Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2000 record →
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGES WITHOUT WARNING OR MANUAL OPERATION, CAUSE UNKNOWN, VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIRS FOR THIS PROBLEM THREE TIMES. DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHCILE HAS BEEN TO SERVICE EIGHT TIMES. CRUISE CONTROL DUMP VALVE AND BRAKE BOOSTER RETURN SPRING WAS POINTED OUT BY THE MANUFACTURES TO BE THE CAUSE FOR THIS FAILURE. *YH
VEHICLE WOULD START TO SPONTANEOUSLY ACCELERATE ON ITS ON POWER. AFTER ENGINE WAS TURNED ON AND THE GEAR CHANGED TO DRIVE, VEHICLE WOULD JUMP ON ITS OWN. WHILE VEHICLE ACCELERATED, BRAKES STARTED TO MALFUNCTION, AND VEHICLE COULD ONLY STOP WHEN THE COMPLETE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. DEALER HAD ADVISED CONSUMER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN "PERFECT CONDITION". DEFECT CAN CAUSE CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.*AK THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS ENGAGE SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE PEDALS ARE SET UNUSUALLY CLOSE TOGETHER. THE DRIVER HAS NO MEANS TO KNOW THE STATE OF PEDAL ADJUSTMENT. *YH
REPORTING DESIGN FLAW WITH ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS. CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THE TWO PEDALS ARE TOO CLOSE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL DOES NOT SIT HIGH ENOUGH, THIS CONDITION CAUSES A PROBLEM WHEN APPLYING THE THE BRAKE--ALSO APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT SAME TIME. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS MADE, AND NOTHING ELSE COULD BE DONE AT THIS TIME. *AK *ML
WHEN THE ADJUSTABLE BRAKE PEDAL IS APPLIED, IT CAN SLIDE TO THE RIGHT, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. DEALER NOTIFIED, SAID MOVEMENT IS NORMAL FOR THE DESIGN. *AK *ML
HEAD RESTS RESTRICT VISABILTY WHEN TURNING AROUND TO VIEW REAR OF VEHICLE--HEAD RESTS ARE TOO BIG.*AK
WITH EACH RAIN OR WASH THE RIGHT FRONT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLE TAKES IN MOISTURE, CAUSING CONDENSES ON THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS AND REMAINS FOR SEVERAL DAY UNTIL EVAPORATION TAKES PLACE.
APPLYING BRAKES AT 5 MPH OR LESS, PEDAL VERY RIGID, NO POWER ASSISTANCE IN EVIDENCE, ENGINE BEGINS TO RACE ON ITS OWN. ABLE TO STOP VEHICLE BY SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL AND STANDING ON BRAKE PEDAL. VEHICLE RETURNS TO NORMAL OPERATION AFTER BRIEF MALFUNCTION. COMPLIANCE: OWNER'S GUIDE, PAGE 223.
THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES OFFER POOR PERFORMANCE, ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN. THE CAR WAS SO BAD IN THE RAIN THAT MY WIFE REFUSED TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE OE TIRES HAVE A TREADWEAR RATING OF 520. I AM AFRAID THAT THE RUBBER IS SO HARD (WHICH WILL GIVE LONG LIFE) THAT GRIP WAS SACRIFICED. I CHANGED THE TIRES TO CONTINENTAL CONTITOURING CONTACT CH95 WHICH HAVE A TREADWEAR RATING OF 360. THESE TIRES ARE ALSO ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON BMW, MERCEDES, VOLVO, AUDI AMONG OTHERS. THE CAR IS MUCH IMPROVED. WET PERFORMANCE IS MUCH, MUCH BETTER AND DRY PERFORMANCE IS IMPROVED ALSO. MY WIFE NOW FEELS SAFE DRIVING THE CAR. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS REALLY A DEFECT, BUT I WANTED YOU TO KNOW. THANKS. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P215/60R16 )
INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES MOTOR STARTED TO RACE AND THE BRAKES WON'T HOLD. THE MORE CONSUMER PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE FASTER THE MOTOR WENT, CAUSING UNWANTED ACCELERATION. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP TWICE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. *AK *ML
WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREET TRAVELING 20MPH, WENT TO ADJUST THE POWER ADJUSTABLE PEDAL WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT. INSTEAD, HIT THE BUTTON AND CAUSED VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE UNEXPECTEDLY. THERE WAS NO SAFETY LOCK FEATURE. THERE IS A POTENTIAL RISK INVOLVED. CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND CONSUMER UNION. IN THE OWNERS MANUAL THERE IS A SMALL MENTION OF NOT USING THE ADJUSTABLE PEDAL FEATURE WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. *AK
HEAD RESTS BLOCK TOO MUCH OF REAR VIEW WHEN TURNING HEAD TO SEE REAR OF VEHICLE. *AK
VEHICLE ACCELERATES WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS APPLIED. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY THE BACK WINDOW SHATTERED. THERE IS NO APPARENT REASON FOR IT. THE GLASS ALSO BROKE INTO SLIVERS. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT AUTO'S HAD TO HAD SAFETY GLASS TO PREVENT INJURIES? THE DEALER STATES IT IS TEMPERED GLASS BUT THIS WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON AND THEN THE GLASS SPLINTERED AND FELL INTO THE CAR. COVERING THE BACK OF THE CAR AND THANK GOODNESS THAT MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE FRONT SEAT OR SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. AS IT IS WE STILL HAD TO USE TAPE TO REMOVE THE SMALL SLIVERS OF GLASS FROM HER CHEEK. *AK
THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THE SPARE TIRE IS NOT UP TO SAFETY STANDARDS ACCORDING TO THE FORD MOTOR SAFETY STANDARD 110 MANUAL. *SLC
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2000 Mercury Sable → · Every Sable year → · How the figures are calculated →