1999 Mercury Sable GS from North America - Comments

O2 sensor caused the check engine light to come on; $175.

Right inner tie rod needed to be replaced; $170.

Transmission is now shifting weird from first to second gear. My mechanic says it's an internal problem and the tranny has to be rebuilt; $2,500.

I was sixteen years old when this car first came out back in the mid ninties; well this generation anyway, and for my 27th birthday my boyfriend bought me this car. The car lot I bought it from always sold me pretty decent cars; however after buying this car, there were problems almost immediately.

Had all fluids flushed immediately, but the car needed a tie rod, then an O2 sensor, which those aren't a big deal.

I noticed almost a month after owning the car that it would stick in between first and second gears on take off, or sometimes while coming to a stop. The transmission shop stated that on this car, the tranny fluid can't be flushed, it must be changed only, and that's mostly what did it in.

I have always owned American cars, and mainly General Motors, and never had any problems like that from flushing the transmission. I think the car was already on the way to transmission failure when I bought it, but I didn't notice it during the test drive because it only shifts this way once you have been driving the car all day.

I hear reviews on here about this is why people went to Toyota or Honda, but I've always owned American cars and never had problems like this, and with this amount of miles. Point I'm making is don't write off American cars just because of this Sable/Taurus crap Ford put out and called a car. I think it's best to stick with General Motors; I'm trading it in for a Grand Am.

Do you know how well it was maintained before you bought it?

Cars will only run to high mileage if they are looked after.

Do not get a Grand Am or you will be very sorry, they are notoriously unreliable. Your Sable broke because of the transmission fluid change, which is the same as a flush. Don't fall for these flushes that lube shops love to offer, they make a killing off of them and they do harm and no good. Transmission fluid does not need to be changed, I have a '98 Sable with 270K, and it's on the original transmission. Ditto with a '90 Tempo I used to own as well, except it had over 300K and no transmission fluid changes.

Beware where you buy your grand am, or maybe just, buy, just about anything else.

The previous comment was correct, if the car wasnt well maintained, well then its going to have problems. Plus the place you bought the car from can't be that good, if they sold you a car that had a transmission problem.

Our Sable is currently in the shop for the third time this month. We have the same slipping problems with our transmission as the previous writer. The shop has rebuilt the transmission, changed the torque converter, changed the neutral safety switch and every time we bring it home, as soon as the car warms up it starts to slip again. If anyone out there has had a successful repair on their transmission could you share the secret with us?

I am the author of this post, and as far as a successful repair on the cars transmission, it doesn't exist; get rid of it. Right after I had it rebuilt, it did the same thing.

All the other comments posted above are true about maintaining a car, but I think these cars just had that transmission issue, so my advice is deal with it or get rid of it; don't waste anymore time or money than you already have.

All comments posted above are not the ones left stranded on the side of the road or forking out the money.

The transmission in my 1999 Sable just failed - for the second time. The first was at 120,000 kilometers and cost $2,500 to replace. This one also requires a total replacement estimated at $3,000 which is more than the present value of the car. I'm advised that this is an inherent problem that Ford won't stand behind. Sorry Ford, but you've lost me as a customer. I'll be trying the Asian vehicles next time around.

Do not get a Grand Am. I just got one yesterday and it has so many electrical problems. The car's lights turn on and off for no reason, and now I already have a dead battery. there are numerous other problems as well. Stay clear of grand Ams.