2001 Mercury Sable Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 61about this part
- Share
- 14%of 430 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 96,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 61 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2001 Mercury Sable, 14% of the 430 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 96,000 miles. 12 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I haven't had this car vary lone and I was driving close to my home in witch I live in the tn. Smoky mountains. The roads are curvy I had just pulled out from a tee intersection and a car came fast up behind me so I stepped on it and that is when the throttle stuck so I kicked it fast and hard and it freed up. If this had been in a different situation I may have wrecked the car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10927412, filed 2016-11, 154,600 miles“While driving the Sable at approximately 25 mi. Per hr.(clear road,dry conditions)in congested traffic conditions. Going through a set of traffic lights,luckily the light had just turned green,,the vehicle suddenly surged up to 3000 RPM. Fortunately,going through the lights, my foot was near the brake pedal. When I heard and felt the acceleration ,I immediately hit the brake and kept my right foot on it as the vehicle continued to push forward with full brakes applied. …”
NHTSA complaint #10788554, filed 2015-11, 89,000 miles“After getting up to cruising speed on the highway my car would continue to accelerate even when I stopped giving it gas. I disconnected the cruise control cable and this fixed the problem, but now I can't use my cruise control.”
NHTSA complaint #10482608, filed 2012-10, 120,000 miles“I was driving my 2001 Sable (24v dohc) and the car began acting like the gas pedal was stuck. I could lift the pedal up with my toe and that did not stop the acceleration. I shifted into neutral and turned the car off and coasted into a parking lot. When I restarted the car the engine was racing. I opened the hood and found the problem to be a broken (plastic) retainer ring at the end of the cruise control cable by the throttle body as someone else described it better than I could in technical details. …”
NHTSA complaint #10451186, filed 2012-03, 150,000 miles“I was driving along the highway at approximately 45 MPH when suddenly accelerator sped up to a high rate of speed. Could not slow down when braking. Car continued to accelerate. Could not get car to slow down no matter what I tried. Had to turn car off to come to a stop. The local wichita falls ford company says there is recall for this problem, but I have read all over the net that it is a problem ford motor company said that it would fix. Called ford motor co. Headquarters and they said there is no recall issued for this problem and they will not fix it. …”
NHTSA complaint #10682557, filed 2015-02, 60,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10052600Jun 21, 2013Ford: see document search button for owner letter. Speed control cable is susceptible to damage and can disconnect during hood maintenance and also interfere with full throttle…
Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 5 | 25% |
| 2008 | 10 | 16% |
| 2005 | 38 | 46% |
| 2004 | 15 | 29% |
| 2003 | 28 | 14% |
| 2002 | 56 | 13% |
| 2001 | 61 | 14% |
| 2000 | 71 | 15% |
| 1999 | 16 | 6% |
| 1998 | 32 | 17% |
| 1997 | 28 | 12% |
| 1996 | 17 | 6% |
| 1995 | 20 | 6% |
| 1994 | 19 | 5% |
| 1993 | 25 | 4% |
| 1992 | 22 | 6% |
| 1991 | 7 | 3% |
| 1990 | 12 | 7% |
| 1989 | 13 | 5% |
| 1988 | 7 | 6% |
| 1987 | 2 | 3% |
| 1986 | 2 | 4% |
Other parts of the 2001 Mercury Sable
204 complaintsBrakes
40 complaintsAir bags
27 complaintsElectrical system
26 complaintsEngine cooling
23 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
22 complaintsExterior lighting
13 complaintsFuel system
13 complaintsSeat belts
12 complaintsEquipment
11 complaintsBody and structure
11 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
11 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2001 Mercury Sable
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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