Rear Window Defogger Problems of Mercury Sable

Wire harness failure in rubber boots from body of car to rear lift gate on station wagon model. Insulation cracking and wire breaking completely in flexible rubber boot causes erratic behavior and ultimate failure of high brake light, back up lights, license plate lights, rear windshield wiper, rear window defroster, open lift gate and open rear window safety sensors and stereo speakers. Insulation and wiring within boot has become brittle and fatigued. Clean breaks in wires from opening and closing lift gate are evident. Wires where insulation has broken through are coming in contact with other circuits where that insulation has broken through and results in "confusing" operation of lights. Ie put car in reverse and high brake light comes on - put foot on brake and high brake light goes out. Backup lights don't come on at all. Ie turn on rear windshield wiper and license plate light comes on. Wiring does not appear to have sufficient number of multiple internal copper strands or supple enough insulation to provide needed flexibility during regular opening and closing of rear lift gate. Believe this to be a latent safety defect. Manufacturer should have known during design that wiring in boot to station wagon lift gate would be prone to catastrophic failure with regular use.

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The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Sable. While driving 25 mph in sleeting conditions, coming to a stop light the contact noticed that the heater was getting colder. The heater was set at 78 degrees at the time of the failure and, as a result, the front and rear glass fogged. The contact was unable to see through the glass and the defroster would not clear the glass. The contact had to drive and clean the windshield with a cloth in order to view the road. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop for inspection and they stated that the coil was filled with water, which caused the heater to fail. They further stated that it was due to a manufacturer defect. The vehicle is currently being repaired by a local repair shop at the cost of $500. The dealer has not been notified. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 17,800 and current mileage was 18,175. Updated 12/17/08.

See all problems of the 2003 Mercury Sable 🔎.