1998 Mercury Sable

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING IN REVERSE 3 MPH AND IN A RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, HE FOUND THAT THE FRONT COIL SPRING HAD FRACTURED AND PUNCTURED THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 132,000. UPDATED 05/24/11*LJ UPDATED 05/26/11*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 1998 MERCURY SABLE. SEVERAL MECHANICS STATED THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION AND THE REAR COIL SPRINGS FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE REAR COIL SPRING CORRODED AND WAS RELATED TO A MANUFACTURERS RECALL; HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT A PART OF THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 80,000. UPDATED 10/21/09 *BF THE CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS WERE DEFECTIVE AS WELL. UPDATED 10/23/09*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE SUDDENLY BLEW OUT. THERE WAS NO CRASH AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ASSISTED THE CONTACT WITH PLACING THE SPARE TIRE ON THE VEHICLE AND THEN INFORMED HIM THAT THE COIL SPRING WAS THE CAUSE OF THE BLOW OUT. THE DEALER STATED THAT ONLY 1999-2001 SABLES WERE INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V332000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS). HE SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 94,100.

98 SABLE WAGON. (SPRING PLATE GAVE AND SPRING BLEW OUT TIRE AND DAMAGED FRONT END RODS OR ARMS, SHOCK ACCORDING TO FORD SERVICE ANALYSIS) AND LEFT FRONT END ALMOST SITTING ON THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO FORD ANALYSIS). I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A BLOW OUT SO I HAD AAA COME TO TOW IT TO MY DEALERSHIP. WHEN THE AAA DRIVER SAW THE DAMAGE, HE SAID HE'S SEEN THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL OUT FOR THIS SPECIFIC SITUATION. FORD DEALERSHIP LOOKED UP RECALLS FOR MY CAR AND SAID THERE WAS ONE FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR BUT IT WAS FOR 99 AND NEWER MODELS AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT REPAIRING IT UNDER A RECALL. I CALLED FORD CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND WOULDN'T INVEST THEIR MONEY INTO REPAIRING MY CAR. FORTUNATE FOR ME THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. IF IT WERE ON THE HIGHWAY, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHE. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE 98S AND 99S ARE VERY SIMILAR, SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY FORD WOULDN'T MAKE THE REPAIRS AT THEIR COST UNDER THE SAFETY RECALL. *CN

I WAS JUST PULLING OUT OF WORK WHEN I HEARD MY FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE EXPLODED. I WAS STILL IN THE PARKING LOT GOING LESS THAN 10 MPH. WHEN I GOT THE TIRE OFF I NOTICED THAT MY SPRING HAD BROKEN AND WAS RUBBING UP AGAINST MY TIRE CAUSING MY LOW-SPEED BLOWOUT. FORD HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE SPRINGS DUE TO RUST AND CORROSION, BUT HAVE ONLY RECALLED THE 99-01 MODELS. I WOULD LIKE FORD TO LOOK INTO EXTENDING THE RECALL AS I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY 98 OWNER TO EXPERIENCE SUCH AN ISSUE. I AM THANKFUL, THOUGH, THAT THIS DID HAPPEN IN A PARKING LOT. I WAS ONLY TWO MINUTES AWAY FROM GETTING ON I-75, AND PROBABLY COULD HAVE LOST MY LIFE. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD. WHEN THE CONSUMER EXITED THE VEHICLE THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE WAS OBSERVED TO BE FLAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THE COIL SPRING FRACTURED CAUSING THE FLAT TIRE. THE COIL SPRING HAS BEEN REPLACED. UPDATED 08/14/06. *JB

NOISE FROM FRONT DURING TURNS. TOOK CAR TO SHOP SAME DAY AND WAS TOLD THE DRIVER FRONT COIL SPRING HAD FRACTURED AND RUBBING ON TIRE DURING TURNS. THIS IS THE SECOND FRACTURED COIL SPRING ON THIS CAR. BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS WERE REPLACED 4/20/05 AFTER THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR SPRING FRACTURED (REPORTED TO NHTSA -ODI 10146034). BROKEN FRONT COIL SPRING REPLACED 5/4/06. WAS TOLD BY SHOP WE WERE LUCKY THE TIRE DIDN'T BLOW. *NM

WHILE RESEARCHING ANOTHER PROBLEM ONLINE, I FOUND REFERENCES TO COIL SPRING PROBLEMS FOR OTHER SABLE MODEL YEARS, SO THOUGHT I SHOULD NOTIFY NHTSA MY REAR COIL SPRING BROKE ALSO. WHILE PARKED IN MY GARAGE, THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR COIL SPRING ON MY 1998 MERCURY SABLE WAGON BROKE. INCIDENT DATE IS ESTIMATED, I HAD TO WAIT FOR THE SHOP TO GET THE SPRINGS. BOTH REAR SPRINGS WERE REPLACED APRIL 20, 2005 (I HAVE RECEIPT). *JB