2004 Mercury Sable Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 23%of 52 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 58,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2004 Mercury Sable, 23% of the 52 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 58,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
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.
“While driving home at 11pm on september 2, 2006 my car stopped moving as I was making a left-hand turn. The engine was running, the electrical system was in order; the car simply would not move. Luckily, I was able to coast across the road and stop the car in a safe location. As I live in a rural area, the road was empty or I could have been seriously injured. I walked to a nearby bar where I called aaa to come and tow the car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10195093, filed 2007-07, 52,548 miles“My complaint is for a 2004 Mercury Sable sl prem wagon with a 4f50n transmission. It has approx 18500 miles. While driving close to home, the dash 'transmission' light came on, but almost instantly went off. I called the dealer, who I use for maintenance and repair. They advised it might have been a fluke or nothing, to see what happened next time. The next day I backed the car out of my driveway,no light came on. I started to drive, the hill, the light came on and immediately the car stopped moving forward. …”
NHTSA complaint #10380095, filed 2011-02, 18,500 miles“Without warning I experienced a loss of power with my 2004 Mercury Sable. After driving my car approximately 46 miles (I live 47 miles from job) I came to a stop sign and when I went to proceed through the stop sign, I was not able to do so. I had lost forward and reverse gears and the car would not move. There were no warning signs. No slipping, no banging, no grinding or any other noises that almost always are associated with transmission failure. I had the car towed to a transmission shop (aamco of mineola, ny) and the transmission was replaced. …”
NHTSA complaint #10454443, filed 2012-04, 61,000 miles“Car will not come out of park, nor will brake lights operate when pedal depressed. Exact symptoms as described in previous model year recalls. Only wayto get car out of park is to place in neutral after turning key in ignition to first available position, then applying brake pedal to release shift lock.”
NHTSA complaint #10663755, filed 2014-12, 54,000 miles“The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where a diagnostic was performed, which located the failure at the transmission. The transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 58,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10453912, filed 2012-04, 58,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10022203Dec 6, 2006Extended warranty coverage for vehicles with hard start when operating on e85 fuel, powertrain control module (pcm) calibration. Warranty extended for 10 years or 100,000 miles…
- 10016808Oct 11, 2005Erratic fluid level reading on transaxle dipstick-leaks-4f50n, ax4n, ax4s transaxle.
- 10014086Dec 13, 2004General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures.
- 10013369Nov 1, 2004General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures.
- 10011157Sep 6, 20044f50n transaxle no 1-2 upshift and diagnositc trouble code p0732.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3 | 15% |
| 2008 | 11 | 18% |
| 2005 | 26 | 31% |
| 2004 | 12 | 23% |
| 2003 | 30 | 15% |
| 2002 | 23 | 5% |
| 2001 | 22 | 5% |
| 2000 | 31 | 7% |
| 1999 | 28 | 11% |
| 1998 | 25 | 13% |
| 1997 | 43 | 19% |
| 1996 | 69 | 23% |
| 1995 | 93 | 27% |
| 1994 | 95 | 25% |
| 1993 | 48 | 7% |
| 1992 | 61 | 17% |
| 1991 | 101 | 46% |
| 1990 | 17 | 10% |
| 1989 | 19 | 8% |
| 1988 | 22 | 17% |
| 1987 | 9 | 12% |
| 1986 | 8 | 17% |
Other parts of the 2004 Mercury Sable
15 complaintsBrakes
12 complaintsExterior lighting
7 complaintsElectrical system
6 complaintsEngine
3 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsEngine cooling
2 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 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