1990 Mercury Sable power train problems
17 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 1990 Mercury Sable — 10% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Car cruised just fine 25 miles to town, got all my stuff done in town, pulled up to a stop sign on a hill and the car would not move, engine ran just fine, the transmission would not shift into gear, car only has 110k on it, had to roll back off the road and stop, park gear worked, after an hour…”
filed Apr 21, 2008
“The transmission slips bucking the car out of control when idling along with the aluminum pistons being damaged. The car jumps forward which causes unneccesary accidents and causes the car to stall on busy streets. A new transmission was needed and all new pistons due to a bad design. There is a…”
filed Mar 24, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs
0015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2000Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda. *tt
99152 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 26, 1999
Power Train problems in other Sable years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 Sable | 3 | 15% |
| 2008 Sable | 11 | 18% |
| 2005 Sable | 26 | 31% |
| 2004 Sable | 12 | 23% |
| 2003 Sable | 30 | 15% |
| 2002 Sable | 23 | 5% |
| 2001 Sable | 22 | 5% |
| 2000 Sable | 31 | 7% |
| 1999 Sable | 28 | 11% |
| 1998 Sable | 25 | 13% |
| 1997 Sable | 43 | 19% |
| 1996 Sable | 69 | 23% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1990 Mercury Sable
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.