Mercury Sable Parts

CarInsurance.com’s “Best Cars for Teens” list finds the safest, most fuel-efficient and cheapest-to-insure used cars.

Foster City, Calif. (PRWEB) March 27, 2012

Any parent with a teenager about to begin driving wonders how to balance safety and cost. CarInsurance.com’s “Best Cars for Teens” list takes away some of the guesswork.

“The good news is that a newer car with the right safety gear doesn’t cost much more to insure than an old car,” said CarInsurance.com managing editor Des Toups. “The bad news is that your teen will be expensive to insure no matter what he or she ends up driving.”

A newer car with crucial safety features such as electronic stability control (ESC) comes at a relatively small cost, at least as far as insurance goes, Toups said. The additional insurance cost of buying a car from the “Best Cars for Teens” list, compared with simply letting the teenager drive an existing family car, is less than $400 a year for the top-ranked models.

“It’s not the extra car that drives up your rates,” Toups said. “It’s the kid.”

CarInsurance.com used the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Picks for 2008 as a starting point, then whittled down the list of 4-year-old vehicles by looking at current purchase prices, fuel economy and reliability. Each of the models shown sells for less than $15,000, according to Edmunds.com; gets more than 20 mpg, according to Fuelly.com; and has a better-than-average repair record, according to TrueDelta.com. Any one of them would be a safe choice, Toups said.

Of the 20 models that made the “Best Cars for Teens” list, the cheapest to insure is the 2008 Audi A3. Over five years, buying an A3 rather than the most expensive-to-insure model on the list, the Subaru Impreza, would save a parent $2,400 in insurance costs, Toups said. The complete list is below.

The CarInsurance.com analysis also compared a family’s options when a young driver hits the road.

Parents should expect their rates to double, at minimum, Toups said, even if they don’t buy an extra car for their new driver. If the family lives in a high-cost state and a teenage male is added to the policy, premiums could triple.

CarInsurance.com’s comparison of rates for a sample Washington state family reveals how insurance costs can increase exponentially. The examples below are for a married couple driving a 2011 Honda Accord and a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse; with good credit and no car accidents or traffic violations; carrying policy limits of $100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident; and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. That couple would be in for quite a shock when their teenage son earns his driver’s license. Here’s an example of how their rates might change:

•     Annual premium for married couple only: $1,536

•     Adding new teen driver, no additional car: $4,406
•     Adding new teen driver and car with liability coverage only: $4,376
•     Teen driver excluded on parents’ policy; car for teen insured with liability on a separate policy: $6,192
•     Married couple with new teen driver, adding 4-year-old car with liability, comprehensive and collision coverage identical to existing cars: $4,798 and up, depending on the model chosen.

Models are ranked by the vehicle’s impact on CarInsurance.com’s hypothetical family’s insurance bill over five years — until their 16-year-old turns 21.

The best cars for teens, with five-year insurance impact (all 2008 models unless otherwise noted), are:

1. Audi A3: $1,960

2. Honda Accord (four-door models): $2,040

3. Mercury Sable (with ESC): $2,610

4. Ford Taurus (with ESC): $2,670

5. Subaru Forester (with ESC): $2,750

6. Mercury Milan (2009 models with ESC): $2,790

7. Scion xB: $2,790

8. Nissan Rogue: $2,900

9. Honda Civic (2009 four-door models with ESC): $2,970

10. Ford Fusion (2009 models with ESC): $2,980

11. Hyundai Santa Fe: $3,050

12. Saturn VUE (built after 12/07): $3,180

13. Saab 9-3: $3,350

14. Volkswagen Jetta (2009 models): $3,480

15. Subaru Forester (2009 models): $3,600

16. Volkswagen Rabbit (2009 four-door models): $3,630

17. Mitsubishi Lancer (2009 models with ESC): $3,980

18. Ford Escape (2009 models): $4,120

19. Subaru Legacy (with ESC): $4,320

20. Subaru Impreza (with ESC): $4,360

Read the full article at http://www.carinsurance.com/best-cars-for-teens.aspx.

Methodology

CarInsurance.com began with a list of 65 cars designated as 2008 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Pricing data were drawn from Edmunds.com’s True Market Value tool. Fuel economy numbers are real-world reported numbers from community members of Fuelly.com. Reliability numbers are real-world numbers of repair visits per 100 models reported by community members of TrueDelta.com.

Insurance costs for the Washington state family were based on a married couple driving a 2011 Honda Accord and a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, with clean driving records and good credit, commuting 15 miles and 10 miles each way daily, respectively. Policy limits were 100/300/50 — $100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident — and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. The additional driver used to analyze rates was a 16-year-old male, living at home, with no violations or accidents, driving five miles one way to school, with coverage limits identical to parents’ policies except as noted.

Average rates are for comparative purposes. Actual rates will depend on individual driver factors.

About CarInsurance.com

CarInsurance.com has been offering drivers expert advice about car insurance and how to shop for it since 2003. Using a combination of industry expertise and information drawn from thousands of online quotes delivered without obligation each month, CarInsurance.com is a source for unbiased answers and data about what consumers should expect from an insurance policy. The site lets consumers compare multiple car insurance quotes online and purchase a policy online in minutes. CarInsurance.com is owned and operated by QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ: QNST), one of the largest Internet marketing and media companies in the world. QuinStreet is committed to providing consumers and businesses with the information they need to research, find and select the products, services and brands that best meet their needs. The company is a leader in visitor-friendly marketing practices. For more information, please visit QuinStreet.com.

Press contact:

Andrew Heilman

775-784-3842

pr(at)carinsurance(dot)com

###

Andrew Heilman
CarInsurance.com
775-784-3842
Email Information

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/carinsurance-com-ranks-best-cars-teens-104214811.html

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating complaints that accelerators can stick in Ford Tauruses from model years 2005 and 2006.

The investigation, opened Wednesday, covers an estimated 360,000 of the sedans. The probe could lead to a recall, but so far none has been ordered by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a federal safety agency. The investigation does not include a nearly identical car, the Mercury Sable.

NHTSA said on its website that 14 people have complained about the problem. No crashes or injuries have been reported. Drivers have reported that it was hard to stop the car with brakes. Several said they had to shut off the engine or shift into neutral to stop. One driver ran a red light and entered an intersection before the car could be stopped.

The agency says the cruise control cable may become detached and hold the throttle open.

Ford spokesman Daniel Pierce said the company is cooperating in the probe. He said the company was just notified of the investigation and he did not know why the Sable was not included.

One driver said in a complaint to NHTSA on Aug. 27, 2010 that a 2006 Taurus began to accelerate without any pressure on the gas pedal. The driver pushed the brakes to the maximum, but the car ran a red light and stopped halfway into an intersection. The engine revved until the driver shut off the car, and it revved again when it was restarted.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” the driver wrote. “There needs to be something done about this before it becomes fatal.”

On Nov. 27, 2011, a different driver reported that the brakes couldn’t stop the car, which went through a red light and around two cars, reaching 70 mph (112 kph) before the driver put it in park and turned it off.

“Wow. The scariest thing I have ever experienced,” the driver wrote. “If there was heavy traffic someone would have been killed, no doubt in my mind.”

NHTSA said that it began the investigation to assess the scope, frequency and safety-related consequences of the problem. The agency posted documents outlining the probe on its website over the weekend.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-investigate-ford-tauruses-stuck-throttles-130350017.html

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating complaints that accelerators can stick in Ford Tauruses from model years 2005 and 2006.

The investigation, opened Wednesday, covers an estimated 360,000 of the sedans. The probe could lead to a recall, but so far none has been ordered by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a federal safety agency. The investigation does not include a nearly identical car, the Mercury Sable.

NHTSA said on its website that 14 people have complained about the problem. No crashes or injuries have been reported. Drivers have reported that it was hard to stop the car with brakes. Several said they had to shut off the engine or shift into neutral to stop. One driver ran a red light and entered an intersection before the car could be stopped.

The agency says the cruise control cable may become detached and hold the throttle open.

Ford spokesman Daniel Pierce said the company is cooperating in the probe. He said the company was just notified of the investigation and he did not know why the Sable was not included.

One driver said in a complaint to NHTSA on Aug. 27, 2010 that a 2006 Taurus began to accelerate without any pressure on the gas pedal. The driver pushed the brakes to the maximum, but the car ran a red light and stopped halfway into an intersection. The engine revved until the driver shut off the car, and it revved again when it was restarted.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” the driver wrote. “There needs to be something done about this before it becomes fatal.”

On Nov. 27, 2011, a different driver reported that the brakes couldn’t stop the car, which went through a red light and around two cars, reaching 70 mph (112 kph) before the driver put it in park and turned it off.

“Wow. The scariest thing I have ever experienced,” the driver wrote. “If there was heavy traffic someone would have been killed, no doubt in my mind.”

NHTSA knows the identity of people filing complaints but does not release their names.

The investigation is likely to be expanded to include the Sable, the Taurus’ twin from the defunct Mercury brand. NHTSA said in a statement that investigations generally include cars that use the same parts as cars under investigation.

NHTSA said that it began the investigation to assess the scope, frequency and safety-related consequences of the problem. The agency posted documents outlining the probe on its website over the weekend.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-investigates-stuck-throttles-ford-tauruses-165556222.html

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating sticky accelerators in as many as 1.9 million Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started the probe last week and expanded it on Monday to include cars from the 2001 through 2006 model years. The safety agency has received 14 complaints of Taurus sedans accelerating on their own. So far it has no reports of crashes or injuries because of the problem.

A faulty cruise control cable may be the cause. It can detach and hold the throttle open, the agency said in documents posted on its website. In at least two of the complaints, drivers told NHTSA that their cars took off and ran red lights before they were able to bring them to a stop by shifting them into neutral or park.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” one driver wrote in a complaint filed in August of 2010. “There needs to be something done about this before it becomes fatal.”

It’s a problem similar to one that tarnished Toyota Motor Corp.‘s reputation about two years ago. The Japanese automaker eventually recalled 14 million vehicles worldwide because of acceleration problems, which it blamed on ill-fitting floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals. At the time NHTSA said at least 52 people were killed in crashes linked to Toyota‘s acceleration problems. A NHTSA investigation cleared Toyota’s electronic throttle controls as a cause of the problem.

Ford is cooperating with the NHTSA investigation, spokesman Daniel Pierce said on Monday. “It’s asking for information like they have done in the past with other vehicles, and we will be working with them throughout the investigation,” Pierce said. Ford received a request for data from NHTSA on Monday and it is just starting to look into how many complaints have been made to company dealers, Pierce said.

NHTSA started the Ford investigation on Wednesday and said it involved 360,000 Tauruses from the 2005 and 2006 model years. On Monday it added the Sable to the investigation and asked Ford for information about both cars from the 2001 through 2004 model years.

In its investigation NHTSA will determine how many cars had the same parts and whether the problem is widespread enough to trigger a recall. So far none of the cars has been recalled. The Taurus and Sable are nearly identical and share almost all the same parts.

In another complaint about the Taurus filed on Nov. 27, 2011, a driver reported that the brakes couldn’t stop the car, which went through a red light and around two cars, reaching 70 mph (112 kph) before the driver put it in park and turned off the engine.

“Wow. The scariest thing I have ever experienced,” the driver wrote. “If there was heavy traffic someone would have been killed, no doubt in my mind.”

NHTSA knows the identity of people filing complaints but does not release their names.

If a car suddenly accelerates, drivers should brake firmly without pumping the brakes, shift the car into neutral, steer to a safe location and shut off the engine, NHTSA spokeswoman Lynda Tran said in an email. Drivers also should be sure they know in advance how to put the car in neutral because car diagrams can be misleading.

If a car has keyless ignition, drivers should know how to turn off the engine while the car is in motion, which may involve holding the button until the engine turns off, she said.

The Taurus, which was introduced in late 1985, was the best-selling car in the U.S. for five years in the early 1990s. But Ford let it languish while it focused on SUVs, and the Toyota Camry was soon outselling it. Ford renamed the Taurus the Five Hundred in 2006, but new CEO Alan Mulally insisted that the company return to the Taurus name with the 2008 model year.

Taurus sales have remained sluggish. Ford sold 63,526 of them last year, just 15 percent of the total sold at the car’s peak in 1992. The company discontinued the Mercury brand in 2010.

Ford has recalled the Taurus before for problems with its cruise control system. In 2008, the company recalled 1993-1995 models of the Taurus SHO, a performance edition, because faulty cruise control switches were linked to engine fires.

___

AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.

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Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-probes-sticky-throttles-1-9m-ford-sedans-225123891.html

DETROIT (AP) — Federal safety regulators are investigating sticky accelerators in as many as 1.9 million Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started the probe last week and expanded it on Monday to include cars from the 2001 through 2006 model years. The safety agency has received 14 complaints of Taurus sedans accelerating on their own. So far it has no reports of crashes or injuries because of the problem.

A faulty cruise control cable may be the cause. It can detach and hold the throttle open, the agency said in documents posted on its website. In at least two of the complaints, drivers told NHTSA that their cars took off and ran red lights before they were able to bring them to a stop by shifting them into neutral or park.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” one driver wrote in a complaint filed in August of 2010. “There needs to be something done about this before it becomes fatal.”

It’s a problem similar to one that tarnished Toyota Motor Corp.‘s reputation about two years ago. The Japanese automaker eventually recalled 14 million vehicles worldwide because of acceleration problems, which it blamed on ill-fitting floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals. At the time NHTSA said at least 52 people were killed in crashes linked to Toyota‘s acceleration problems. A NHTSA investigation cleared Toyota’s electronic throttle controls as a cause of the problem.

Ford is cooperating with the NHTSA investigation, spokesman Daniel Pierce said on Monday. “It’s asking for information like they have done in the past with other vehicles, and we will be working with them throughout the investigation,” Pierce said. Ford received a request for data from NHTSA on Monday and it is just starting to look into how many complaints have been made to company dealers, Pierce said.

NHTSA started the Ford investigation on Wednesday and said it involved 360,000 Tauruses from the 2005 and 2006 model years. On Monday it added the Sable to the investigation and asked Ford for information about both cars from the 2001 through 2004 model years.

In its investigation NHTSA will determine how many cars had the same parts and whether the problem is widespread enough to trigger a recall. So far none of the cars has been recalled. The Taurus and Sable are nearly identical and share almost all the same parts.

Customers with questions about their cars can call Ford at 1-866-436-7332.

In another complaint about the Taurus filed on Nov. 27, 2011, a driver reported that the brakes couldn’t stop the car, which went through a red light and around two cars, reaching 70 mph before the driver put it in park and turned off the engine.

“Wow. The scariest thing I have ever experienced,” the driver wrote. “If there was heavy traffic someone would have been killed, no doubt in my mind.”

NHTSA knows the identity of people filing complaints but does not release their names.

If a car suddenly accelerates, drivers should brake firmly without pumping the brakes, shift the car into neutral, steer to a safe location and shut off the engine, NHTSA spokeswoman Lynda Tran said in an email. Drivers also should be sure they know in advance how to put the car in neutral because car diagrams can be misleading.

If a car has keyless ignition, drivers should know how to turn off the engine while the car is in motion, which may involve holding the button until the engine turns off, she said.

The Taurus, which was introduced in late 1985, was the best-selling car in the U.S. for five years in the early 1990s. But Ford let it languish while it focused on SUVs, and the Toyota Camry was soon outselling it. Ford renamed the Taurus the Five Hundred in 2006, but new CEO Alan Mulally insisted that the company return to the Taurus name with the 2008 model year.

Taurus sales have remained sluggish. Ford sold 63,526 of them last year, just 15 percent of the total sold at the car’s peak in 1992. The company discontinued the Mercury brand in 2010.

Ford has recalled the Taurus before for problems with its cruise control system. In 2008, the company recalled 1993-1995 models of the Taurus SHO, a performance edition, because faulty cruise control switches were linked to engine fires.

___

AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.

.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-probe-sticky-throttles-1-9m-ford-sedans-211719515.html

A driver was found shot in his vehicle Thursday after it crashed following a police chase on I-95 in Lower Chichester Township, authorities said.

According to a police report, a state police trooper spotted a Mercury Sable speeding south on I-95 from Philadelphia at 11:30 a.m. The officer tried to stop the car, but it did not obey signals to pull over. It hit the center guardrail, then crashed while trying to leave the interstate at Exit 2, for Route 452. As the police approached the car, a gunshot was heard from inside. The driver, identified as Dwayne Perkins, was found shot. No information was available on his condition.

A passenger was in the car Perkins was driving; police did not say whether that person fired the shot or if it was self-inflicted. The passenger was not identified. – Dan Hardy

Article source: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/philadelphia/20120224_Del__federal_aide_named_Montco_public_defender.html

An elderly man drove his car into Northside Pharmacy Friday afternoon.

According to South Zanesville Firefighter JT Roberts the man hit the accelerator of his red Mercury Sable; propelling the car into a window of Northside Pharmacy on Maysville Avenue.

The driver was not injured in the accident, but the car side-swiped a parked mini-van next to it.

Retail Manager EJ Stoephel said employees were shaken up after the crash, but nobody was injured inside the store.

Despite the accident Stoephel said the pharmacy will remain open.

Police Chief Eric Findley said the accident is still under investigation.

This is the second time a vehicle has crashed into this building in the last two months.

You may remember back in December a car crashed into the Genesis First Care Complex side.

Article source: http://www.whiznews.com/content/news/local/2012/02/17/car-crashes-into-northside-pharmacy

POSTED: 10:26 pm EST February 21, 2012
UPDATED: 7:53 am EST February 22, 2012

Article source: http://www.wtae.com/news/30512399/detail.html

An 85-year-old woman died when one car cut in front of another in a Fayette County intersection Tuesday night.

State police in Uniontown said Wilma Jean McCoy was the passenger in a 2004 Mercury Sable that was headed east on Route 21. Another car, a 1996 Chevy Lumina, was heading west on Route 21 and tried to turn south on Work Parkway Road against the light, cutting in front of the car Ms. McCoy was riding in shortly after 7 p.m.

Medics took Ms. McCoy to Uniontown Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

State police said the driver in the other car, 20-year-old Robert Moser of Uniontown, and his passenger, 20-year-old Keisha Davis, were treated for minor injuries.

State police closed the road in both directions while they investigated and cleaned up after the wreck. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Moser will face charges in the accident.

Article source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12053/1211752-55.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml

It has taken several days and five police agencies to piece together the Feb. 11 crime spree reportedly committed by Jason Wayo. Wayo, 34, was arrested after leading authorities on a high speed chase through south Venice and barricading himself inside a house, leading to a standoff.

During the spree about 8,000 people who were warned by a reverse 911 call about an armed criminal roaming the area.

Authorities added additional charges Thursday, accusing Wayo of breaking into three homes and stealing three cars in Nokomis a week before last weekend’s SWAT standoff.

More charges were filed in Manatee, Sarasota and Pasco County, where Wayo reportedly stole a Mercury Sable last weekend and drove it to Cortez, beginning the crime spree.

“This guy has only been out of the state prison since August and he went back into his drug problem,” said Colonel Steve Burns, with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. “He has terrorized a lot of people and has been a great danger to the public.”

According to police reports:

A dozen victims described similar incidences of Wayo forcing his way into their homes and demanding car keys and then escaping with their vehicles, sometimes only driving them for minutes before repeating the crime.

A Vamo victim was sleeping when Wayo broke into his house two weeks ago at about 2 a.m.

“It took my breath away,” said Kevin Hardcastle, who said he later realized that Wayo was hiding in a closet when Hardcastle got up to use the bathroom. There was no confrontation, but Hardcastle said he had an eerie feeling in the middle of the night because his bedroom door was open when he remembered closing it.

Hardcastle woke up to find his keys, his car and $200 missing. Hardcastle’s Ford Focus was found totaled in Pasco County, where authorities say Wayo stole a Mercury Sable a week later and crashed it in a Cortez neighborhood, starting last weekend’s chain of crimes.

More stolen cars

There were only minor injuries reported until Feb. 11, when a woman stepped out of the shower in Stoneybrook and heard a man snoring in her closet. She fetched two neighbors — one a retired police officer — who confronted Wayo with a gun. In a struggle over the gun, a man and Wayo were both shot and another man suffered head injuries after Wayo butted him with a Colt gun. None of the injuries was life-threatening.

Wayo escaped with the woman’s Kia van and that started a manhunt that ended in the 3600 block of Roslyn Road, near where Wayo crashed the van and fled on foot.

Wayo was being held without bail in the Sarasota County jail on a list of charges including felony burglary, robbery with a firearm, fleeing and eluding police, hit-and-run and aggravated battery.

Wayo’s Feb. 11 crime spree began when he stole a Mercury Sable in Pasco County, then crashed it in a Cortez neighborhood around 7:30 a.m. Minutes later he broke into a house in the 1200 block of Harbor Landing Drive, escaping with the resident’s Cadillac.

Wayo crashed the Cadillac into a landscaping berm in the 1400 block of John Ringling Parkway minutes after stealing it.

A female resident came out of her home to help Wayo. He pushed past her into the house, yelling “Keys, keys, where are the keys!” Wayo then grabbed the keys off the kitchen counter and headed for the garage, pushing past a man and stealing a Jaguar.

Wayo ditched the Jaguar about two miles away, and in one of the most chilling encounters broke into a woman’s condominium in the 1900 block of Ben Franklin Drive while she was lying in bed watching television. He again demanded keys, telling the woman he did not want to hurt her. Wayo took money and keys from her purse and escaped with her BMW Z4.

Sarasota police issued an alert but it took about three hours and GPS tracking from the BMW to find the car, abandoned at Cat Tail Road, south of Venice.

Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies brought in tracking dogs and searched the area, eventually locating Wayo after the 1 p.m. shooting.

But Wayo, who grew up in the North Port/Venice area and has a criminal history that includes at least 14 felony convictions, was not done quite yet.

At about 2:30 p.m. a resident saw blood on the floor of his home in the 3600 block of Roslyn Road and notified police. Police surrounded the home as Wayo barricaded himself inside.

Wayo was finally arrested two hours later as he tried to sneak out the back door. He was wearing only a white T-shirt, a long-sleeve khaki shirt and white underwear.

Article source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012120219474