1997 Mercury Sable Power Train:automatic Transmission Problems

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

31Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints

13.6%Of all 228 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 TRANSMISSION31 · 13.6%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL19 · 8.3%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE15 · 6.6%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE10 · 4.4%

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL8 · 3.5%

Share of the 228 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 1997 Mercury Sable overview page.

What owners report

“VEHICLE IS REVVING WHILE ENGINE IS RUNNING. MPH DOES NOT MOVE, BUT RPMS GO UP, POSSIBLY DUE TO BANDS WITHIN TRANSMISSION THAT ARE SLIPPING. PLEASE…”NHTSA complaint 888184 — filed 05/14/2001

“WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH AND ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE SLOWED TO 30 MPH, TRANSMISSION HAD GONE OUT. DEALER FOUND METAL SHAVINGS.”NHTSA complaint 884338 — filed 03/27/2001

“TRANSMISSION BLEW APART. CRACK IN CASE MAY HAVE OCCURRED FIRST, CAUSING INTERNAL PROBLEMS (STILL HAD FLUID) OR TRANSMISSION BLOWING APART MAY HAVE CAUSED CRACK IN…”NHTSA complaint 733834 — filed 10/09/2000

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 1997 Mercury Sable have power train:automatic transmission problems?

Power Train:automatic Transmission is the most-reported problem area on the 1997 Mercury Sable: 31 of 228 complaints on file (13.6%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 1997 Mercury Sable have in total?

228 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/14/2026. Across all categories, 10 involved a crash, 5 involved a fire, 11 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.