Two problems related to trunk lid have been reported for the 1996 Mercury Sable. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I have a number of worries with my vehicle. The following are: when playing the radio/tape deck, you hear a loud buzzing noise coming through the speakers even if the radio is turned down; when steering from left to right you'll hear a cranking noise coming from the front end of car; car does not absorb bumps at all, it rocks, makes knocking noise coming from somewhere near wheels; when driving on highway at a speed of about 50-70 mph, car will sway, like a wind is blowing it away; feul sensor will float, you can not count on it to tell you how much gas you have; trunk hood flips up in the air so fast and hard, I have stunted my fingers before on it; the doors on the car have a sharp edge to it, if you don't stand back when opening the door, it can gash your leg; wind shield are a blind spot, to long, wipers are so strong they vibrate the car, unusually strong; back window on left side (passenger) will not roll up, or roll down sometimes; assembly of light moldings/fixtures in back of car are off(not evenly lined up), so is the leveling of trunk lid; car jumps when starting it up, like it's ready to pull off, even when your foot is on the brake; when moving the gears the car makes a knocking noise, and jumps also; brake light comes on and goes off at times; car loses power at times, even after the transmission was replaced in February, 2001; keyless alarm system is sensitive, sometimes a inconvience, if you pick keys up and touch the panic, or trunk release button it can be set off in the house, behind a brick wall.
This poroblem affects all 1996 through1999 Mercury Sables &Ford tauruses. It is not advertised nor listed in equipment specifications on the msrp. The trunk lid is not manufactured with galvanized steel . It was manufactured with either plastic or aluminum. The only way I found out about thi s was when I attempted to put my magnetic c. B. Antenna on the trunk. The antenna wouldn't attach to the trunk. I tried the magnet on all Sable and tauruses from '96 through 99,and the same thing happened. I tried the magnet on contours,mystiques,escorts,Ford crown vic's,grand marqui's,lincolns and the magnetic antenna worked. I seriously think the government should do something about this problem. I believe if these automobiles are involved in a rear end collision it would cause greater injuries than if the vehicle was manufactured with steel. I will apprecite hearing from you agency since the person I spoke with on the phone said I should contact you. Thank you very much, james h. Lane.