the only car with this problem. i wonder how many of these cars have been involved in rear-end collisions with the owners never realizing that they had a braking problem? *ak | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 4 | ||
| Nar 05/28/2003 *mr failure in the antilock brake system. *cb | |||
| 07/01/2002 | 1 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Abs braking light appears on the dashboard. the mechanic from the dealership told the consumer that the module had to be replaced. *ak the consumer feels that ford should be responsible for this part. *scc | |||
| 12/18/2001 | 09/01/1999 | ||
| I hit sand that is on the road to help you from sliding on black ice,but in my case it made my car go sliding and i hit curb on right side of me,which knocked my hands off steering wheel.by the time i had my hands back on the wheel and braking i was on left side of road.at this point i was off the road and on the mud, which my brakes didn't do me any good i just keep going up and over into the canyon where i went down about 15-20 where i hit an oak tree head on.the back of my car went up in the air and went side ways slammed down on the drivers side of car.during all this neither of the air bags deployed.i received 31 stitches in face and separated ribs and bruised wrest and bumps and bruises. *ak | |||
| 01/15/2001 | 2 | 09/20/2000 | |
| Consumer's vehicle rearended another vehicle due to brake failure. pedal wentdown to the floor, and vehicle failed to stop. was traveling 40mph. air bags deployed. *ak blown 5 amp fuse (radio,rcc,ipc circute) were found after the accident. *yh | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 3 | 07/01/1999 | |
| Brakes have been replaced 3 times due to premature failure. brakes usually only last about 4-5months. *ak the same conditions and noise reoccured. *yh | |||
| 12/23/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Rear brake pads completely worn, needing replacement and machining of rotors. dealer thought front brakes had been serviced because pads were in such good shape. all brake parts were original equipment from time vehicle was built. dealer claims rear brakes do 70% of stopping on this car by design.*ak | |||
| 06/24/2000 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| While exiting ramp from a highway onto a main street, the explorer in front of us stopped before entering the main street. we were driving slowly when we tried to stop behind the other vehicle. my husband put his foot on the brake and it went to the floor. he continued a number of times, but could not stop or even slow down. we knew we would hit the vehicle in front of us, which prevented our car from going onto the main street of traffic. from trying to stop many times, my husband suffered a siatica injury, which he currently being treated by an orthopedist, chiropracter, physical therapist and primary care doctor. *ak | |||
| 06/21/1999 | |||
| Consumer heard grinding sound from the rear & took vehicle to the dealer. rotors, and brake shoes and pads were replaced. however, problem occurred again on 10-aug-1999. it was taken to the same dealer, and he replaced alot of parts. as of 10-apr-2000, vehicle is at the dealer's again. dealer couldn't find cause of problem. brakes are still locking up. *ak | |||
| 01/17/2000 | 3 | 09/21/1998 | |
| Brakes failed. yh | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 05/11/2002 | |||
| While driving on highway,took an exit, applied brakes and brakes didn't hold.*ak | |||
| 05/01/2001 | 2 | 06/01/1998 | |
| While consumer's wife was traveling at approximately 5 to 10 mph and slowing down to make a turn, brakes would not completely engage to stop vehicle. engine accelerated while brakes were being applied. dealership could not determine that there was a defect in vehicle. then, on may 14th, 2001 consumer's wife went to stop vehicle while approaching a red light and brakes did not work/ would not bring vehicle to a complete stop. engine acted as though it wanted to accelerate. *ak the brake had failed twice. *yh | |||
| 01/15/2001 | 2 | ||
| Brake pedal went to floor,unable to stop in 150-200 feet distance...crashed. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 08/10/2001 | |||
| When vehicle is in park or foot is taking of gas pedal to brake, it will accelerate.has to apply a lot of pressure to brakes to stop vehicle. this causes brakes and rotors to warp. replaced part; however, problem reoccurred. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2002 | |||
| While traveling on highway and without prior warning vehicle will shake while applying brakes. also, motor mounts were defective. *ak | |||
| 06/20/2001 | 1 | 04/01/2000 | |
| The problem was identical in both instances, the rear calipers on those two occasions failed to fully release resulting in rapid and premature pad wear. on both occassions the problem was not noticable until there was metal to metal contact. at that point the failure caused extreme heat to be generated to the point of scorching the wheel . the shop that did the last repair , they are very good at what they do, checked the front brakes and the only work done was to machine the the rotors to eliminate a slight shimmy. i am very easy on my car and that i did not need front pads at 75000 mi seems to indicate so.*ak | |||
| 12/23/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Rear brake pads completely worn, needing replacement and machining of rotors. dealer thought front brakes had been serviced because pads were in such good shape. all brake parts were original equipment from time vehicle was built. dealer claims rear brakes do 70% of stopping on this car by design.*ak | |||
| 06/01/1999 | 15 | 03/01/1999 | |
| My car made a low roaring noise from the rear end after about 3 months, since the first incident didn't occur again for a few weeks i didn't worry about it, however, after i had it for about 6 months the noise got worse and i was told i needed new brake pads, these were installed the same day, a few weeks later the same noise occurred again and this time i was told i needed new tie rod ends, these were installed that day, then it was my brake pads later it was the rotors, brake pads and shoes, i still have the noise in the rear of the car and now my brakes are still not right, i came down a hill last week and when i hit my brakes there were none, the dealer is saying it is the fact that i drive a lot ford motor co is saying they aren't responsible and bud shell is saying it is my fault can you help me i have had this car in the shop for this same problem about 10 times since sept 1999 i am afraid that my brakes will fail me again in a more dangerous situation than the last time. *ak | |||
| 11/11/1999 | 3 | 07/01/1999 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 06/21/1999 | |||
| Consumer heard grinding sound from the rear & took vehicle to the dealer. rotors, and brake shoes and pads were replaced. however, problem occurred again on 10-aug-1999. it was taken to the same dealer, and he replaced alot of parts. as of 10-apr-2000, vehicle is at the dealer's again. dealer couldn't find cause of problem. brakes are still locking up. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||
| 2 | |||
| Spring clip for rear brake pads has snapped and disconnected during operation of vehicle twice. this problem has occurred with 17,000 and 19,000 miles on the vehicle. dealership has been unable to effectively remedy the problem. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak | |||
| 06/10/2000 | 2 | 07/01/1998 | |
| I rotate tires every 6000 mi. during rotation i inspect brake pads for wear. at 18000 mi i found excessive wear on rear pads, to the point that they needed to be replaced fairly soon. i took the car to the dealer for replacement under warranty. they advised that thos wear was normal and was not covered under warranty. that's nonsense. i've never had a car that needed rear pad replacement at lesss than 50000 mi. no professionls i spoke with thought this was normal wear. this is made worse by the fact that, when the car was new, i had brought it in for correction of brake vibration. the dealer machined the rotors and the tech said he didn't like the looks of the rear pads so he replaced them. that's at 1500 mi. which means the replacment set only lasted 16500 mi. the owner service guide only says to inspect front and rear brakes at 30000 mi. if i had waited to 30000 mi i would have had at least rotor failure and might have had brake seizure, causing accident/injury. dealer contacted ford motor co rep who said it was normal wear and would not be covered under warranty. i personally replaced rear pads with after-market life-of-the-car-warranty premium-grade pads because i won't pay ford for another set of fast-wearing pads. i kept the original pads for nhtsa inspection, if desired. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 08/01/1998 | 3 | ||
| 4 brake rotors have been replaced 3 times because they overheated/warped and were out of round. cause unknown. consumer claims brake must be applied constantly while driving. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||
| 08/10/2007 | 57234 | 1 | 01/14/1999 |
| Brakes line leaking fluid due to corrosion of metal,lost all brake fluid when brakes were put on. *jb | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 85195 | 1 | 06/01/2001 |
| My brake line[metal],rusted completely through. 1.no indication of brake failure. 2.several of my family members drove my car to the grocery store,thankfully this is where the brakes gave out. 3.mercury dealership replaced line for about $275.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 30000 | 1 | ||
| The accelerator and brake pedal were designed too close together, which caused the driver to accelerate when trying to brake. please provide further details. *jb | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 3 | 05/01/1999 | |
| Brake pedal and gas pedal are designed too close together. driver can unintentionally apply both at the same time or gas pedal when intending to apply the brake pedal. *ak consumer has almost had three accidents because of the location of the brake pedal and the gas pedal. *jg | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST | |||
| 01/17/2000 | 1 | 09/21/1998 | |
| Vacuum elbow failed. yh | |||