Ford and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued recalls of Mercury Sable vehicles due to brake problems in 1994 and brake light problems in 2004. Both were due to safety-related manufacturing defects that could lead to accidents. Free repairs were offered by authorized dealers at the time of the recalls.
Brake Pedal Arm Defect
On October 7, 1994, Ford and the NHTSA announced a recall of 1,500 Mercury Sables because the retainer clip holding the master cylinder push rod to the brake pedal arm was missing or incompletely installed. This can cause the push rod to detach from the brake pedal arm, which can cause the driver to lose the ability to brake and may lead to a crash.
Brake Light Defect
On March 1, 2004, Ford and the NHTSA announced a recall of 938,789 2000-2003 model year Mercury Sable vehicles to repair a malfunctioning brake lamp switch and/or the wiring associated with the switch. Per the NHTSA, the defect could cause brake lights to stop working or to always remain on. If the brake lights remain on, speed control will not be activated. This could increase the risk of a crash and may also lead to a discharged battery.
Remedy
Registered vehicle owners should have received notice of these brake-related recalls by mail from Ford, along with instruction on which authorized dealers to bring the cars to for repair. Free replacements were offered for Mercury Sables affected by the recall. Concerned drivers may contact NHTSA or Ford to determine whether their vehicles may have been affected, or visit the NHTSA website to search for recalls by make, model and year.
