2008 Mercury Sable recalls and problems

The 2008 Mercury Sable has 1 safety recall and 61 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Mercury dealer.

Recalls

Complaints

Crashes / fires

8 / 3

Injuries / deaths

2 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2008 Mercury Sable vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2008 Mercury Sable recalls

Recall 16V-247: Air Bags

Reported Apr 26, 2016 · 695 vehicles affected · Ford Motor Company

Problem: 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.

Fix: 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 problems reported by owners

Problem area	Reports
Steering	16
Power Train	11
Electrical System	11
Vehicle Speed Control	10
Engine	5
Air Bags	4
Seats	4
Unknown or Other	4
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	3
Suspension	3
Fuel/Propulsion System	2
Structure	2

Most reported parts

Power Train › Automatic Transmission — 2
Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel — 2
Latches/Locks/Linkages › Hood › Latch — 1
Air Bags › Frontal — 1
Steering › Hydraulic Power Assist System — 1
Steering › Rack and Pinion — 1
Seats › Front Assembly › Seat Heater/Cooler — 1
Structure › Body — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 48,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2008 Mercury Sable complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Air Bags · at 64,241 miles · reported Nov 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was involved in a crash. The contact's son was the only occupant in the vehicle during the crash. The contact stated that none of the air bags deployed. The contact stated that there were two impacts to the vehicle during the crash. The first impact was on the front passenger's side of the vehicle, in which the front passenger's side door and rear door were crushed. The contact stated that the second impact was when the vehicle drove through a fence and crashed into a house and the…

Power Train · reported Apr 17, 2023

On April 12 I exited my drive onto the 55 mph highway in front of my house when suddenly the car began to shudder. I jammed the gas to get up to speed to prevent oncoming cars from hitting me which made the problem much worse. It was violently shuddering and wouldnât accelerate. I took my foot off the gas which stopped the shaking. I gassed it slowly and I could accelerate to speed much slower than I would have liked. It wasnât smooth. One half mile later it suddenly and violently began again. Taking my foot off the gas it smoothed out and I could accelerate again. I changed plans and went…

Air Bags · at 160,000 miles · reported Aug 12, 2021

The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Sable. The contact stated their daughter was driving at 55 mph, when the driver was approaching an intersection at a red light the driver depressed on the brake pedal and the brake pedal went straight to the floor and the vehicle could not stop causing the vehicle to hit the vehicle in front of them in the rear. The air bags did not deploy. The driver does not remember if there was any warning light illuminated on the vehicle. The crash caused damage to the front bumper and pushed in the front grill and hit the radiator of the vehicle. There were no injuries…

Seats · at 104,000 miles · reported Jan 23, 2021

The passenger heated seats are not working and making short circuit affecting the while car electric sometimes, a lot of reviews online stating that this happens due to overload on the ground wire in the module plug which toasts and make the short in the circuit , I just bough the car , the previous owners did not use this feature.

Steering · at 57,590 miles · reported Feb 18, 2018

Steering froze up and could not turn to left / was hard to steer and then when trying to turn left could not do it, had to make right hand turns. Took it to the ford dealer I bought the car from (2015) they said there was no recalls and had to replace the steering gear/ cost ,me $600.00 there were no complaints on the car fax of trouble. .bought the car in nov 2015 and had to have steering fixed in june of 2016. Today I went to see if there was any recalls lately and found 51 complaints about this car and a lot of them were for steering and power train. Don't you think this should be a recall.…

Other Mercury Sable years

200920082005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

Compare all Mercury Sable years · All Mercury models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2008 Mercury Sable have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2008 Mercury Sable: 16V-247 (air bags). Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2008 Mercury Sable?

Owners report steering problems most often (16 reports), followed by power train (11). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 48,000 miles.

Are Mercury recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Mercury dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.