1996 Mercury Sable Power Train:automatic Transmission Problems

NHTSA component category: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · data through 07/14/2026

54Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints

17.8%Of all 304 complaints

#1Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How power train:automatic transmission ranks on this vehicle

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION54 · 17.8%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE21 · 6.9%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE14 · 4.6%

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM13 · 4.3%

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR12 · 3.9%

Share of the 304 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 1996 Mercury Sable overview page.

What owners report

“DURING ACCELLERATION FROM STOP TO MAKE LEFT TURN, TRANSMISSION DISSENGAGED. REAR BEARING FAILURE CAUSED DISSINTEGRATION OF TRANSMISSION. DEALER SUSPECTED FAULTY COMPONENTS/ASSEMBLY BUT WAS UNWILLING TO…”NHTSA complaint 712121 — filed 09/26/1999

“WHEN STOPPING AT A LIGHT AND TAKING OFF AGAIN THE CAR TAKES A FEW SECONDS TO MOVE. WHEN IT DOES MOVE, VEHICLE JERKS FORWARD HARD…”NHTSA complaint 847916 — filed 09/17/1999

“WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD DISENGAGE OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. HAVE BEEN TO DEALER & SO…”NHTSA complaint 843865 — filed 07/30/1999

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 1996 Mercury Sable have power train:automatic transmission problems?

Power Train:automatic Transmission is the most-reported problem area on the 1996 Mercury Sable: 54 of 304 complaints on file (17.8%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 1996 Mercury Sable have in total?

304 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/14/2026. Across all categories, 20 involved a crash, 10 involved a fire, 119 reported injuries, and none reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's power train:automatic transmission category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/14/2026.