2008 Mercury Sable Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 18%of 61 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 53,925miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2008 Mercury Sable, 18% of the 61 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 53,925 miles.
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.
“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“While driving last week my wife noticed that when turning into a parking spot the steering stiffened up and had to make a sudden stop as to not hit the vehicle to her left . I checked the car out and noticed it is mostly affected at low speed while making turns either left or right this had no warning and could be very dangerous.it is just luck that a walker or jogger were not on the streets at the time .this needs immediate attention I will attempt at repair myself as it is out of warranty possible rack and pinion also transmission slippage at times.”
NHTSA complaint #10484005, filed 2012-11, 60,000 miles“Automatic transmission - when the vehicle is in drive and stopped on a hill the car will roll back when you remove your foot from the break even when in drive. This is an ongoing issue. You need to use both feet when on a hill, one on the brake and the other on the gas to avoid rolling back into another car. When the local dealer was in business they indicated this was normal. At this time I have no local Mercury dealer to review this situation.”
NHTSA complaint #10314800, filed 2010-02, 12,200 miles“Transmission intermittently would stay in 5th gear and not shift -- limp home mode. Dealership replaced output shaft sensor and turbine sensor, and this resolved the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10547160, filed 2013-10, 37,808 miles“1. Trans fails to downshift,intermittently, when accelerating from appr. 50 MPH on and incline, revs to 5500 RPM but car slows down. Almost got hit by truck on freeway yesterday. 2. The car ground to a halt while making a left hand turn and accelerating at about 15-20 MPH. Occurred one time, almost rear ended. 3. On slight incline, in drive, car will roll back as if in neutral, almost hit car behind me several times and difficult to park vehicle. There are other trans related issues, but these three are safety concerns. …”
NHTSA complaint #10218193, filed 2008-02, 1,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10052190Apr 24, 2013Ford/lincoln/mercury: some vehicles, with diagnostic codes (dtcs) p0351, p0352, p0353, p0354, p0355, may experience a malfunction indicator lamp in the powertrain control module…
- 10032244Oct 1, 2007Ford/mercury/lincoln: some vehicles equipped with a 6f50 transaxle , with any output shaft speed (oss) sensor or turbine shaft speed (tss) sensor diagnostic trouble code(s)…
- 10023436Oct 1, 20076f50 transaxle equipped vehicles when stopped on a hill in drive or reverse without service brake applied may roll (won't hold).
- 10021280Oct 1, 20076f50 transaxles built prior to 1/1/07 - dtc p0715, p0717, p0718, p0720, and/or harsh engagement, no upshift, fifth gear only. *kb updated 2/6/08.
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 2008 Mercury Sable
16 complaintsElectrical system
11 complaintsVehicle speed control
10 complaintsBrakes
6 complaintsEngine
5 complaintsAir bags
4 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsSeats
4 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 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