Three problems related to defogger have been reported for the 2003 Mercury Sable. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Mercury Sable based on all problems reported for the 2003 Sable.
Heater/ac fan continuously stops working. I first replaced the motor resistor in August 2012. It worked for 2 weeks when it broke for the 2nd time. I went to fix it again, only to find out it stops working again after 2 more weeks. It is now October and the motor resistor broke 2x and now the motor blower is completely gone. No ac/heater. The temperature in NY in October is not compliant with no heater. This is ridiculous. Broke 3xs in a span of 6 weeks or so.
I have a 2003 Mercury Sable with 19k miles on it. We had heavy rains Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, followed by sub freezing temperatures throughout Wednesday into Thursday. Thursday morning, (12-10-09) the blower motor for the heating/ac system would only work on it's highest setting, and continues to do so. A few times throughout the last couple of weeks, my wife and I thought we heard water rushing around somewhere in the vicinity of the passenger side area. I read over 150 complaints on topix. Com for the very same problem with several different model years of both Sables and taurus'. It was recommended by several folks that people with the same issues should file a complaint here. It seems that the problem with the blower motor/resistor assembly is caused by water entering the blower housing itself. I have read that Ford is well aware of the problem, as they have issued a service bulletin for it. My concern is that since winter is upon us, a possible unsafe condition could arise should the blower motor quit working completely, thus preventing the windows from defrosting. Additionally, I feel strongly that this problem should be repaired at no cost to me by Ford.
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Sable. In April of 2007, the climate control module was replaced, which cost $613. On July 26, 2007, the air conditioner compressor was replaced, totaling $886. The contact stated that the vehicle is currently making a loud noise. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 32,000 and failure mileage was 26,825.