IllustrationAFTER COMING TO A STOP VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE AND REV UP ENGINE. WOULD TAKE OFF WHEN FOOT WAS OFF BRAKE. HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP, AND INFORMED CONSUMER VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT.*AK
1998 Mercury Sable
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Mercury Sable do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 201.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sable years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 45 of 190 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
28 crash reports3 fire reports15 injury reports
What owners actually said
190 reportsDOOR AJAR LIGHT STAYS EVEN THOUGH ALL DOORS ARE SHUT WHICH CAUSES DOME AND INTERIOR LIGHT TO STAY ON. THIS CAN RESULT IN BATTERY DRAINING. *AK WHEN THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT ILLUMINATES, THE POWER WINDOW AND POWER DOOR LOCKS FAIL. *YH
BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR,UNABLE TO STOP IN 150-200 FEET DISTANCE...CRASHED. *AK
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
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
COMING TO A STOP, ENGINE STARTED TO RACE WHILE APPLYING BRAKES, AND CAUSED VEHICLE TO MOVE FORWAD. CONSUMER HAD TO TURN IGNITION OFF, AND IT RESTARED AS NORMAL. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE.*AK *SLC
VEHICLE EXPERIENCES TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *SLC
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE CUTS OFF WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS YET TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON & THEN GO OFF ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. DOOR/ DOME & FLOOR LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ON AT SAME TIME. DO NOT GO OUT. RAN DOWN BATTERY. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP.
THE VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, THE RADIO HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES BECAUSE OF A SHORT, THE BATTERY IS DRAINING CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE INOPERABLE. *SLC
Official recalls
298V198000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage
Aug 25, 1998
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 & remedy
Consequence: 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: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE MOUNTING BRACKET AND STUD ASSEMBLY.
98V028000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights
Feb 10, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE TEXT AND/OR GRAPHICS FOR THE VEHICLE HEADLAMP AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY CLEAR. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES ARE REPLACED, CUSTOMERS MAY BE CONFUSED BY THE AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES CAUSING THE HEADLAMPS TO BE IMPROPERLY AIMED.
Remedy: OWNER GUIDES CONTAINING REVISED AIMING INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE MAILED TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.