# 1996 MERCURY SABLE — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
> NHTSA complaint `442213` · 2003-11-24 · Ford Motor Company
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** Yes
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** MERCURY
- **Model:** SABLE
- **Year:** 1996
- **Manufacturer:** Ford Motor Company
- **Component:** VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
- **Miles at failure:** 56,000
## Narrative
UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, IT ACCELERATED AT A HIGH SPEED WHEN  THE GEAR WAS PLACED IN REVERSE. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE LOST STEERING POWER ASSIST AND BRAKES.  THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHEN IT HIT AN OBJECT. THE DRIVER THEN PUT VEHICLE INTO DRIVE AND TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE THEN MADE SEVERAL TURNS BEFORE STOPPING AGAIN. THIS FAILURE OCCURRED ONCE BEFORE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. *JB
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*