1999 Mercury Sable: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1999 Mercury Sable. The newest campaign is 04V332000. NHTSA received the report on 15 Jul 2004. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs. NHTSA has 242 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 04V332000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will install protective spring shields. In addition, ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. If the vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2005. If either front coil spring fractures, dealers will replace both front springs at no charge to the owner. An interim notice was sent to owners on august 2, 2004. Parts are now available for the 2000-2001 my vehicles and owners were sent a letter on january 10, 2005, advising them to bring in their vehicles for repair parts are expected to be available for the 1999 my vehicles by the end of february 2005 and owners of these vehicles will be notified then. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 939,166 units in total.

04V33200015 Jul 2004Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs
99V25000020 Sep 1999Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage
98V2880009 Nov 1998Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Cooling Unit and Lines
98V2040001 Sep 1998Vehicle Speed Control
98V19800025 Aug 1998Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage

04V332000Received 15 Jul 2004. 899,060 units.
Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, the front coil springs could fracture due to corrosion associated with salt used on the roadways during the winter. A fractured spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this occurs, the tire may rupture resulting in a rapid air loss, which could result in a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install protective spring shields. In addition, ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. If the vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2005. If either front coil spring fractures, dealers will replace both front springs at no charge to the owner. An interim notice was sent to owners on august 2, 2004. Parts are now available for the 2000-2001 my vehicles and owners were sent a letter on january 10, 2005, advising them to bring in their vehicles for repair parts are expected to be available for the 1999 my vehicles by the end of february 2005 and owners of these vehicles will be notified then. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 04S17. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 10 Jan 2005.
99V250000Received 20 Sep 1999. 25,306 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The seat belt retractor may have a pin shaft in the switchable elr/alr mechanism that is incorrectly formed. In some circumstances, the switching mechanism could become nonfunctional, preventing the seat belt webbing from being extracted from the retractor. It is also possible that malfunction of the mechanism could prevent the belt from being switched into the alr mode. The elr mechanism is not affected by this condition.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the mechanism malfunctions and does not allow the webbing to be extracted, the lap and shoulder belt could not be worn by a vehicle occupant. In the event that the mechanism does not allow the alr mode to be engaged, the operator may be unable to properly install a child seat in that seating position.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the lap and shoulder belt assemblies. Assemblies with julian date codes of 200 through 223 are suspect and will be replaced.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 99S26. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 Oct 1999.
98V288000Received 9 Nov 1998. 1,800 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Cooling Unit and Lines
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equpped with the "california" emissions package. An incorrect transmission oil cooler line was installed. The line contacts the anti-lock braking system module support bracket and over time, can wear and develop a leak.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Transmission fluid leakage onto the exhaust manifold or catalytic converter can result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install the appropriate transmission oil cooler line.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 25 Nov 1998.
98V204000Received 1 Sep 1998. 6,000 units.
Vehicle Speed Control
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A dash insulator retainer clip was not fully assembled to the accelerator cable dash fitting. The clip can disengage from the accelerator cable and fall into the accelerator pedal arm pivot area.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this condition occurs, the engine may not fully return to idle. Also, the insulator may not stay in the intended location and could interfere with the accelerator cable.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect these vehicles to ensure proper installation of the accelerator cable clip, and re-install if needed.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 21 Sep 1998.
98V198000Received 25 Aug 1998. 7,000 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual seat tracks. The front seat belt buckle attaching stud may have been improperly heat treated. This heat treatment may have resulted in cracks developing in the stud.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the stud is cracked, in the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle mounting bracket and stud assembly.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Sep 1998.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

242 complaints, 283 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1999 Mercury Sable
All 1999 vehicles

1999 Mercury Sable: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1999 Sable	All 1999 vehicles	Sable, all years	Mentions
Suspension	162.5	89.9	131	46
Steering	106	50.5	47.2	30
Power Train	95.4	96.5	118.2	27
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	91.9	142.3	66.9	26
Engine and Engine Cooling	81.3	130.7	211.7	23
Seat Belts	74.2	19.9	31.1	21
Visibility	74.2	47.3	44.9	21
Air Bags	56.5	51.1	35	16
Vehicle Speed Control	49.5	42.7	54.2	14
Fuel System, Gasoline	28.3	28.3	24.8	8

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 22.

Complaints that report a crash: 22
Complaints that report a fire: 4
Injuries in the complaints: 24
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 16 Jun 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1999 Mercury Sable, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2004, with 46 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1999 Mercury Sable
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE04044	Preliminary evaluation	FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING FRACTURE	Suspension / Front	24 May 2004	16 Aug 2004	04V332000
PE02080	Preliminary evaluation	FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING FRACTURE	Suspension	22 Oct 2002	29 Apr 2003

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1999 Mercury SableThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1999 Mercury Sable: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/mercury/sable/1999/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1999 Mercury Sable?: 939,166 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Mercury Sable have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 46 recall campaigns for the Mercury Sable, model years 1984 to 2009. 5 of them name the 1999 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1999 Mercury Sable name most often?: Suspension: 46 of 283 component mentions, or 162.5 per 1,000. For all 1999 vehicles the figure is 89.9 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1999 Mercury Sable open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.