NHTSA Complaint #10918494 — 2004 MERCURY SABLE

THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED CAUSING INABILITY TO GET SHIFT LEVER OUT OF PARK MODE. BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON ALL THE TIME OR NOT COME ON AT ALL. THE PROBLEM WAS NOTED AFTER PARKING IN OUR GARAGE AND NOTICING THE BRAKE LIGHTS BEING ON ALL THE TIME. I DISCOVERED THAT TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH TO FIRST INDENT THAT THE SHIFT LEVER CAN BE PLACED IN THE NEUTRAL MODE SO ENGINE CAN BE STARTED. IN DRIVING THE CAR, THE BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT WORK. WHEN STOPPING THE CAR AND SHIFTING TO THE PARK MODE, THE SHIFT LEVER CANNOT BE TAKEN OUT OF THE PARK MODE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE SEQUENCE DESCRIBED ABOVE. THERE WAS A RECALL TO REPAIR THIS ON THE 2000-2004 SABLES (REFERENCE 04V106000), BUT FORD TELLS ME THE 2004 SABLES ARE NOT UNDER RECALL ALTHOUGH THE 2004 MODELS USE THE SAME DEFECTIVE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH CAUSING THE EXACT PROBLEMS AS THE 2000-2003 MODELS. *TR