2003 Mercury Sable Exterior lighting Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 6%of 201 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 101,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2003 Mercury Sable, 6% of the 201 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 101,500 miles. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My 2003 Mercury Sable has a faulty brake light switch which causes the brake lights to remain on. I found the recall notice online and contacted ford who do not acknowledge the recall for my VIN number.”
NHTSA complaint #10573570, filed 2014-03, 108,000 miles“I have a 2003 Mercury Sable with a failed brake light switch that ford acknowledged and released a recall for (NHTSA campaign id number: 04v106000, NHTSA action number: rq03008) however, when I called ford customer care they declined to assist in the matter until I urged them that they needed to repair the issue at no cost to me. After a long discussion they said they would pay for the repairs, but only after I paid a diagnostic service fee to rule out any other cause for the failure. …”
NHTSA complaint #10291530, filed 2009-11, 80,000 miles“I just bought this car and was having a problem with my brake lights not working and then every time I tried to take the car out of park it got stuck. My battery also went dead. All within days of my purchase. I researched online and found that there was a recall that had all of these problems and they were connected. When I went to the ford dealership they told me there was no recall for this car which I find hard to believe because it is the exact same problem as listed in the recall. My car is a 2003 Mercury Sable. …”
NHTSA complaint #10284132, filed 2009-09, 105,000 miles“This car was repaired under NHTSA campaign 04v106000. The recall work failed, causing the brake lights to not come on, and the vehicle to not shift out of park.”
NHTSA complaint #10822249, filed 2016-01, 98,000 miles“The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04v106000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 151,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10679296, filed 2015-01, 151,000 milesRelated recalls
- 04V106000Mar 2, 2004Certain passenger vehicles are being recalled to correct a problem with a malfunctioning stop lamp switch and/or associated wiring. This malfunctioning could…Covers: Mercury Sable 2000–2003, Ford Taurus 2000–2003
Exterior lighting: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 7 | 13% |
| 2003 | 12 | 6% |
| 2002 | 13 | 3% |
| 2001 | 13 | 3% |
| 2000 | 54 | 12% |
| 1999 | 7 | 3% |
| 1998 | 5 | 3% |
| 1997 | 8 | 4% |
| 1996 | 13 | 4% |
| 1995 | 9 | 3% |
| 1994 | 27 | 7% |
| 1993 | 63 | 9% |
| 1992 | 13 | 4% |
| 1991 | 4 | 2% |
| 1990 | 8 | 5% |
| 1989 | 4 | 2% |
| 1988 | 3 | 2% |
| 1987 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2003 Mercury Sable
47 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
30 complaintsVehicle speed control
28 complaintsBody and structure
20 complaintsEngine cooling
19 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
19 complaintsBrakes
14 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsAir bags
8 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsSeat belts
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Mercury Sable
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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