2001 MERCURY SABLE — Complaint #542494
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES filed July 5, 2005
NHTSA complaint #542494 (ODI reference 10127528) concerns a 2001 MERCURY SABLE and was filed on July 5, 2005. The owner reports the failure occurred on June 28, 2005. The vehicle had 29,500 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Texas based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as vehicle speed control:cables, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 2, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same MERCURY SABLE cohort independently describe similar vehicle speed control:cables failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2001 MERCURY SABLE shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
DT: CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THROUGH PARKING LOT AT LOW SPEED WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT GREAT SPEED. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN BEFORE IT STRUCK 2 VEHICLES, AND SPED OVER A 3 1/2 FOOT HIGH WALL WHERE IT WENT OVER AND CAME TO A REST. UPON INSPECTION, THE ATTENDING POLICE OFFICER DISCOVERED A BROKEN THROTTLE CABLE WHICH HE BELIEVED CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ACT THE WAY THAT IT DID. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. CURRENTLY AWAITING INSURANCE REPORT. *AK *JB
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 542494 |
| ODI Number | 10127528 |
| Date Filed | July 5, 2005 |
| Failure Date | June 28, 2005 |
| VIN | 1MEFM58U61A |
Similar VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES Complaints for 2001 MERCURY SABLE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED ACCELERATING INDEPENDENTLY UP TO 50 MPH. THE CONTACT HAD NOT ENGAGED THE ACCELERATOR PED
2001 SABLE ACCELERATOR CABLE COME OUT OF THE HOUSING, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO DECELERATE. *TS *JB
DT: CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THROUGH HOTEL PARKING LOT AT LOW SPEED WHEN THE VEHICLE QUICKLY ACCELERATED STRIKING 2 CARS AND SCALING A 3 1/2 FEET WALL, DROPPING OVER AND FINALLY COMING TO A REST. THE AT
THE ACCELERATOR CABLE SNAPPED WHILE DRIVING ON A BRIDGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND REPAIRED. *JB *TC
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.