2008 Mercury Sable Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2008 Mercury Sable most often describe steering that becomes stiff or hard to turn, frequently at parking speeds or during low-speed turns, and often traced by shops to the rack and pinion or power steering pump. A second recurring theme is transmission behavior — harsh or delayed shifting, slipping, jerking at highway speed, and rolling back on an incline — along with occasional reports of unintended or stuck-throttle acceleration. Most sampled complaints were filed between roughly 30,000 and 90,000 miles, though some steering and brake reports come in much earlier.

1. 1
   Steering

   Steering stiff or hard to turn (rack and pinion / pump)

   • 14 complaints (23%)
   • median 45,500 mi at 5.2 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • filed 2011–2018

   Owners describe the steering wheel suddenly becoming stiff, jerky, or very hard to turn, sometimes with a pull to one side, and in some cases the wheel locking so a turn could not be completed. Reports commonly occur at low speed, while parking, or making a turn, and several note the problem appeared without warning. Shops and dealers most often diagnosed a failed rack and pinion unit or power steering pump and replaced the part; a few owners said the dealer could not duplicate the concern. Spread from roughly 16,000 to 60,000 miles in the sample, with several reports in the 40,000-60,000 mile range and a few at very low mileage.

   What to check: Turn the wheel lock to lock at a standstill and at parking speed and listen for knocking or binding; ask whether the rack and pinion or power steering pump has been replaced, and get any steering work documented.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Beginning about the first of march, 2012, I noticed a problem with my steering feeling stiff, jerky and hard to turn. The first incident involved turning right onto the highway from a side ride and feeling the front of the car jerk slightly to the left. Since then, I've noticed the steering remains stiff.”

   NHTSA complaint #10459016, filed 2012-05, 60,000 miles

   “Steering froze up and could not turn to left / was hard to steer and then when trying to turn left could not do it, had to make right hand turns. Took it to the ford dealer I bought the car from (2015) they said there was no recalls and had to replace the steering gear/ cost ,me $600.00 there were no complaints on the car fax of trouble. .bought the car in nov 2015 and had to have steering fixed in june of 2016. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11073472, filed 2018-02, 57,590 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or throttle sticking

   • 10 complaints (16%)
   • median 44,980 mi at 4.7 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2023

   Owners describe the car revving and surging forward on its own from a stop or in traffic, and in some cases the brake pedal did not stop it, leading to impacts. Others report the accelerator pedal sticking when pressed down, or getting caught under the floor mat, and cruise control failing to disengage. Dealers generally could not duplicate the condition and often made no repair; a mass air sensor was replaced in one case without resolving it. Reported from very low mileage (under 1,000 miles) up through about 108,000 miles, at both parking-lot and highway speeds.

   What to check: Check that the floor mat is the correct retained type and does not sit over the pedal, and ask whether any throttle body, pedal, or cruise control work has been done; note any history of surge complaints in service records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2008 Mercury Sable, when at highway speed, speedometer has moved higher and lower on its own. When in cruise control car suddenly accelerated when speedometer dropped to erroneous low speed. This could have caused a crash into car ahead of me if I were not alert. It could have caused a speeding ticket.”

   NHTSA complaint #10351471, filed 2010-08, 50,000 miles

   “We were stopped behind traffic, and as we slowly started to proceed, the car surged at a high rate of speed, and as the brakes were applied, they either were not working or else it was the ABS coming on. This was a dry, sunny day-no moisture on the road-of course that would not have had a bearing on why the car surged/accelerated. Then the car shut itself off completely. We then got it started again, and nothing happened getting it back the aproxx. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10637091, filed 2014-09, 108,483 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission harsh shifting, slipping, or rolling back on a

   • 10 complaints (16%)
   • median 46,425 mi at 4.6 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2008–2016

   Complaints describe the transmission jerking or feeling like it drops into neutral at highway speed, lunging from first to second gear when cold, holding a gear and refusing to upshift, and slipping under acceleration. Several owners also report the car rolling backward while in drive on an incline, requiring two-foot driving to hold position. Dealers replaced output shaft and turbine speed sensors in one case and rebuilt the transmission in another; other owners were told the behavior could not be duplicated. Mostly reported between about 23,000 and 79,000 miles; the cold-weather lunge and the hill roll-back were noted at lower mileage.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the car cold and note any lunge between first and second gear, then test at highway speed for shudder or a neutral-like slip; stop on a slight hill in drive and confirm it holds without rolling back.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car would jerk going interstate speed of 70mph. Felt like it was going into neutral and back in to gear. Did this about four times and I mean it is hard, will scare you to death if your in the car. After it did this about four time over an hour, the traction control and service light came on and stayed on the rest of the trip. This is a used car I just bought, so im not sure if it will continue to do this. But I am afraid to drive it on the interstate now.”

   NHTSA complaint #10440288, filed 2011-12, 63,000 miles

   “I own a 2008 Mercury Sable. The first month I had it I drove 2300 miles round trip to yellowstone. Almost every time I stopped I found the hood unlatched (partially open). I discovered that the unfortunate location and orientation of the hood release (directly above the emergency brake pedal and pivoting upward rather than pulling up or out) must have snagged my tennis shoe each time. It hadn't happened since I trained myself to move my foot sideways as I release the parking brake. The hood pull needs to be relocated or reoriented.”

   NHTSA complaint #10419548, filed 2011-08, 10,000 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbags not deploying in a crash

   Mentioned in 5 of 56 sampled complaints

   Owners report airbags failing to deploy in front-end collisions, including higher-speed impacts, with occupants describing chest and face injuries in one case. In other accounts the airbags did not deploy in lower-speed crashes where damage was still substantial. Some owners said the sensors had activated but the bags still did not inflate, and no cause was established in the complaints. Reported across a wide mileage range, from relatively low mileage to over 150,000 miles, in crashes at both low and highway speeds.

   Recall 16V247000

   What to check: Ask whether the vehicle has had the airbag recall campaign completed, check for any airbag warning light with the key on, and have a shop scan for stored airbag codes before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On friday, february 27th, 2015 at approximately 9:30am, I was involved in a car accident on a major interstate. The incident involved two vehicles, mine and another 4 door car. I ended up hitting the person in front of me going approximately 74 MPH, no one was seriously injured, however no airbags deployed. Upon further investigation, two local mechanics who are evaluating the car have stated that they cannot understand why the airbags did not deploy, for the sensors were activated, and the airbags should have came out.”

   NHTSA complaint #10691319, filed 2015-03, 150,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. The contact stated their daughter was driving at 55 mph, when the driver was approaching an intersection at a red light the driver depressed on the brake pedal and the brake pedal went straight to the floor and the vehicle could not stop causing the vehicle to hit the vehicle in front of them in the rear. The air bags did not deploy. The driver does not remember if there was any warning light illuminated on the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11428852, filed 2021-08, 160,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Rear brake wear and soft or failing brake pedal

   Mentioned in 5 of 56 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe rear brakes wearing out unusually early, with dealers recommending pad and rotor replacement at relatively low mileage, sometimes confirmed by a second shop. Other owners report the brake pedal going to the floor and the car failing to stop, or grinding noises with the front brakes not working, and dealers were sometimes unable to duplicate the concern. Clustered between about 15,000 and 30,000 miles for the rear brake wear reports, with the pedal-to-floor incidents at higher mileage.

   What to check: Inspect rear pad and rotor thickness rather than relying on a quick visual check, and press the pedal firmly with the engine running to confirm it holds rather than sinking.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2008 ford Mercury Sable. Consumer writes in regards to power steering failure. The consumer stated the power steering rack and pump failed. Also, the rear brakes were severely worn and needed to be replaced.”

   NHTSA complaint #10511093, filed 2013-05, 15,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. While driving at speeds of 10 MPH, the vehicle exhibited a grinding noise and the front brakes became inoperable. The dealer inspected the vehicle but could not duplicate the failure. There were no additional failures. The approximate failure mileage was 21000 and the current mileage was 21,050. Updated 05/06/10. Updated 06/18/10.”

   NHTSA complaint #10319277, filed 2010-03, 21,000 miles

Buying note. Give the steering and transmission a thorough test drive, including parking-speed turns, a cold start, and highway speed, since those two areas account for most of what owners report. Also confirm the airbag recall campaign was performed and review service records for prior steering rack or transmission repairs.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 56 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.