NHTSA Complaint #10806671 — 2008 MERCURY SABLE

THE VEHICLE STARTED AND IMMEDIATELY SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND IT WAS CONFUSING BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN RUNNING FLAWLESSLY WITH A PROBLEM-FREE START JUST HOURS BEFORE. BACKING IT OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, ODD NOISES AND A PROBLEM JUST PUSHING THE GAS WAS EVIDENT THAT SOMETHING MAJOR WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. SCARED TO DRIVE IT, I FOLLOWED MY HUSBAND TO THE REPAIR SHOP WE USE, JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IT SEEMED LIKE A FEAT JUST TO GET THE WELL-KEPT CAR THERE. WE INHERITED THE 2008 SABLE WITH VERY LOW MILEAGE FROM MY HUSBAND'S GRANDPARENTS. REGULAR, RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE WAS ROUTINELY DONE TO KEEP THE CAR IN TIP-TOP SHAPE. THIS PROBLEM CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. THE REPAIR SHOP CALLED US LATER ON IN THE AFTERNOON WITH A $2,500 ESTIMATE FOR THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. "REPAIRS FOR WHAT?!?" I YELLED, TO NO ONE IN PARTICULAR AND TO EVERYONE AROUND ME AT THE SAME TIME. THE FAMILY-OWNED SHOP HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO US AND WANTED TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING. HE STARTED WITH A MENTION OF A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB 14-0059) FROM FORD - OUTLINING OUR PROBLEM EXACTLY, AND THE NEEDED REPAIRS. I ASKED IF THE CAR'S WARRANTY WOULD COVER THE DAMAGES AND THE ANSWER WAS, "NO." NO, BECAUSE THE TSB WAS ISSUED EXACTLY 14 DAYS AFTER THE WARRANTY WOULD HAVE LAPSED ON THE NEWEST MODEL CAR IT COVERED. WE WERE COVERED FOR 60,000 MILES AND BARELY MISSED THAT CUT-OFF (BY 1,159 MILES). NO DICE. WE'D HAVE TO PAY FOR FORD'S MISTAKE. THE PROBLEM: THE CAR'S ECM (ENGINE CONTROL MODULE) MALFUNCTIONED AND SENT TOO MUCH POWER TO EACH OF THE IGNITION COILS (6 TOTAL), BLOWING THEM OUT. IF THIS WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, I'D PROBABLY CURSE, PAY THE BILL AND MOVE ON. BUT IT IS NOT. IT'S IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE THAT RESULTS IN A VERY COSTLY REPAIR FOR THE OWNER. WE HAD TO REPLACE THE ECM, PROGRAM IT AND EACH OF THE IGNITION COILS AND SPARK PLUGS. ATTACHING THE TSB AND THE BILL. RECALL.