2008 Mercury Sable Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2008 Mercury Sable ranks worst of the 4 model years tracked, with a Complaint Index of 100 and 61 complaints. Steering leads problem areas at 26% of complaints, followed by engine issues at 23%, and NHTSA lists one recall for airbag modules.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 100/100
- #1 of 4 Sable years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 61
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 1
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 8
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 3
- Injuries
- 2
- Top issue
- Steering
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 20.5
- 17.5 city / 26 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 2 / 0
Top 2008 Mercury Sable problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Steering16 (26%)
- Engine14 (23%)
- Electrical System11 (18%)
- Transmission & Powertrain11 (18%)
- Brakes6 (10%)
- Structure & Body6 (10%)
- Airbags4 (7%)
- Other4 (7%)
- Fuel System3 (5%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires3 (5%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Airbags failed to deploy during crashes, including at highway speeds and after multiple impact points.
- Electrical harness problems led to a melted main wiring harness and, separately, sudden acceleration that sent the vehicle off a parking lot barrier.
- Rear passenger seat caught fire while driving at 55 mph, and a separate vehicle caught fire while parked in a carport.
- Brake pedal reportedly went to the floor or failed to engage, causing the vehicle to roll into other vehicles or a light pole.
- Owners describe unintended acceleration at low speed or from a full stop, resulting in front-end collisions.
2008 Mercury Sable recalls
1 NHTSA recall campaign list this model year.
- NHTSA 16V247000Apr 26, 2016Airbags695 vehicles
Air bags:frontal
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
2008 Mercury Sable fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 17.5 MPG
- Highway
- 26 MPG
- Combined
- 20.5 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,175
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2008 compared with other Sable years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2008 Mercury Sable a bad year?
- Among the 4 Sable model years with data, 2008 ranks worst, with a Complaint Index of 100 and 61 complaints, giving it an Avoid verdict.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2008 Mercury Sable?
- Steering is the top complaint area, accounting for 26% of complaints (16 total), followed by engine problems at 23%.
- Does the 2008 Mercury Sable have a recall?
- Yes. NHTSA recall 16V247000 covers a driver frontal airbag module that may not deploy properly; Ford replaces the module free of charge.
- What year Mercury Sable should I avoid?
- Based on NHTSA data, 2008 is the year to avoid, with the highest Complaint Index (100) among the years tracked, while 2009 rates Good with an index of 33.
- At what mileage do 2008 Sable problems usually appear?
- Median mileage at failure across complaints is 48,000 miles, with steering issues centered around 49,210 miles and transmission issues around 53,925 miles.