1991 MERCURY SABLE Electrical System Problems

AUTO WAS PARKED. APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF LATER, ACCORDING TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT, A FIRE WAS REPORTED COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. FIRE GUTTED OUT THE ENTIRE MOTOR AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. NO INJURIES. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS INDICATION OF ANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. MR

I HAVE LOCATED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A REPETITIVE SEVERE PROBLEMWHERE THE WIRE HARNESS IS RUBBING AGAINST A SHARP BENT METAL EDGE NEXT TO THE FUSE BOX AND AFTER TRYING TO LOCATE PARTS TO REPAIR I OBSERVED SEVERAL BURNED OUT TAURUS AND SABLE VEHICLES WHERE IT APPEARED TO HAVE STARTED AT OR UNDER THE DASH. ALSO A SIMILAR YEAR MK 7 BURNED THE SAME WAY. QUITE UNNERVING. ALSO HAVE A SECOND TAURUS WAGON I'VE HAD FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND EXAMINED IT WIRING AND SAME PROBLEM CHAFFED WIRE HARNESS APPROXIMATELY 3" FROM FUSE BOX. ALSO MY WIRES INTO BOX LOOSE ENOUGH TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN VEHICLE ELECTRICAL FUNCTION, FIRST TIME HAPPENED GOING 65 ON FREEWAY. ALSO SHIFT LEVER ON COLUMN POORLY DESIGNED TILL 93 WHEN IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN REDESIGNED TO CORRECT PROBLEM I HAD WHERE SHIFTS OUT OF GEAR BECAUSE OF SLOP AND WEAR. PREVIOUS OWNER SPENT FORTUNE REPLACING TRANS AND IT WASN'T PROBLEM LINKAGE COULDN'T BE PROPERLY LOCATED BECAUSE OF SLOP IN SHIFT LEVER DUE TO UNUSUAL WEAR. OTHERWISE MY CARS CANNOT BE TOLD FROM NEAR NE. *AK

VEHICLE WAS ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP TO A MAJOR HIGHWAY WHEN ENGINE POWER WAS SUDDENLY LOST. CAR WAS RESTARTED AFTER A TEN MINUTE COOL DOWN. DROVE FOR ANOTHER 10 MINUTES WHEN ENGINE POWER WAS LOST FOR A SECOND TIME. CAR WAS UNABLE TO START AFTER THE SECOND FAILURE. ROOT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS A CORRODED GROUND CONNECT, ITENTIFIED AS C112 (FORD #). THIS CONNECTOR PROVIDES THE GROUND (NEGATIVE) FOR MAJOR ENGINE AND INSTRUMENTATION COMPONENTS (INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, INTEGRATED CONTROL MODULE, POWER STEERING MODULE, COOLING FAN, ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, OXYGEN SENSORS). THE LOCATION OF THIS GROUND CONNECTOR NEXT TO THE BATTERY, INCREASES ITS SUSCEPTABILITY TO ACCELERATED CORROSION. THE GROUND PLUG IS NOT A WATER TIGHT DESIGN. SEVERE CORROSION OF THE CONNECTOR BLADES WERE FOUND UPON DISASSEMBLY . CONNECTOR SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH A TYPE LESS SUSCEPTABLE TO CORROSION. FAILURES ARE MORE LIKELY WHEN THE CAR IS OPERATING IN HOT DRY WEATHER AND WITH HIGHER ELECTRICAL LOADS.

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL AND SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. ALSO, THERE WAS VIBRATION WITHIN THE STEERING WHEEL. ALSO, LOSS OF CRUISE CONTROL, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. IN ADDITION,SMOKE CAME FROM UNDERHOOD. *AK

HEATER/A/C BLOWER REGISTER FAILED.

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE UP, VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER , SMOKE STARTED COMING UP BY WINDSHIELD, WHEN DRIVER AND PASSENGER GOTOUT OF VEHICLE, FLAMES WERE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF FRONT OF VEHICLE. THE FIRE TOTALED THE VEHICLE. *AK

ALTERNATOR FAILED.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS MESSING UP, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DON'T WORK HALF OF THE TIME, HALF OF THE TIIME THE ELECTRICL SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. *AK

STARTER FAILED.

IGNITION SWITCH DEFECTIVE.

IGNITION SWITCH NOISE.

VEHICLE FIRE CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH. *AK

IGNITION SWITCH CAN TURN/START ENGINE WITHOUT A KEY. GEAR SHIFT CAN BE MOVED AS WELL. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS CAR WOULD NOT START. TT

STARTER FAILURE.

VEHICLE STALLS OUT WITH NO WARNING AT HWY SPEEDS.POSSIBLY FUEL PUMP PROBLEM, INSTALLED NEW FUEL PUMP AND STALLING CONTINUES. *AK