I usually baby this vehicle. Today, I accelerated once a little harder than babying to make a light. Duartec engine has 210 HP. Obviously, the Transmission is not tough enough for that much power. I rarely push it.

At the next light I accelerated normally to about 20 mph and then the car just seemed to be in neutral. No noise, no clunk, nothing. I coasted to a parking lot. The car would not engage D or R. Park worked fine. Sounds like other complaints about the Transmission. There has to be a design flaw or defect. $2200-3000 to fix. Called Ford to report the problem and inform them of all the simlar comlaints that I found on line. Complaint #9332891. No recalls yet for this problem. I told them if I don't hear back, I would never recommend a Ford product again.

At a little over 60K miles, the transmission died in 2010 in my 2003 Sable. My wife was on the highway and had to coast to shoulder - luckily, there wasn't much traffic. There were no apparent symptoms - no grinding, clunking, popping, no leaking or burning fluids. No gears would engage. It's scary that this is common.

Flash forward 3 years later and about 60 thousand more miles - I am experiencing the same rapid transmission failure with the same non-existent symptoms except that the dip stick indicated fluid, which was at the appropriate level, was traveling up the stick. Apparently, a failing vent fitting causes the fluid up & out. Torque converter failure because of poorly designed spline specs.

This car is dangerous and Ford should be forced to recall and repair the KNOWN and frequently failing PARTS - replacement valve & torque converter. They should also be forced to pay for the early failure repairs - AND NOT BY ISSUING A CREDIT ON THE NEXT FORD CAR.

Was driving down US31 near Muskegon, MI when all of a sudden with no warning of any kind the tranny was disengaged. Was running fine one second and then I heard high pitch revving I thought was a passing pickup truck... till I realized as the truck was getting farther away and the sound was still there it was coming from our car. I coasted to the shoulder which luckily I got to without incident just before coming to a guardrail with no shoulder over the river.. I also had my three autistic adult children with me who got very upset when the car wouldn't move and with the wind from other cars and trucks that were passing making our car move from the currents... anyway it could have been a really worse situation if one or more of my children decided to try and run from the car.. It's very irritating to see all the posts I have read on-line about these transmissions in the Ford Taurus and the Mercury Sables. Ford certainly MUST know about this problem and should be recalling these vehicles before (if someone hasn't already) gets killed because of it. Besides the danger factor I unlike the Fords do not have the kind of money just laying around to spend on another transmission or even get it rebuilt. C'mon Ford... make it right so I feel like saying you are a good company. I know my car has high miles but I've read about the same thing happening with theses vehicles with under 50,000 miles. I knew I should have looked for a Chevy!

I WENT DOWN TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. I TALKED TO THE FORD MECHANIC AND HE STOPPED JUST SHORT OF SAYING FORD SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL FOR THESE TRAINNIES.BUT HE WAS VERY HONEST ABOUT IT HE SAID THIS PROBLEM IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY UNLESS YOU REBUILD THESE TRANSMISSIONS THE WAY THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THAT FORD TRAINED HIM EXACTLY HOW TO DO IT. HE WANTED 3,300.00. SO I CHOSE TO USE A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST INSTEAD AND PAID 2,000.00.HOPEFULLY FORD CAN BE ENTICED TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY ITS CUSTOMERS

my 2003 mercury sable started coasting while going to work with no reaction to giving it gas. so i glided into a nearby parking lot and got a ride home, car has about 84500 miles on it. i would ask for some input on what the heck is going on but unfortunately i already know. about 14000 miles ago the exact same thing happen....with just over 71000 miles on it the transmission went to junk..cost a little under $1900.00 to get it rebuilt at one of the more reputable transmission shops in the area. i really feel that the place that fixed it the first time did what they were suppose to do. i think ford has allowed a poor design to be put in their vehicles..really wish i would have never ventured into ford country..toby keith can stick it his ford the same place he puts his mic.

i am a machinist that deals with .0001 tolerances and have the utmost respect for a job well done, that being said, i have no respect for Ford Motor Company. they have done burnt this bridge...think i will just leave the piece of junk in the parking lot it coasted into....and buy me a gm