- The 1988 Mercury Sable
The Sable was the luxury version of Ford's Taurus model, and, like all Mercury offerings, was equipped with luxury style interior and exterior appointments, including its trademark lightbar that stretched across the nose between the headlamps. Early models were powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine with a three-speed ATX automatic transmission. The larger 3.0-liter Vulcan V-6 and 3.8-liter Essex V-6 were equipped with the four-speed AXOD automatics. - The ATX automatic transmission was produced from 1986 to 1994. It was a basic three-speed hydraulic transmission that was not computerized. There was also no overdrive component. It was controlled by a throttle cable instead of the more advanced computer technology found on Ford's competitors. Sable's sibling, the Taurus, and the Escort and Tracer models had the ATX replaced in 1991 with the Mazda-built F-4EAT automatic.
- An AXOD model automatic transmission
Sables equipped with the 3.0-liter Vulcan V-6 received the AXOD four-speed automatic beginning in 1986. By 1991, a new generation of AXOD transmissions was developed with new electronic controls with the internal identification code as AXOD-E. The Sable shared the AXOD with the Taurus and the 1991 to 1993 Lincoln Continental. - The AXOD and the AXOD-E were poor transmissions. The models suffered from lubrication problems and clutch failures. The transmission often slipped between first and second gear and generally shifted hard when dropping into any gear. Ford solved these problems by 1995, but the AXOD's poor reputation had already been sealed.
- Ford ended production of its Sable station wagon in 2004, with the sedan discontinued in 2005. The Taurus ended production as a midsize car in 2006. But, in 2007, Ford announced the Mercury Montego sedan was to be renamed the Sable, giving it a new lease on life as a full-size car. With the new Sable came renewed hopes for a long production along with a new automatic transmission.
- That new automatic came in the form of a General Motors/Ford $720 million team project to develop a new automatic for cars and light-duty pickups. The transmissions are identical for both brands but have separate names. Ford's new automatic for the full-size Sable was the 6F six-speed automatic, while GM marketed the automatic as the 6T70 and 6TF.
- Ford's 6F automatic transmission
The 6F was a versatile and durable automatic built at the Van Dyke Transmission factory in Sterling Heights, Mich. It was placed in the 2008 to 2009 Sables and Tauruses and is perhaps Ford's best transmission to date. Yet, sales of the Sable were disappointingly low and production ended in May 2009, although the Taurus remains.
