2004 Mercury Sable Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 15about this part
- Share
- 29%of 52 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 82,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 15 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2004 Mercury Sable, 29% of the 52 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,000 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I noticed that the car did not decelerate when I removed my foot from the gas pedal. When I braked, the engine continued to race. I put the car in neutral and I could hear the engine race even faster. At the light I kept it in neutral and gave it gas while braked. Then it went back to normal idle speed. It has done this several times since that first incident. Previous to that first incident, I noticed that the cruise control no longer worked.”
NHTSA complaint #10451504, filed 2012-03, 116,000 miles“I received a panicked phone call from my 16 year old daughter after a life threatening experience. She was driving at 35 MPH when the car began to accelerate on it's own, the engine raced to 4,000 RPM and stayed there, while she frantically pressed the brake. Thankfully she was able to contain control of the vehicle as she pulled off it the road. She immediately turned off the engine, after waiting a few minutes she started the car, again it raced to 4,000 RPM. After trying this multiple times I had the car towed home. …”
NHTSA complaint #10553933, filed 2013-11, 54,296 miles“My Mercury Sable 2004 began accelerating on its own. The first time I was cruising at 35mph and had trouble stopping at a stop sign. Braking caused a vibration the RPM's were not going down. Driving further I noted the car would accelerate by itself. Tapping the the gas pedal quickly sometimes caused the RPM's to go back to normal. I took the vehicle to a local garage and had the throttle (cables, etc) checked. All were reported ok. The issue has happened off and on but yesterday (11/28/12) was the worst. …”
NHTSA complaint #10486444, filed 2012-11, 99,500 miles“Throttle got stuck and car continued to accelerate on its own and now its a constant problem every time I drive the car I can get it to stop momentarily by quickly applying pressure to the gas pedal where it will stop accelerating for a moment but once the rpms drop as low as they are going to go it starts accelerating all over again when in park it revs out at up to 5000 rpms I know you are already aware of this problem in the 05 & 06 models but I haven't seen anything about 04's also everything I've researched says its the cruise control cable being disconnected which was the first thing I…”
NHTSA complaint #10480027, filed 2012-10, 176,459 miles“While driving on the freeway the engine keeps constant speed even after removing foot from accelerator pedal. It's like a stuck throttle. The only way to stop it is to apply brake and shift to neutral and stamp on the accelerator. Traffic had come to a stop and my engine was still revving at 3500 rpms pretty scary, only thing holding car back is brakes.”
NHTSA complaint #10650321, filed 2014-10, 105,003 milesVehicle 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 2004 Mercury Sable
12 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
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 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