Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 17358 | 08/01/2004 | 17963 | 10008183 | Groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park with the vehicle parked on an incline. *tt this bulletin updates previous bulletin 17358, dated 11/01/2003 to include 2005 models. *tt | 07/22/2004 |
| 16678 | 03/01/2003 | 10001934 | Ax4s transaxle may exhibit no reverse engagement condition. *tt *jb | 07/28/2003 | |
| 15820 | 04/01/2002 | 637556 | Some vehicles equipped with an ax4n/4f50n transaxle may exhibit a shudder during a 3-4 shift. *tt | 12/02/2002 | |
| 15392 | 11/01/2001 | 630356 | Some vehicles may exhibit a park pullout clunk noise when shifting from park to another gear position. *tt | 04/16/2002 | |
| 15370 | 11/01/2001 | 630351 | Some vehicles may exhibit a groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park. *tt | 04/16/2002 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 042107 | 12/13/2004 | 042414 | 10014086 | General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt | 04/28/2005 |
| 04217 | 11/01/2004 | 10013369 | General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt | 04/15/2005 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||||
| 03148 | 07/21/2003 | 10003748 | New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt | 10/29/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||||
| 01181 | 09/17/2001 | 625715 | Brake shift interlock.*jb | 11/30/2001 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER | |||||
| 03123 | 06/23/2003 | 10002684 | Torque converter clutch not engaging when commanded and/or diagnostic trouble codes p0741 or p1744 stored in memory. models from 1996 to 2003. *tt | 09/10/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||||
| 05145 | 10016808 | Erratic fluid level reading on transaxle dipstick-leaks-4f50n, ax4n, ax4s transaxle. *sc | 10/11/2005 | ||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 120000 | 1 | |
| This mechanical problem has happened two times. the first time was at approximately 120,000 miles.the car is always serviced, well maintained and runs terrific. i was driving for about 30 minutes on the parkway. suddenly i experienced the car sticking like it was choking, losing power and then surging ahead. i was shocked, continued to drive and it eventually cleared itself. i have never had any other symptoms or incidents like this in the past. i thought it might be a clogged fuel injector so i immediately added some fuel injector cleaner. i brought the car to my mechanic the next morning but he couldn't find anything wrong with the car. the second time it happened was about 3 - 4 weeks later and i called the mechanic again. we only found a small transmission leak but nothing else. i happened to mention the incidents to a mechanic friend of mine at work and he told me it sounded like the throttle. he said he also thought there was a recall on my car. i believe this is a potentially very dangerous issue and need the dealer and the nhtsa to advise if there is a recall! if there isn't then there should be one. please advise. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 86668 | 1 | |
| My daughter had just merged onto the highway going approximately 65mph. initially it felt difficult to get the car up to speed. she noticed she was edging up on the vehicle in front of her and took her foot off the accelerator to slow down but instead the car sped up. she applied the brakes which did not slow the car down. she applied pressure to the accelerator in an attempt to unstick it which had no effect on the speed of the car. she then attempted to apply the brakes further at which time the brakes began smoking. the car had reached 90mph at this point and was shaking. while continuing to keep her foot on the brakes, she was able to pull into the breakdown lane and put the car into neutral but the vehicle only slowed down minimally at which time she put the car into park. the vehicle then stopped but she kept her foot on the brake because the engine continued to rev between 3,000 - 4,000 rpms and she could feel resistance as if the car wanted to continue to move forward despite being in park. at that time she shut off the engine and called for assistance. when my husband and i arrived on scene my husband verified that the accelerator was not stuck on anything, such as a floor mat. once he saw that the accelerator appeared to be in a normal position he started the vehicle and immediately the engine was reving with rpms again between 3,000 - 4,000. the engine was again shut off and the vehicle was towed to the local ford dealership. *tr | |||
| 01/06/2008 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Hit the brakes while driving and the engine revs up. multiple times to dealer and still not fixed- i requested a new computer or brain for the car while under extended warranty- no go from dealer. on snow this is very scary-on wet roads in florida i put it in neutral and the engine revs when i hit the brakes-when someone gets hit and killed i will be told i should have told someone -multiple drivers and people have been with me when this has occurred- including mechanics from a lincoln mercury dealer in orchard park ny. *tr | |||
| 07/26/2008 | 64000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the brake lights stopped working and the gear shifter failed. he referenced nhtsa campaign id number 04v106000 (exterior lighting:brake lights:switch). the dealer stated that the brake switch and wiring harness were faulty. they would not repair the vehicle according to the recall because his vin was not included. the contact was informed that he would have to pay for the repairs. the failure mileage was 64,000. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 01/19/2007 | 50000 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2002 mercury sable in september, 2006. on january 19, 2007 while turning into my driveway going 3-5 miles an hour both frontal airbags deployed causing an estimated $3,000.00 to $4,000.00 in damages. the dealer has refused to assist me saying i bought the car as is. they told me to file the claim with my insurance company. the insurance company said they could do nothing there was no impact. ford motor company said there was a 50,000 mile warranty. your department sent me a service technical bulletin stating that ford knew of this problem in may, 2002. i have been unable to get anyone (ie: dealer, insurance company, finance company, or manufacturer) to help me with this issue. in february of this year 2009, the fuel pump, driver, computer, and transmission went out in this car. i have spent over $1,600.00 in repair of this vehicle . due to the depreciation of the car, the mechanical failures, and the safety issue of no airbags the vehicle is worth nothing. i still owe the finance company $6,000.00 and have not been able to drive the car for the last 10 months. i was recently directed to research the consumer rights act of 1974, the magnuson-moss warranty act, sale of goods act 1979, alabama lemon laws, buyers remorse law, trade commission act, uniform commercial code, and consumer rights when buying a used car by the bbb. i have been denied my rights. no consumer should have to experience what i have. every consumer has the right to expect a car they purchase to meet reasonable standards. there was a grave issue of safety for me and my granddaughter when the airbags deployed. thank god we were not injured. all of these failures have significantly impaired the use, value, and safety of this vehicle! they arose out of the ordinary use of the vehicle and not as a result of abuse. the motor vehicle is out of service and in the custody of the dealer due to repair attempts, one of which occurred during the lemon law rights period. *tr | |||
| 07/31/2006 | 54796 | 1 | 04/13/2002 |
| Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle jerked forward at an alarming rate of speed whenever the accelerator was depressed. the sudden acceleration caused an accident with another vehicle and a police report was filed. the vehicle was inspected by the service dealer who determined that the transmission was the cause of the problem. the transmission was replaced. the contact asked for the old parts and the service dealer refused to supply those parts. the manufacturer was contacted and refused assistance because the vehicle was involved in an accident. | |||
| 09/28/2005 | 85000 | 1 | |
| 2002 mercury sable both front & both rear springs/ corroded & snapped. front left tire punctured. no official recall for 2002. my father has a 2000 with same exact problem which was covered by recall my car needs rear struts/rear springs /sway bar links/front struts/& springs with link kits basically the whole front & rear suspension. transmission failed a just over 80,000 miles. *jb | |||
| 10/25/2004 | 26089 | 2 | |
| I own a 2002 mercury sable vin # 1mefm5ou42a648807. the automatic transmission slips badly when going from first to second gear. i have been trying to get the dealer, fairfeild lincoln mercury, 6065 dixie highway, fairfeild ohio, 45014, to repair the problem since 11/17/03 with no result. on october 25, 2004 i pulled out in traffic and was almost struck when the vehicle failed to shift and accelerate through the intersection. the transmission fails to shift and the rpms maxed out. the vehicle simply coasted throught the intersection and the other vehicle was able to narrowly avoid hitting me. on the three occassion (which i can document) the dealership said they drove the vehicle and could not duplicate the failure and thus they could not repair the vehicle.*ak | |||
| 07/21/2004 | 22000 | 1 | |
| While driving 40 mph transmission intermittently slipped gears. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 07/19/2004 | 28724 | 11 | 05/22/2003 |
| Car surges.transaxle light comes on and continually blinks until the ignition is turned off. been to the dealer 3 times where error po734 was retrieved each time. dealer replaced some transmission parts. dealer unable to duplicate the problem. the problem is intermittent and still exists. called ford motor company (mercury) customer service. no help. requested a dispute application form. *ak | |||
| 10/30/2003 | 14468 | 1 | 07/02/2003 |
| Transmission problem in traffic. car doesn't shift properly when accelerating from lower speeds and gives passengers a jolt. *la | |||
| 10/16/2003 | 33394 | 5 | 11/11/2002 |
| I have a 2002 mercury sable w/ 40,000 miles on it. the car had to be taken back numerous times the hub caps fell off after the 6th time they replaced with alloy wheels. the right & left sway bar end links have been replaced. the altenator went out and was replaced. the transmission had to completely be overhauled. the powertrain control module replaed, the spark plug wire replaced, replaced processor and key. #4 plug wire shorting out caused coil to go bad and fouled #3 ac coil asy-ign replaced after fixing $3 & #4 showed up on power balance retest,but said road test was ok at this time suggested fel management. it scares me that so much can go wrong on a 2002 auto. i did have extended warranty on the altenator and transmission, but i would have hated to pay the $3028.00 charge to fix the problem, i wasn't real happy to pay the deductible. the extended warranty got stuck paying even though i had the car in under orignal warranty for the same problem. *la | |||
| The vehicle experienced transmission problems. *nlm | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer called complaining about having problems with the transmission. also stated that dealer was contacted and that they stated that they can't find anything wrong with the vehicle. * nlm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| Consumer called complaining about having problems with the transmission. also stated that dealer was contact and can't find nothing wrong with it. ts | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||
| 01/11/2005 | 14000 | 1 | |
| Gear shift lock sticks and does not always engage allowing shift lever to move the full range of transmission positions while driving. the orange position indicator is loose and floats freely so you never know what position the transimssion is in.*ak | |||
| 06/15/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer noticed shift indicator light was not working on the floor shift as he shifted gears at low speed. gear shift cable had come loose, dealer replaced the cable. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 1 | 10/01/2001 | ||
| The consumer stated vehicle would not shift from first to second gear. *ak *jb *nm | |||