Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||||
| 98241 | 12/07/1998 | 604053 | Diagnostic service tips on passive anti theft system ( pats ). *yc | 03/16/1999 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||||
| 6219 | 05/01/1999 | 6091665 | Some 3.0l 4-valve duratec engines only may exhibit steering noise / reservoir fluid swirling / reservoir fluid overflow. *tt | 11/09/2000 | |
| 12712 | 05/01/1999 | 6091688 | Some 3.0l 4-valve duratec engines may exhibit steering noise / reservoir fluid swirling / reservoir fluid overflow. *tt | 11/09/2000 | |
| 6219 | 05/01/1999 | 607065 | Some vehicles may exhibit steering noise / reservoir fluid swirling / reservoir fluid overflow. *tt | 11/03/2000 | |
| 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 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 11/20/2005 | 102641 | 1 | |
| The steering gear assy broke under normal driving conditions. we drove straight to the merc dealer. the mechanic would not even test drive the car because he said it was too dangerous. *nm | |||
| 03/10/2003 | 56000 | 1 | 02/08/1999 |
| Noisy power steering pump & loss power steering. the power steering pump and steering rack and pinion were replaced on our 1999 sable when it had 56,000 miles. *jb | |||
| 01/09/2003 | 7750 | 3 | 02/25/1999 |
| Vehicle's steering gear has malfunctioned 3 times and made loud howling noises. dealer notified. *ts *nlm | |||
| 06/11/1999 | |||
| While driving on highway at 55 mph, suddenly steering wheel went out of control to the right, causing vehicle to do a 180 degree turn, then rolled over two complete turns. upon impact, air bags failed to deploy, resulting in minor injuries. dealer/manufacturer have been notified. *ak | |||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 06/09/2006 | 40000 | 6 | 11/11/2001 |
| When i drive my vehicle through any puddle of water, the power steering fails, the car can not be driven, and the battery light comes on. extremely dangerous; the steering fails as you try to make a turn!!!!!*jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 05/19/2004 | 2 | ||
| When i drive in the rain or through a puddle, the steering completely fails and my battery light comes on. twice i have come severely close to crashing my car as a result of loss of steering completely! *ak | |||
| 12/06/2004 | 69000 | 1 | 07/10/2000 |
| On several occasions, after driving my 1999 mercury sable station wagon in moderate to heavy rain, i lose power steering during turns. the alternator light also comes on. i believe the problem is related to excessive belt slippage from water. it goes away if i stop for a few seconds to let the belt regain traction. this condition occurs unexpectedly is a risk to loss of control during the period of time without power steering. *jb | |||
| 03/05/2004 | 37800 | 1 | 10/10/2002 |
| The steering rack failed with not visible indication of fluid loss. the plug on the rack blew-out without warning, causing the steering to become manual requiring vehicle towing. the car has been dutifully maintained with no indication of failure when inspected. ford motor co. has denied any responsibility.*ak | |||
| While turning steering wheel there was a loud noise. dealer has been notified. mechanic stated theatpower steering malfunctioned. *ak | |||
| 06/21/2002 | 1 | ||
| While driving 10 mph, power steering went out. unable to steer vehicle.*ak dealer replaced power steering pump, steering rack and idler pulley. *tt | |||
| 10/15/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| Rack and pinion failed causing power steering to fail making the car unsafe to drive. while no accident occured, it was by luck. *ak | |||
| 03/06/2001 | |||
| Power steering replaced on 6 march, 2001. same problem again onmar8, repaired again. consumer was told part used was a remanufactured part. dealer stated it was a ford co. directive not to use new parts.vehicle still under warranty. *ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 08/09/2004 | 1 | 03/07/2000 | |
| While driving steering wheel feels real loose, nd makes a loud noise. dealer replaced the tie rod at consumer's expense of $200. *ak *mr | |||
| 06/12/2002 | 8 | 06/01/1999 | |
| Problems with abs. *mr the vehicle was in two accidents due to the inability to control the vehicle during normal driving conditions, where the abs did not work. the vehicle was in for repair 7 times. the following are repairs and or problems the vehicle experienced: torque converter replaced after transmission fluid was found low, exhaust leak fixed, washer fluid would spray when the turn signal and lights were on, shaking when the brakes were applied/resurfaced rotors, trunk leaked water, replaced multi-function switch to fix washer fluid problem, abs not working when there was a panic stop, left and right spindle assembly was replaced, front end rotors were replaced again, wheel alignment, the abs did not engage and caused an accident, and replaced left side outer tie rod end. *scc *jb | |||
| 10/20/1999 | 0 | ||
| Consumer was driving 30 - 35 mph tie rod popped out, disabling steering making vehicle go out of control. consumer almost had an accident. consumer was driving under normal weather conditions. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 04/17/2005 | 76000 | 12 | 05/28/1999 |
| Steering very noisy and it is very difficult to make a right turn. you practically have to enter the other lane to make a right turn at a corner. this is not good. *jb | |||
| 12/15/2004 | 66765 | 1 | |
| The vehicle was loosing power steering fluid through the rack and pinion steering. the owner took the vehicle back to the dealer, and was informed that the fluid was leaking through the rack and pinion steering assembly. *ak the turning radius was not adequate enough to make a right turn without the front of the vehicle entering the left lane of traffic on the road being turned onto. *sc *jb | |||
| 01/06/2005 | 100000 | 1 | 06/01/2000 |
| Report of catasropic failure of stering system on 1999 mecury sable / rack and pinion gear fracture/ seems there is major defalt with stering system, total crack in frame /gear system, all had to be replaced, didnt see any recalls, mechanic who fixed say this need to be reported to manafuture, milage is 100k, no accidents in vehicle, just failed while driving. *ak | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 36270 | 2 | 11/01/1999 |
| Rear right passenger seat belt did not retract. dealer stated the vehicle was not included in the nhtsa recall 99v25000. also, rack and pinion steering had to be replaced because of a seal leak.*ak *tc | |||
| 08/23/2004 | 37500 | 2 | |
| Power steering failed while driving. consumer heard a winding coming from the front. consumer pulled over, lifted up the hood, and noticed power steering fluid was dry inside of the canister pump. consumer was able to drive the vehicle to a local repair shop for steering fluid. then, consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that rack pinion failed, and needed to be replaced. consumer informed the mechanic that problem recurred. *ak | |||
| 07/15/2004 | 67099 | 1 | 07/10/2003 |
| Vehicle is 1999 mercury sable,power steering pump started making noise. examining pump showed no leaks although fluid was low. fluid added to proper level. within driving 2 miles pump again made noise. backing up car allowed visual confirmation of fluid leak on ground. although some fluid was in steering pump, power assist was lost while driving making the car hard to steer and control. trip to mechanic revealed rack and pinion failure and massive fluid leak. milage on vehicle is 67,100 miles. mechanic feels premature failure should not have occured at 67k miles. price to replace is approx $500 to $800 should hydraulic hoses also need to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 01/29/2003 | 1 | 02/25/1999 | |
| Defective rack and pinion steering caused noise while driving. *ak *nlm | |||
| 01/31/2003 | 39097 | 1 | 11/17/2001 |
| Rack and pinion steering failed. causing power steering pump to boil over continously. making you think that the pump was bad. | |||
| 09/12/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states that power steering failed. vehicle checked by dealer who determined needs new rack and pinion. consumer stated unsafe to drive vehicle because turning capability is greatly reduced.*jb | |||
| 02/01/2002 | 1 | 07/01/2000 | |
| 1) rack & pionion rod: at approximately 55000 miles, the rack and pinion seal blew out. this could have caused the power steering to fail and result in an accident. there was no viable reason for this componenet to fail. the car has never been in any kind of an accident. repairs were approximately $700. 2) front axle/abs: a problem with braking began and resulted in brakes slipping and vibrating, causing a sound of metal on metal. upon inspection it was determined that the ring/gear on the front drivers side of the axel was originally installed incorrectly. the gear should be approximately 3/8 from the bolts for the front wheels. however, in this instance, the gear has been grinding away the bolts. there is no evidence of the gear slipping it is and has always been in the same spot. this causes metal shavings to fall onto the abs sensor and results in the abs not working. this is a safety issue and could result in a crash due to the abs not working. ford does not seem to want to fix this item even though it is clear that the car originally came from the manufacturer with this problem.*ak | |||
| 10/15/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| Rack and pinion failed causing power steering to fail making the car unsafe to drive. while no accident occured, it was by luck. *ak | |||
| 03/06/2001 | 1 | 09/01/2000 | |
| No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak | |||
| 02/25/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK | |||
| 04/01/2003 | 66000 | 1 | 09/11/2000 |
| A loud noise came from the rear of vehicle, and the vehicle lost power steering fluid. the problem was determined to be a cracked steering rack and was replaced. *jb *scc | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 08/27/2002 | 1 | 08/13/1999 | |
| While attempting to make a turn and the power steering became stiff and hard. the vehicle was taken to the dealership, and they found that power steering column module developed a leak. *ak *scc | |||