1997 Mercury Sable

WHILE GEAR SHIFT INDICATED VEHICLE WAS IN NEUTRAL ENGINE SURGED AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO AN UNKNOWN SPEED BEFORE CRASHING INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. ALSO, POWER STEERING AND POWER ASSIST BRAKES FAILED TO OPERATE DURING THIS INCIDENT. DEALERSHIP HAS YET TO EXAMINE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / DOCUMENTATION.*AK

I PURCHASED MERCURY SABLE IN JULY 1999 AS A NEW VEHICLE (DEALER DEMO). I EXPERIENCED FIRST PROBLEM ABOUT A YEAR AGO DURING TWO SEPARATE WEEKS AND THOUGHT NO MORE ABOUT IT UNTIL THIS MONTH. I LEFT CHURCH AND WENT UP A SLIGHT INCLINE TO A STOP SIGN; WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND TRIED TO PULL OUT INTO THE TRAFFIC, THE CAR BEGAN ROLLING BACKWARDS. I BRAKED AND LOOKED TO BE SURE I HAD NOT SOMEHOW PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL; IT WAS IN DRIVE. I AGAIN TRIED TO ACCELERATE AND THE CAR CONTINUED BACKWARD, HALF WAY DOWN THE BLOCK. I PUSHED HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR SUDDENLY JERKED FORWARD. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER, I SAT AT A RED LIGHT ON FLAT LAND AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I TOUCHED THE GAS PEDAL, IT REVVED UP BUT DID NOT MOVE. I BRAKED, PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL THEN BACK IN DRIVE AND IT JERKED FORWARD. WHEN I TOOK IT TO ALLAN VIGIL FORD ON TARA BOULEVARD IN JONESBORO, GEORGIA, THE SERVICE MANAGER QUOTED A PRICE OF MORE THAN $2,500. TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. ON A CAR ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD WITH LESS THAN 70,000 MILES!!!! I HAVE READ OTHER REPORTS ON THIS MAKE AND MODEL AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING TROUBLE WITH FORD TRANSMISSIONS. MY SON IN LAW, JOSEPH KAIGLER, HAS A 2001 TAURUS WHICH HE RETURNED AFTER LESS THAN A MONTH TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED. PLEASE HELP! SHORT OF PAYING $2,500, IS THERE ANOTHER REMEDY I MAY GAIN.*AK

VEHICLE IDLE SPEED DOES NOT RETURN TO NORMAL. ENGINE IS RACING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED. VEHICLE DOES NOT SLOW DOWN WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED, VEHICLE CONTINUES TO RUN AT 30 PLUS MILE PER HOUR WITHOUT PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, REQUIRING CONSTANT APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM GETTING OUT OF CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN VARIOUS WEATHER, HAS HAPPENED AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN AS MUCH AS 100 MILES ON FREEWAYS AND AFTER DRIVING AS LITTLE AS 5 MILES IN THE CITY. PROBLEM WAS OCCURING WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN INTO THE CREST LINCOLN MERCURY DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, DEALER STATED THAT DIAGNOSTICS INDICATED THERE IS NO PROBLEM. *AK