# 1996 MERCURY SABLE — ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
> NHTSA complaint `944478` · 2012-10-14 · Ford Motor Company
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 1
- **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:** ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
- **Miles at failure:** 137,000
- **Speed:** 60 mph
## Narrative
RELEVANT INFORMATION---ENGINE WAS REPAIRED ON SEPT. 9/10, 2012  SAME MORNING AS THE ACCIDENT--CAR WAS DRIVEN TO BANK BUT AS I WAS LEAVING I COULD NOT PUT CAR INTO REVERSE. A GENTLEMAN PASSERBY WAS ABLE TO PUT IT INTO REVERSE WITH EFFORT AND A LOUD NOISE IN THE GEARS. I PROCEEDED TO MY EXERCISE CLASS WHICH LASTED ONE HOUR. HAD NO TROUBLE WITH REVERSE GEAR THIS TIME.  ABOUT 1/2 HOUR LATER I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT AND IN A MATTER OF MINUTES THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING UP AND SHOT FORWARD ON ITS OWN, WENT OVER A CURB & SIDEWALK AND CRASHED INTO A BRICK WALL AT HIGH SPEED.  THE AIR BAGS WENT OFF AND WITH EFFORT I WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE FRONT DOOR. I HAD MINOR INJURIES--NOSE, CUT ON  ELBOW, BANGED UP KNEES. THE ENGINE OF THE CAR KEPT ROARING FOR POSSIBLY 15 MINUTES UNTIL SOMEONE CUT THE  CABLE TO THE BATTERY. THE POLICE REPORTED THAT I HAD STEPPED ON THE GAS INSTEAD OF THE BRAKE WHICH WAS  TOTALLY FALSE. I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY THINKING--THERE'S SOMETHING TERRIBLE WRONG WITH MY CAR. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOT INTERESTED IN PURSUING THE CAUSE WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE REPAIR DONE ON  THE ENGINE. THEY CALLED THE CAR A TOTAL LOSS.  *TR
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*