1996 Mercury Sable Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 29about this part
- Share
- 10%of 304 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 101,500miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 29 complaints about the body and structure of the 1996 Mercury Sable, 10% of the 304 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 101,500 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The sub frame on my son's 96 Mercury Sable suddenly broke loose and nearly caused him a serious accident. The steerinmg of the vehicle became very eratic and as such lost control of the vehicle. Luckily no one was hurt.the area where the frame attaches to the body had literaly rusted away and the subfram had shifted. I checked the complaint databases and found ford had a recall on sables and tauruses for subframe failures from 89 to the 95 model in saltbelt states. The same type of failures listed in the recall informatioin are also endemic to the 96 model. …”
NHTSA complaint #10179115, filed 2007-01, 108,000 miles“- the contact has a 1996 Mercury Sable with an odometer reading of 60000 miles; the subframe was rusted. The contact heard a cracking noise when making left turn at 5 MPH under dry conditions. When the contact looked under the car he found that the subframe rusted off of the vehicle. This failure is addressed under recall 98v323000 frame and members. The contact called the manufacturer, and was told that the car was too old for them to take any action. The contact said that he would have pictures and a repair order. Updated 02/22/07.”
NHTSA complaint #10178352, filed 2007-01, 60,000 miles“A bolt holding the right front subframe came ripped away from its bracket. It caused the engine to pull to the right and ripped a vaccum line from the brake distribution assembly located on the firewall. I lost the power assist for the brakes and fortunately it happened at a slow speed. It cost me approximately $315.00 to have the problem fixed.”
NHTSA complaint #758007, filed 2002-02“I am very concerned about the failure of the rear submounts in my car. I purchased a premium extended service plan with the car and I am told these components are not covered because they are part of the structure of the car and are a safety hazard should they fail. In fact the components do not even appear on the maintenance schedule for my car!”
NHTSA complaint #708422, filed 1999-07“The door panels have been a problem on this vehicle since my ownership of the car. I keep taking it back to the dealership where I have my car serviced and they keep charging me for putting them back together. The never seem to last longer than 6 months.”
NHTSA complaint #759169, filed 2002-03Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | 5% |
| 2008 | 2 | 3% |
| 2005 | 3 | 4% |
| 2004 | 1 | 2% |
| 2003 | 20 | 10% |
| 2002 | 13 | 3% |
| 2001 | 11 | 3% |
| 2000 | 8 | 2% |
| 1999 | 10 | 4% |
| 1998 | 10 | 5% |
| 1997 | 8 | 4% |
| 1996 | 29 | 10% |
| 1995 | 25 | 7% |
| 1994 | 20 | 5% |
| 1993 | 34 | 5% |
| 1992 | 29 | 8% |
| 1991 | 20 | 9% |
| 1990 | 23 | 14% |
| 1989 | 23 | 10% |
| 1988 | 14 | 11% |
| 1987 | 17 | 22% |
| 1986 | 11 | 24% |
Other parts of the 1996 Mercury Sable
69 complaintsEngine cooling
60 complaintsSteering
36 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
27 complaintsBrakes
20 complaintsElectrical system
20 complaintsVehicle speed control
17 complaintsAir bags
15 complaintsExterior lighting
13 complaintsSuspension
11 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsSeat belts
10 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Mercury Sable
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology