There are 9 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2001 Mercury Sablein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE KNOB TO TURN ON THE HEADLIGHT BROKE OFF. IT SEEMS TO BE MADE OF PLASTIC THAT IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH. NOW IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN ON THE HEADLIGHTS. WE READ THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM IN THE 2000 MODEL AND FORD HAD A RECALL ON THE 2000 MODEL. WE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 2001 MODEL. MAYBE SOME OF THE FAULTY KNOBS WERE INSTALLED ON SOME OF THE 2001 MODELS AND THOSE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AS WELL SINCE IT'S THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR
2001 MERCURY SABLE VIN: (SEE OTHER PART OF COMPLAINT) I STOPPED AT A BUSINESS PUT CAR IN PARK GOT OUT. UPON RETURNING THE CAR WOULD START BUT NOT COME OUT OF PARK. I FOUND I HAD NO TAIL LIGHTS. I LATER FOUND ALSO THERE WAS NO CRUISE CONTROL. I PARKED THE CAR A COUPLE DAYS TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT AND WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR I FOUND THE BATTERY HAD GONE DEAD. I JUST GOT DONE RESEARCHING THIS AND FOUND RECALL 01S08 AND NHTSA # 01V078000 SAYING THE RECALL WAS ON A BREAK SWITCH DUE TO GREASE COMPROMISING THE SWITCH. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MALFUNCTION MATCHES MY PROBLEM EXACTLY! UPON CALLING THE DEALER THAT SOLD THE VEHICLE THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND A RECALL OF THIS BASED ON MY VIN. FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE ALSO STATED THEY COULDN'T FIND A RECALL OF THIS BASED ON MY VIN. WELL OBVIOUSLY THE RECALL SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED MY VIN AS THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO MY CAR. NOW WITH THE PROBLEM OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE PROPERLY THE TRANSMISSION IS GIVING AN ERROR DASH LIGHT SAYING THAT THE VEHICLE IS TRYING TO SHIFT AND IS IN THE WRONG GEAR?? AT 70MPH THERE IS ONLY ONE GEAR THAT WILL RUN THE CAR UNDER 3K ON THE TACH SO IT HAS TO BE IN THE RIGHT GEAR.. MAYBE ITS TRYING TO SHIFT OUT.. NOT SURE HAVE TO LOOK INTO THIS MORE. *TR
2001 MERCURY SABLE GS. THE STOP LIGHTS ARE STUCK ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM, SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEM ADDRESSED BY A CURRENT FORD RECALL. HOWEVER, UPON CALLING FORD MOTOR CUSTOMER SERVICE 800 NUMBER, THEY TELL ME, MY CAR ISN'T COVERED BY THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THOSE SABLES THAT ARE BEING RECALLED. *JB
RECALL NOTICE REGARDING STOP LAMP SWITCH PROBLEMS.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE STOP LAMP BECAME STRUCK IN THE ON POSITION. THE VEHCILE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE STOP LAMP SWITCH. *NM
THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS AN OVER ABUNDANCE OF MOISTURE INSIDE THE LENS. DEALER WAS INFORMED OF THE PROBLEM, BUT REFUSED TO REMEDY IT.*AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH CONSUMER WAS NOTIFIED BY A PASSING MOTORIST THAT TRUNK WAS ON FIRE. UPON INSPECTION, IT HAD BEEN DETERMINED THAT FIRE STARTED IN THE REAR TAIL LIGHT. ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED THIRD DEGREE BURNS. FORD ADVISED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS UNKNOWN. *AK *TS *NLM
I HAD TO GET MY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REPLACED BECAUSE MY CAR WOULDN'T SHIFT OUT OF PARK. WHEN SPEAKING TO THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE TECHNICIAN, IT SOUNDED LIKE THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY TYPE OF CAR. A FRIEND OF MINE WITH A SIMILAR CAR (FORD TAURUS) HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IS THIS A POSSIBLE DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED?*AK
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS WERE INOPERATIVE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS. *JB
THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH FOR BRAKE/STOP LAMP RECALL 01 V 078 000 FAILED TWICE. *NLM *TS
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026