1998 Mercury Sable: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 243 complaints
243
Total Complaints
91,000mi
Median Mileage
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Top Issue
35
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

64,545 25th Percentile
91,000 Median Mileage
121,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
24
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
20
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
15
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
11
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
7
INTERIOR LIGHTING
6
AIR BAGS
6
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
5

Severity Assessment

35
Crashes
3
Fires
24
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRANSMISSION WILL INTERMITTENTLY DROP OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL, LEAVING VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER. WILL REENGAGE WITHIN A FEW SECONDS."
"HEAVY SMELL OF GASOLINE IS FELT WHEN GAS TANK IS ABOVE 3/4 FULL OR MAKING LEFT HAND TURNS ABOVE 20 MPH. DEALER ATTEMPTED TO FIX PROBLEM, BUT SMELL CONTINUES. CLAIM THEY HAVE SEEN IT IN MANY 1998 SABLES."
"HORN WILL NOT FUNCTION WHEN PUSHED. DEALERS ARE UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM. CONSUMER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR SAFETY. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28