2003 Mercury Sable: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 251 complaints
251
Total Complaints
70,000mi
Median Mileage
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Top Issue
17
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

40,125 25th Percentile
70,000 Median Mileage
105,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
25
POWER TRAIN
22
SUSPENSION:FRONT
19
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
15
STRUCTURE
12
SUSPENSION
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
10
ENGINE
8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
8
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:FAN/MOTOR
6

Severity Assessment

17
Crashes
2
Fires
10
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2003 MERCURY SABLE LS AND PRIOR TO LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP IN PHILADELPHIA I NOTICED THE FRONT WINDSHIELD DID NOT HAVE THE FACTORY TINT GLASS WHICH WAS STATED ON THE WINDOW STICKER AND WINDSHIELD AS HAVING TINTED GLASS. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH THE SALES PERS..."
"THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDAL WERE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER AND CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO INADVERTENTLY DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL. *NLM *SCC *JB"
"WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE HOOD RELEASED WITHOUT CAUSE DUE TO LATCH FAILURE. THE LATCH WAS REPLACED. *AK *SCC *JB"

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