1998 FORD Contour

1998 FORD CONTOUR SE V6 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION THE COMPLETE UNDER THE HOOD ENGINE WIRING HARNESS HAS FAILED. ALL INSULATION IS EXPOSED AND CONNECTORS
ARE DEFECTIVE. THE CAR IS COMPLETELY UNSAFE AND UNABLE TO DRIVE. CAR WILL NO LONGER RUN. ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESS.
FORD HAS BEEN NO HELP IN THIS MATTER.

While shifting into 3rd gear, the transmission “crunches” In addition, the clutch slave cylinder leaks.

We have a 1998 Ford Contour. On the wholewe are very pleased with it except that there is a problem which no one seems to be able to fix. it is a stodgy problem and is intermittent. some days it drives very well other days it stodges and pulls back all the time. The CHECK ENGINE light goes on. It first came on in Oct 01 we took it to the Ford garage in Delhi. On. They said it needed a camsensor/ solenoid sprockets etc. ( would cost over $1000.) Mileage *109900.* since that was a lot of money we decided to take it to Canadian tire to see what they thought. They thought it was a camsensor. we had them put that in. $58. mileage *111346*. It worked fine for a cople weeks. We complained to Ford and found out about the AWA.. after warranty adjustment..This had not been mentioned earlier.So we a new solenoid sprocket etc. put in by Ford,, (Jan /02) mileage *109991*. How it came to that milegae when CTC had it back in NOV/ 01 and then it was* 11134*???? They also had it in Dec and the mileage was 112279.) that baffles me. ( I just noticed this now as I was preparing this report for you. It cost us $233.37. we thought that to be very reasonable and were very happy again.. For a while. The CHECK ENGINE LIGHT was to surface again. My daughter had the car at school so she was finally able to take it to our garage in May/28/02 at that time the garage checked #3 cylinder cause of our check engine concerns.. Cost 39.10. nothing was done at that time. Mileage *121792* the engine light continued to stay on. Finally we took it in again on Oct 24th and anopther camsensor was put on. $144.46. Mileage 130776]It was good for a couple weeks and then klight came on again. On Nov,.5th /02 took it in again and they said it would require an exhaust camshaft and solenoid gaskets and seals. Mileage 130776. We again asked about the AWA and they said No it was no longer covered. they said that the last solenoid was only covered for 20,000 KM. (We found out about this later0 had they detected the problem back in May when we brought it in and had they written down the correct mileage then it would have been covered under warranty. Since we did not really feel that the solenoid ( and really didn’t want to pay $1000 for fixing it and then finding out that there might be another problem) was the problem, since we had already had that replaced once we considered taking it to a guy that used to work at Ford. ( his wife drives a contour)he checked the car for surges. scantested it tried various computer parts rechecked valve. etc,, but it all proved negative. Last week as one last try we thought the problem might be in the gas line since if you step on the gas and ‘Gun’ it ‘ then it seems to be Ok for the rest of the trip. he checked to see if the gas was dirty and replaced the oil filter. cost $71.29 once again it worked for about a week and then the problem came back again. Mileage now is 142,293..I believe that since we had taken the car into Ford after the first solenoid was put on. and that the mileage was recorded wrong by them and that the warranty really should have counted since it was under 20,000 that Ford should try their best to fix this problem/. If I add 20,000 to the last milage taken by CTC.. which was 112279, then the parts would have had the warranty on till 132279, which would have taken us well into November Thank you for listening.. or reading about our car problem. Hopefully some acceptable solution can be agreed upon. We hate to trade it in cause when it works it drives and handles well, and we hate to pawn this problem off onto someone else that might be buying this as a used car, We feel that this is a safety issue as to we may be driving on a busy highway and then the car may lurch and balk.. when it misbehaves it also stalls when driving slowly or when going around corners or stopped at stoplights.

The check engine light came on at 83,000 miles. We had the timing belt changed at 66,000 miles and when we had it put on a diagnostic machine it said it was 1383 code but was not conclusive about the problem. The car runs fine but that code indicates an internal camshaft problem. we understand that there has been a service bulletin put out about the sensor that fits over the end of the cam but when we asked the service manager at a dealership he acted like we didn\’t know what we were talking about and said for $89 he could tell us even tho we had just had it checked at a local automotive garage. The sensor in question costs $329 and to have it fixed would be an expensive job.

Smoke coming from the dash ducts and the A/C blower does NOT work. Has been fixed by ford two (2) times before on RECALL but siad the car is OLD, and that it was fixed wrong the last time fixed ,next they said it was more than a year when fixed under RECALL. The same Ford dealer has always done the repairs to the car. Replaced the Blower moter switch but still has ON A/C or heater blower. Can NOT drive because of no blower to clean off the condensation from the inside windsheild.

Paint peeling badly on top of the car and also the trunk.

Paint is peeling and flaking off in big blotches from my blue 1998 Ford Contour. I wrote to the customer service address in Detroit and received no response.

On an otherwise good 2.0 liter, 4 cyl engine, the timing belt cannot be succesfully replaced, rendering the engine useless, because a new belt will not stay on, allegedly due to crankshaft endplay of .011 inches. Tolerance Spec for this seems to depend on who you talk to. I was first told by Ford dealer spec is .010 inches, then was told spec is .006 inches. MY info, from aftermarket repair manual indicates spec to be .003 to .012 inches. The car is in otherwise excellent condition.

Not sure on the exact dates for the power window. The fuel problem is a leak at the tank where it meets the pump(gasket). While I was repairing the gasket I broke a plastic clamp that holds the hoses in, I have been to three Ford dealers one parts guy said \"we just put them together you can

My 1998 Contour is at 128,225 miles. The problems that I have experienced with the car are the following:-The headlights go out of aim and moisture collects in the headlamp and when the moisture dries it leaves a film on the inside of the lens. The brightness of the headlights is terrible. I can barely see at night even when it is a clear night. I have had several near misses. I almost hit a man on a bicycle the other night. He had reflectors on his bike but I didn’t see him till I was right up behind him. I haven’t had this fixed because I can’t afford to pay two four hundred dollars for a new pair of headlamps. I havebeen actually looking in salvage yards. -Another thing is the transmission. It shifts out hard between first and second gears. Now it jerks when I go up hills or when I let off of the gas pedal. I figure if I take it to the Ford dealership they will tell me that I have to replace it.-The next thing is the drivers seat. The seat track itself has rust on some of the parts. The driver seat is the only one with the rust problem. When you sit in the seat it rocks side to side (from door to center console). This scares me because I read someone else’s complaint and he said he was hit from behind and the seat and the track itself broke on him.

Insulation on all underhood wiring harnesses has cracked and fallen off.Ford’s 99M03 only covers 1995-1997 Contours even though my 1998 SVT was built in May of 1997.Ford Service dept inspected and agreed this is a problem that needs to be fixed but backed off making any repairs when they saw the VIN.I have filed complaints with NTSB (DOT), BBB and several others.I am still waiting a response.Ford’s Customer Service Dept. is a joke.They could care less if your car crashes and burns.Very Poor way to treat a known issue.Also the clearcoat paint is is flaking off and looks horrible.

I\’m now having problems with my transmission and the dealer said that I shouldn\’t be having this kind of problems for a 1998 model – so I\’m checking out everything because he said it\’s going to cost about 2,000.00 to rebuild the transmission – is there a recall for this model or do you know how I can get help for the repairs – would the Ford Motor Company be responsible for this.

I’ve had my Ford Contour since June 2000. Just recently, the clear coat started peeling off the hood of my car.Would you please explain to me why this is happening!Thank you,Teresa Jo Walker

I was rear ended into another car on Oct.29 2002 and niether the air bag worked as well as the seatbelt did not lock. I had head, neck, and back injuries at that time. I did’t question these things not working because I was not hit hard. Oct. 27,2003 I was involved in the exact same type of accident only this time I was hit hard from behind and hit the car infront of me hard. Again nothing worked and this time the police even questioned the air bag. Again I have injuries to my face, head, neck, shoulder, and back but to what extent I do not know yet. I was at a complete stop in both accidents and hit straight on in the rear. In 2002 I hit the car in front straight on and now in 2003 I hit the front can with the center to passenger side. My car is said to be totaled.

I own a Ford Contour 1998 2.5l V6 that was driving well till I got a check engine light on 01/01/2004 I never take the car to a regular mechanic because I was under the assumption that Ford service center is more guaranteed. I took the car to J&S Ford in Jersey City NJ on 01/03/2004. I met with the assistant service manager. He told me that they will run a diagnosis and it will cost $124.00 but if I decide to do the service it will be deducted from the Labor cost.3 Hours later he called me and told me that they found out the problem it is the manifold & converter and if I want to fix it I have to pay upfront for the part since they don

I have taken my car into the dealership on six different occassions from July 2001 until last week. All of the times I\’ve brought the car in it has been for the same exact problem. The check engine light comes on. On some occassions, the car has continued to drive as normal. On others, it has either died, or stalled when coming to or accelerating from a stop. Each time I\’ve brought the car in (once I brought it in twice withing a week) they\’ve found something else \"wrong\" with the car. I\’ve gotten a new fuel pump, O2 sensor, mass airflow sensor and I\’ve had a fuel injection cleaning. Each time the check engine light has come back on again. This last time, the dealership told me I needed to replace the variable camshaft solenoid and that the repair was not covered by my warranty. They want to charge me $1,100 for the repairs! I have opted to take it to another mechanic for a second opinion. More than anything I want to get rid of this lemon, but I still owe a considerable amount. Ford doesn\’t care about my complaints and I\’m desperate!

Fan/motor stopped on air cond. on Low and Med, but worked on High.Gas tank leak occurred first time in Mar. Left spots on pavement of garage, so parked car outside til fixed. Had “fixed” at local shop the first time…didn’t hold. Leak began again in July, so new parts are ordered, w/new quote for repairs. This time correct parts will be installed. GREAT concern for safety! Had car towed because I was told it was unsafe to drive w/leak.

Engine Cranked but no start, after replacement of wire harnessing at steering column. Popping noise at right fender wall, while turning the steering wheel. Has yet to be resolved.

DRIVER’S DOOR: would not open from within or outside the vehicle, only access was passenger door.AIR BAGS: recall 99S23 performed on 02/04/00 (44255 km, vehicle under warranty). Error code 51 flashing, required replacment of left & right sensors plus air bag monitor module. Obviously the recall fix is inadequate (pig tail wiring on sensors still fails). Ford refuses to cover any costs after recall. Front wheel bearing failure at 92596 km. ($210.59 +GST)

Auto Transmission failed at 24000 miles under warranty (took 4 attempts to fix was finally replaced), and again at 50000 miles not under warranty. At 50000 mile failure, it took two attmepts to fix (once again needed to be replaced), and several other fialures occured at the same time (power steering, serpentine belt, etc.) due to negligence/incompetence of first repair shop in VA.

All wiring harnesses and connections under the hood have deteriorated, melted, cracked off, etc. It has caused multiple wires to touch each other. It has affected the alternator, the emissions system and sensors, the main computer, the throttle body and throttle sensors and finally now it will not start at all.

All 4 engine wiriing harness is in shambles with the insulation just falling off the wire. Car has shorted out and will not start. Six years old 74,000 mile car should not have this problem.

The headlight in the consumer's 1998 ford contour do not illuminate the road enough while driving at night. *kb visibility is especially bad while driving at night in the rain because the lights fog up. the consumer has almost had an accident because of the headlights. *nm

The front wheels on the 1998 ford contour were severely cracked. the rear of the wheel, the crack continued toward the rim, then curled to the right. *bf the vehicle was taken to the nearest ford dealer and was told that since the vehicle was out of warranty the manufacturer would not pay to replace the wheels . the consumer believes that the manufacturer should pay for replacing the wheels. *nm

Intermittently when the gas pedal was applied, the vehicle failed to accelerate. this occurred because of an obstruction in the flow of fuel to the engine. the dealership has serviced the vehicle 5 times. they have replaced the fuel pump, the filter and the oxygen sensor. the problem still exist. the dealership refused to service the vehicle anymore because they indicated they have done all they could do to correct this problem. *nm the vehicle leaked oil over the entire engine, the fuel pressure dropped when the vehicle was driven on mountainous areas, a short was found, and wires were found chaffed. *sc *jb

Dt: the contact states there is nhtsa recall campaign 99v243000 concerning the air bags sensor control module. this vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall, but it is not included in the recall due to vin. the contact repaired the vehicle at his own expense. *ak

Regarding nhtsa campaign id # 99v243000, concerning ford motor company recall 99s23 on 1998 ford contour. the nhtsa web page lists the remedy as: dealer will install air bag sensors with revised wiring insulation. in addition, vehicles which have the air bag warning light lit, will have a new air bag diagnostic monitor installed. my 1998 ford contour has had the wiring replaced when i brought the car in for it's annual inspection, and the air bag warning light was flashing code 51. once the wiring was replaced, the air bag light remained lit, and the car failed the safety inspection. ford customer service, and the ford dealership (freedom ford, 1020 w. mercury blvd. hampton va), refuse to replace the diagnostic monitor unless i pay for it. i would like the nhsta to remove the wording from their web page regarding this replacement, or inform me that ford motor company is responsible for the remedy. thank you.

Recall no.#99s23, airbag sensor module: recall no.#01f22, heater blower resister: when the vehicle is running the air bag light stays on at all times. also intermittently the heater will not work properly when the system is engaged. the heater will also blow out a foul odor similar to sulfur. there is a recall for this make, model and year vehicle but, the consumer's is not a part of the recall. *nm

Airbag light flashing 4-4, something to do with front air bag sensor, affected in damp conditions and occasionally for no reason. dealer looked at them and greased them for better connection, but wouldn't do any further work because my car doesn't fall under existing recall of same symptoms and problem. 1998 ford contour se sport, with 64,000 miles and excellent condition. still an ongoing problem, no injuries or crashes yet, but my understanding is that my airbags will not function if flashing during accident, that could be nasty. thanks again fords for trying you best to fit me under that existing recall!!! ha!*ak

Air bag light is on flashing 4-2. this indicates a failure in the front left crash sensor. under recall 99v243000 (ford # 99s23) this was supposed to be replaced. ford indicated that the recall work was performed on feb. 28th, 2000. i picked up the vehicle on feb 29th, 2000. if the recall work was performed, it lasted less than 4 years. ford stated to take it to local ford dealer, but no further recall was planned. a recall fix should last more than 4 years, especially on a safety system. *la

On september 29, 2000 this vehicle was involved in three car crash. upon impact the air bags deployed. *ak the passenger side air bag deployed fully and remained inflated although the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle. the drivers side air inflated 50% the deflated. the driver sustained minor injuries to her chest/ribs. the dealer replaced the air bag sensor. *nlm

I went to the ford dealership here in louisiana and showed them the papers that was sent to me concerning recalls for my year & make of car. i told them that some of the recalls on those papers was happening to my car and why haven't they been repaired when i brought my car in and they stated to me that if the vin # for my car didn't come up as a recall and as long as the problem didn't exist then they could not repair it . and i stated that even though my vin didn't come up and even though my car is having some these recalls problems yall are not going to repair them because my vin # didn't come up and the problem is not existing right now all are not going to repair or fix these recalls, and i was told yes. well, some of these recalls are existing on my car and i can't get the ford place to repair or fix them why is that? i think that's very unfair to the customer.*ak

There was consistent air bag module failure. scc *jb *nlm

Took vehicleto dealer for recall 99v243000 repairs in march of 2000. dealer replaced diagnostic monitor for airbag system. 15 months after original parts were replaced. airbag warning light was flashing. took back to dealer, and they stated that diagnostic monitor failed, which had been replaced prior. *ak

Mfr# 99s23 & nhtsa# 99 v 243 000/air bag senor assembly:consumer states that the air bag senor light would flashes intermittently while driving. a recall has been issued on the the vehicle make & model, however this vehicle is not included due to the vin#. feel free to provide any further information. nlm

Recall 99v243000/air bag sensor assembly:dealer:m&m ford, muscatine, ia; phone 563-263-5324 refused to honor recall because vehicle had too much mileage. manufacturer was notified. *ak the water pump failed and was replaced. the consumer states there was a recall on warning light but the dealer did not fix the recall due to high mileage on the vehicle. *yh

Recall 99v243000. repairs were done. however, after repairs, air bag warning light on the instrument panel remained illuminated, and dealership could not diagnose problem by error or computer codes. *note: air bag light was not on prior to recall service. in september 2001, dealership discovered an error code finding that the front air bag impact sensors were faulty. dealership was charging consumer $70, for diagnostic s, $300 for repair work. please provide any additional information / attachments. *ak

Air bag sensor is on back order since october 1999. as of yet dealer has no part. please provide further informaton. *ak

Consumer contacted dealer in reference to recalls 99v149000, 99v243000 and manufacturer's 9s23. dealer stated parts ere not available . please provide any further details. *ak

The air bag warning indicator light flashes on and off. consumer experienced the same problem in june of 98, but the light stopped flashing without being serviced. the vehicle will be checked by the dealership. *ak

Driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid hitting an animal in the street, the vehicle overturned onto its roof and ran into a ditch and after impact the air bags deployed, as a result of the faulty air bag the driver was killed and the passenger sustained injuries to his head, prior to this accident the consumers received recall notice 000-000 for the air bag and went to the dealer for repair, the delaer was unable to perform repairs due to lack of parts and the consumer was advised to return in a few days, consumer returned to the dealer who still had no parts available and approximatley three days later the accident occured. *ak *mr *nlm

Check air bag light on. yh

Air bag sensor failed. *yc

Air bag warning light intermitently failing. yh

Intermittent rattle in steering wheel near air bag, dealership investigated and found no case, however, the front crash sensor was replaced as per recall 99v-243, on 9/16/00 air bag light began to flash, no record of code found in system, on 11/11/00 air bag light began to flash intermittently again, apparently, rh crash sensor not mounted, bracket rusty and broken, bolt broken, repairs made. cj airbag light continues to illuminate, dealer checked vehicle in march 2001 and still found no problems, consumer has another appointment with a dealer in june to see if they can determine problem. *slc

Consumer was not notified of the recalls on the vehicle by the manufacturer, web site alerted the consumer to obtain repairs. *mjs

Consumer is very unhappy with the number of recalls (6) that have been issued on the vehicle and feels the vehicle is a lemon. nlm

Posible air bag sensor failed causing the air bag light to blink intermittently. yh

"takara recall" my heater motor in my 98 ford contour se just stopped working.

Was driving down route 322 on day and had to hit the break and all of a sudden they went to the floor. i pulled over and checked my break fluid resivour and it was empty. i think the passenger side drum break is leaking fluid.

Takata recall i and other consumers have contacted ford regarding the 1998 ford contour and it's defective parts including the engine wire harness yet they are refusing to acknowledge nor accept responsibility for or correct the problem stating it's not under recall t*jbreating each person who has contacted them as if they are an island and this is a isolated event my water pump,flashers,brake lights,have been all affected by this also my check engine light is on making me unable to register my car and get updated tags please contact t me regarding this matter as i and other consumers need help with this .[xxx] via email also [xxx]. vin invalid information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. while driving approximately 40 mph on a wet road, the steering wheel seized. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coil springs were damaged. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact stated that the failure recurred every time the road was wet. the approximate failure mileage was 137,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the reverse gear failed to operate. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 98v233000 (power train). however, the vin was not listed under the recall. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was unknown.

1998 ford contour. consumer writes in regards to vehicle brake line corrosion. *smd the consumer stated the brakes the failed. the repair shop, stated there was no brake fluid in the reservoir. the consumer also stated the gas line leading to the tank had to be replaced, due to corrosion. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the engine wiring harness was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

I just traded and got this car, it seems to sway in the back going over wet roads or bumpy roads not sure what it is, but i fear my safety as the previous owner did not tell me about this. i also have noticed that the temperature gauage does not work and the heater blower only works on high. i cannot afford to get things fixed if there is recalls on them.

I am the owner of a 1998 ford contour and the engine harness wire overheated over a long period of time and i was unaware until i had to change my radiator due to a leak and the harness wire had to be disconnected. that was when we found the wire melted and cracked and could not be reused. this harness connects to vehicle main supply. without harness vehicle is not operable. ford should be responsible to replace defective harness. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, there was a strong gasoline fuel smell. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the technician stated there was a fuel vapor leak in the fuel filler grommet. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 00v350000 (fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

The engine wiring harness which connects to the vehicle's main power supply box has wiring for which the insulation comes off exposing live, bare wires. this leads to shorts in the electrical system which affects drivability (engine runs erratically and affects the electric fuel pumps operation) and could lead to a vehicle fire if the wiring suffers catastrophic failure. it goes without saying that if the car's fuel supply or engine control systems fail, the driver may lose control and become involved in a crash or collision. ford does not sale replacement parts nor are parts available on the secondary market. the part number for the wiring harness on my car is f8rz14289ca. ford should be required to replace these defective harnesses. *tr

Was on i65 was driving fine hird a loud explosion engine started to rev up a piece of the transmission casing went into my tire causing a blow out, car became out of control and hit gaurdrail. *tt

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated while driving various speeds his tail lamps, parking lamps, and the instrumental panel malfunctioned. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor was it repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact was driving 30 mph when the vehicle suddenly shifted into first gear. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 98v233000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift) but the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. the contact was concerned that the sudden downshift could cause a crash. the failure mileage was 22,000. updated 06/10/11 *bf updated 2/08/2012 *ln *tr the consumer stated the defect ecm/pcm engine control computer and replaced at the tune of $750 with a part used part. *tr

My 1998 ford contour has three safety recalls. however, i'm having a terrible time getting ford to provide the parts needed to service the vehicle. the recalls are: (a) 01s22 - heater blower resistor and connector, (b) 99s14 - headlight switch connector, and (c) 99s23 - front crash sensors. presently my airbags are offline and offer no crash protection. it's been a little over a month since i began trying to get this resolved (basically when i bought the car - the seller didn't disclose the recalls were not fixed to me). the blower stopped working a few days ago and it smelled like electrical wires were perhaps burning. so now i don't have defrost/defog capability. the dealer is trying to get the parts, but ford hasn't shipped them. *tr

I own a 1998 ford contour se v6 manual trans vin #[xxx] the under the hood wiring harness is failing there was a recall for this defective part but ford continues to say that my car is not under the recall the insulation on the wiring harness has completely flaked or crumbled off causing the car not to run or potential deadly fire no help from ford motor company. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that when dispensing fuel into the fuel tank, the automatic fuel nozzle would shut off at any fuel capacity level. the failure was a continuous occurrence when dispensing fuel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they informed the contact that the fuel pipe flapper valve would need to be replaced. there was a manufacturers voluntary recall (manufacturer recall number: 01m04) yet the manufacturer informed the contact that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 200.

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the driver was driving at an unknown speed when the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact, who was a certified independent mechanic, where he discovered that all of the wires under the hood were exposed and corroding. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 284,371.

Wiring connector that feeds the hvac system burned and melted the connector plug and main fuse block at the point of the connector. this wire was a size 10 awg and is oversized for the connector that it is used for. this caused a fire at the connector. i have picture is you would like a copy. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. while driving approximately 35 mph the vehicle lost all power. the contact was able to coast onto the emergency lane. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who stated that the vehicle had severe electrical problems and suggested that the vehicle be taken to an authorized dealer. the dealer advised the contact that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage were 92,000.

1998 ford contour, vehicle hood came loose and hit the roof of the vehicle. *bf (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0296-90)*jb

I heard about the ford contour engine wiring harness recall only by internet. my car is a ford contour sport 1998. the wire insulation is peeling off in the whole harness, and the car is stopped now. mileage is approx. 110000. i never received any message from ford. i am the only owner of the car. *tr

The wiring insulation on my 1998 ford contour is literally falling off the wires. i am afraid to touch any wire because the insulation just flakes off leaving bare wire. this has been occurring for quite some time and apparently is fairly common in this model. *tr

Insulation on wiring harness breaking and falling off.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that he parked his vehicle overnight and the next morning his front left spring had snapped in half. the contact stated that his tire was punctured as well. he contacted the dealer and they were unable to do anything for him. the current and failure mileages were 89,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. while driving approximately 60 mph the entire instrument panel and radio failed, and then the engine stalled. the driver was able to jump start the engine. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair facility, and the mechanic concluded that the wiring harness failed. his vehicle identification number was excluded from recall# 01v230000 (electrical system). no repairs were made, and the vehicle was inoperable. the failure and current mileages were 82,000. the vehicle identification number was unavailable.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. while driving approximately 35 mph, it became difficult to shift gears. the mechanic stated that the torque converter was clogged and needed to be replaced. the contact was advised to replace the torque converter before it damaged the engine and transmission. the manufacturer stated that the warranty doesn't include the torque converter. the contact is responsible for paying the repair cost and he is unable to drive the vehicle. the failure mileage was 49,800.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the front driver's and passenger side coil springs came out of the spring catcher bracket while changing the tires. if a tire were there, it would have burst. the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 01v255000. the manufacturer was not willing to assist or assume any liability for the failure. the failure and current mileages were less than 127,000. updated 07/28/09 *bf updated 07/30/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the wiring harness and the wiring around the heating unit sensors have deteriorated. the coding has cracked off the other wires, causing them to be exposed. this allows all of the wires to touch each other, which could cause a short in the vehicle. as a result, the engine temperature gauge does not work. the vehicle is still operable, but the coolant temperature becomes extremely high. in addition, the vehicle stalls while traveling at low speeds, such as 15 mph. the dealer stated that the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 01v230000. the contact feels that the vehicle should be included in the recall since the failures were identical. the current and failure mileages were 62,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that bolts were missing from the engine and transmission. he did not know the bolts were missing at the time the vehicle was purchased. the dealer stated that they did not have the necessary parts available, but would have them ordered. the dealer did not know when the parts would arrive because the manufacturer did not have them in stock. the failure mileage was 150,000.

1998 ford contour. headlight connector over heated resulting in loss of tail lights and parking lights and instrument panel illumination. terminal 15 of connector was burned. safety recall 99s14 addresses this problem but ford dealer says this car was not covered by the recall. . i installed ford kit f5rz14a411ba and fixed the problem. why was this car not covered by the recall or is the ford dealer mistaken? should the recall be expanded? i saved the old connector. *tr

I currently am the second owner of a 1998 ford contour. recently the parking, and dashboard lights ceased to operate. i changed the headlight switch which lasted for a week and burned out.. research on the internet revealed there was a service recall dated 5/10/99 under serial #99v10300 for the headlight harness which was causing the above described problem. i contacted ford who stated their was no open recall on this vehicle. further research on the internet revealed additional owners who had the same problem but were informed by ford that their particular vehicle was not covered under the recall. my complaint is if so many ford contour models are having this problem why are only certain vehicles covered when many are having identical problems thankyou *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. while driving at an unknown speed, the air bag indicator illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. after a week of the air bag illuminating, he drove the vehicle to a local repair shop for diagnostic testing. the mechanic stated that the front driver's side crash impact sensor was defective. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that nhtsa campaign id number 99v243000 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module) was directly related to the recall. the manufacturer stated that the vine was not included in the recall; therefore, they were not liable for the repair costs. the current mileage was 102,815 and failure mileage was 102,000.

Ford contour transmission bucks and surges upon initial acceleration. does not seem to stay in gear based upon the bucking motion. ford technician inspected it and stated that the engine and transmission have weak mounts that affect proper operation. he suggested replacement of the mounts, although upon visual inspection, the mounts looked normal. *tr

My husband and i purchased a used 1998 ford contour, upon inspection, we found that the transmission was shot. so we decided to do a little research on this vehicle and found that there a recall on this particular vehicle for transmissions problem. saying that the shift may not put into the correct gear which can or will cause transmission problems. in which are having. *tr

I have a 1998 ford contour lx with only approx. 53,000 miles on it. i am on the 4th (fourth) alternator replacement: august 2004, october 2005, august 2006 and now, september 2008. there is definitely a problem with this car. i would like to know if there has been a recall on this year and model of ford vehicle. *tr

1. all engine wire harness insulation is cracking and falling off. bare wire at most of the engine compartment connectors. unknown damage under wire wrapping. existing ford recall cover 95-97 year models. subject vehicle is a 98 model year. 2. still waiting for the first major meltdown. connector wires are physically pulled apart to prevent electrical shortage. 3. no repair work has been done. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact purchased brakesafe front disc pads for the vehicle. approximately 30 miles later, a grinding and rattling noise was heard and an outer lining on the padding fell off. the contact took the vehicle to the mechanic and was informed that the pads were defective. he purchased new pads, which he felt worked as they should have. he attempted to call the auto parts store from where he purchased the defective pads, but they would not assist. he also called the corporate office and received no assistance. the contact filed complaints with the federal trade commission and ohio attorney general. the serial number and part number were unknown. the current mileage was 135,000 and failure mileage was 134,970. updated 06/25/08. *cn the consumer stated passenger side caliper was warped and the rotor was damaged. updated 06/25/08

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact took his vehicle to a mechanic to have the gear shifting system repaired, and was informed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. the current mileage was 97,000 and failure mileage was 27,300.

Original start date 1-12-07. timing belt shredded. had shop fix the problem. 4-2-07 belt broke again replaced again. 10-18-07 timing belt broke again. shop did not want to replace again said it is dealer problem. dealer says shop problem. shop says it will fix on 11-2-07. shop finally fixes on 11-4-05. car not running right take back to dealer on 11-5-07. dealer says wasn't fixed properly. 11-8-07 pick up from dealer and they state we should have any more problems. if so bring back under warranty. 3-13-08 dealer now states belt broke and not covered and other major problems. almost 1600 to fix. still can't give me specific reason to why belt keeps shredding. now what is one to do? i have put alot of money into this and can't get a real answer. also in the past shop printed out other reports from nhtsa sight about the same problem with this same car in different states. but yet dealer says don't know of any other problem like this with this kind of car. *tr

Fuel spit-back while refueling. took to ford dealership and since the extended coverage for the fuel pipe flapper valve expired 5 months ago they will not repair. ford wants $300 to repair. my car only has approximately 88,800 miles and i do not have $300 to repair. i called ford in michigan and they said the same thing and emphasized the importance of taking car to ford dealership for repairs. i took car to ford in mississippi in 2002 and no mention of recall was made. ford, in my opinion, seems to be of the mind "do not fix it if it is not broke". well it is broke now and if coverage expired 5 months ago that is not a long period of time and ford should pay for the repair of the fuel pipe flapper valve as they know it is defective. when i get gas the fuel spills on the ground causing harm to my family, passengers in the car, the general public and myself. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the engine wiring harness insulation failed and caused the wires to touch, which could possibly result in a fire. the dealer stated that the vehicle was not covered under warranty any longer. the contact discovered a recall for the 1995-1997 models for the exact same defect. as a result, the vehicle stalled and had to be towed to his residence. the vehicle jerked and made a beeping noise prior to the failure. the purchase date was unknown. the failure mileage was 94,600 and current mileage was 94,782.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. while driving 25mph the front coil spring on the passenger side of the vehicle broke and disabled the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a local dealer. she states that she contacted ford motor company, where they stated that her vehicle vin number is not included. the total cost on repairs was $950.00. the nhtsa campaign id number is: 01v255000. the failure mileage was 47,000 and the current mileage is 47,020.

Engine wiring harness insulation is crumbling leaving exposed wires. found that this is a common problem for ford contours (all years), but that a recall has only been issued for 1995-1997 vehicles. have had multiple problems with sensors not working, speedometer and fuel gauge intermittently stops functioning. check engine light comes on randomly. mechanic has stated that problems are in wiring harness. *tr

I am the owner of a 1998 ford contour. i bought it used, and within a 1 year remainder of a 3 year warranty. i was never officially notified of several defects and nhtsa recalls that are still in effect for this car model year. one of the repairs for the blower resistor was performed twice, however it was never done to my satisfaction and it did not meet the standards of quality as expected for the recall. there are several safety issues with this car, and i am now afraid to keep driving it after what i have read. the ford motor company is very negligent in following up with consumers on these issues, and they keep an outdated database of former owners which they fail to update with the current owners in cases where the car ownership has changed hands. i am kind of close to hiring a lawyer to sue them over these recall issues. what should i do? are they still obligated to fix the recall issues at their expense? i am certainly not about to put one dime of my own money into that car to fix issues covered by recalls. again, i do not wish to fight or wrangle with a company that is so awful who puts out a terrible and cheap product like the ford contour, then won't stand behind their car. however, if there are formal responsibilities which they are legally bound to, i will reserve my right to pursue this under the fullest extent of the law. please advise. sincerely, mr. mcdonough *tr

Timing belt failure. since 2004 i have had 5 new belts put on. 2007 had 2 new belts in 7,000 going on 3rd now. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the vehicle was taken to the repair shop for regularly scheduled maintenance. the mechanic stated that the front passenger side coil spring failed. in 2001, the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 01v255000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). the dealer inspected the vehicle at that time and stated that no repair was needed. however, now that the failure has occurred, the manufacturer stated that the recall was no longer valid. the failure mileage was 73,000 and current mileage was 81,000. updated 01/09/08. *lj the consumer stated the coils springs have been replaced twice in this vehicle. the dealer stated replaced headlight switch and cable in engine. updated 12/12/07 *tr updated 06/04/08. *lj

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. while driving 20 mph, the contact noticed smoke and flames rising from under the hood. the fire destroyed the vehicle. a police report was filed. as of september 18, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle to determine the cause of the fire. the purchase date was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 75,237.

For several years vehicle made a bang when going over a speed bump just assumed it was bumper on suspension. today i looked under vehicle found that the gas tank strap has completely rusted away and from the looks of it has been gone for a long time. the bang might have been the tank. vehicle has been garaged with 61k. *jb

I was driving a 1997 ford contour. this was the car i drove to and from work. i was driving to longview community college(lvcc) for a rehearsal and lesson on the bruce watkins drive (highway 71) south. the traffic was heavy as there was an accident at the grandview triangle. i was in the middle lane just at the 87th street exit. a vehicle cut in front of me to exit at this turn off. i was slowed to about 35 mph and was driving across a bridge. at the end of that bridge was a huge bump. as i hit that bump, the air bag exploded. i could not see with the powder, smoke and the smell ( which was burning my eyes.) i ran into the back of a trail blazer. the trailer hitch rammed through the radiator. the driver did not know that i even had hit him. 60 seconds after the accident, a police captain detective on her way home from the metropolitan police station, asked me if i was ok. she said, "i saw the air bag deploy before you hit that car in front of you." the noise of the horn was loud. the front windshield was broken by the hood, which was bent back like a banana. all of the glass in the front was all broken. i was checked out by the mast ambulance. the car was loaded on a truck and pulled onto the property of dick smith ford in raytown, mo. i called my agent with state farm insurance, and he got me in touch with their underwriters after the car was written off as being a total wreck. i had informed him what happened. the underwriters said, "they would have to pick and chose their battles with a big company like ford." i also called ford in michigan and informed them about this situation. i have found on the internet 13 other examples of this kind of accident. i did not receive a ticket or any notice of wrongful driving. i did go to my doctor for several adjustments on my neck and back. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. in march of 2006, the blower motor failed and caused the air conditioner not to work. the contact just found a safety recall for his vehicle and will call the dealer to determine if his vin is included. the vin, powertrain, nhtsa recall number, and purchase date were unknown. the current mileage was 80,207 and failure mileage was 67,300.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. he noticed that there was a fractured coil spring during a routine inspection. there is a safety recall for the suspension: front: springs: coil springs (nhtsa campaign #01i013000) however his vin was not included. the vehicle purchase date was unavailable. the current mileage was 125,000 and the failure mileage was 124,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the engine is not returning to idle. the accelerator pedal sticks and, when it is released, the engine continues to idle at high rpms. the throttle also sticks while driving between 10-80 mph. the failure occurs each day under normal weather conditions. the current mileage was 139,653 and failure mileage was 130,000. updated 09/12/07.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. open electrical circuits and melted housing materials were found under the hood of the vehicle. the contact notified ford who stated that her vin was not included in recall # 01v230000 (electrical system). ford stated that nothing could be done. the dealer stated that the repair was never previously performed. the current and failure mileages were 115,000.

The contact stated that the left front spring broke and punctured the tire while the car was parked in the driveway. car was towed to the dealer, who found recall notice and replaced left spring and left tire at no charge. less than a year later the same thing happened to the right spring and tire. car was again towed to dealer, who again replaced the spring and tire at no charge as this was a recall problem. dealer could not understand why the right spring had broken because he claimed that the right spring had been automatically changed when the left one failed as part of the recall spring replacement instructions. that meant that the right spring failed after being on the car only 10 months. car is a 1998 ford contour lx. mileage 75,000. the car has performed fine other than this spring problem. *ak

Tl*t he contact owns a 1998 ford contour se. the floor shift automatic transmission control was damaged after it was subjected to certain interior cleaning products. the gear position indicator deteriorated , and did not correctly indicate the actual gear position. while driving 50 mph in 2nd gear the vehicle shifted out of gear. the contact's vehicle had the same failure as listed in recall# 98v233000. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 103,000, and the current mileage was 106,000. *ak left message 10/16/07 *lj.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact discovered that the right front tire was flat. in the process of fixing the tire the contact realized that the right front coil spring detached and punctured the tire. the dealer was contacted regarding the coil spring. there was recall # 01i013000. however, this vehicle was not included. the current and failure mileage were 81,320.ak

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the front springs failed on the vehicle. while the vehicle was parked the contact noticed that the driver's side tire was flat. once the tire was removed it was evident that the front coil spring had punctured the tire. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 85,000.*ak

Tl* - the contact called regarding the 1998 ford contour. the contact stated that the engine seized when the temperature was extremely cold. the failure mileage was 50,000. the dealer diagnosed the failure as needing a new processor. the engine light stayed on.

Tl*- the contact's vehicle stalled while driving 35 mph and the driver was unable to move the car from the middle of the road. the contact took the car to dealer (maroone ford) and they told her that the failure was due to a problem with the electrical system and that it was under warranty but she will have to wait for the repairs.

Drivers side door window crank shaft (manual window) snapped off clean inside regulator leaving window utterly inoperable. this happened during normal operation of window during normal operating conditions and warm weather. dealer claimed "it happens a lot". very dangerous if vehicle was in a fire, accident, submerged in water etc. *jb

I have a 1998 ford contour svt, this is my third one. every one i purchase has the same problem, the wires in the wire harness for the computer and car crack and the coating just falls right off, which allows the wires to the computer to touch which shorts the computer and makes the car no longer start, it will crank but it will not start cause the computer in shorted and confused so there is no fuel and no spark going to the fuel rail or the coil pack. at this point the car needs a wire harness and a pcm and this all costs close to $3000 of which i do not have to fix it. my friend worked for general electric and he said he has seen this before at the factory when the coating is heated to high once it drys its only a matter of time before the coating cracks and flakes off. ford says they will not help me although its a consistent problem with these svt contours i am hoping this can help all us ford lovers. *nm

There's a recall on 1995-1997 ford contour ( #99m03 at www.contour.org/faq/recall/99m0). the recall is for a complete engine harness failure , due to cracking and brittle wires. my vehicle was manufactured 06/97, and i have a complete wire harness failure. they want over $3000.00 to repair a problem that should be covered under a recall. i spoke to ford and they do not have an answer as to why they are only covering some vehicle. they should cover all contour's with this problem. this is a matter they should not be aloud to get away with. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the temperature gauge became inoperable. the vehicle was driven to the dealer who replaced a sensor. *ak

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 15 mph, all power failed causing the engine to stall, along with steering and brake failures. the service dealer attempted to diagnose the problem on several occasions without success. the power failure had happened 6 times since 2001. an independent service dealer expressed the wiring harness was beyond repair and should have been replaced. the manufacturer was notified.

Dt*: the contact stated without warning, the vehicle would not start. it was towed to an independent repair shop, who determined the engine harness, cooling fan harness, and power distribution box wiring needed to be replaced.

Headlights do not provide sufficient illumination. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 5 mph, the driver's side seat reclined on its own. the vehicle has not been inspected by a mechanic.

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 50 mph, the wiring in the engine compartment became brittle and the insulation cracked and fell off due to overheating. the connection to the engine also disintegrated due to overheating and the check engine light illuminated. the service dealer informed the contact the wiring harness needed to be replaced. when the manufacturer was contacted, the contact was informed the vin did not match the recall for the electrical system (01v230000), ford recall # 01s22. updated 1/17/2007 - *nm

My family and i were making a right turn from the parking lot of a movie theater to a moderately busy street. after i completed the turn, i heard a loud "bang", and my car suddenly swerved to the right, and i couldn't stop. i could not go forward, or back around. thinking that it was caused by a blown tired, i got out; it was not. when i had it towed to my mechanic, he said that one of the steering rods on the front, right passenger wheel had broken. he replaced both the right and the left steering rods. *jb

My 1998 ford contour's paint is peeling and starting to rust on the roof. *jb

The headlight in the consumer's 1998 ford contour do not illuminate the road enough while driving at night. *kb visibility is especially bad while driving at night in the rain because the lights fog up. the consumer has almost had an accident because of the headlights. *nm

As of today my car has 100250 miles. the problem is that i took my car to the mechanic for routine checkup and he found that the front and back coil spring are defective and must be replaced asap. i went to the web site (nhtsa) and i found that these cars don't have a safety recall however, it is deemed a safety replacement for the defective part at not cost to the owner. i need ford to contact me via e-mail or by mail to where i can take my car (a service center authorized near to my house) to repair my car at not charge. i use my car primarily as a family car and i need my car in good condition for the safety of my family. *jb

I have a 1998 ford contour that the dashboard lights and rear taillights have stopped working, while the headlights continue to function. the cause was the wiring overheating and i had to replace the wiring harness and the switch. i did some research online and located a recall nhsta campaign 99v103000 for the 1998 ford contour for this exact problem, but according to the dealership my car was not included in the recall. i have had to pay for the work out of pocket, but i am wondering if it was in error than my car was not included. *jb

My daughter drove my 1998 6 cyl contour automatic on route 95 from stoneham to wakefield, ma (one highway exit). the car was behaving normally and had behaved normally until that point. a servo cover fell off of the transmission. that allowed all of the transmission fluid to pour out of the transmission in seconds. the servo cover, a three inch diameter piece of heavy metal shaped like a frisbee, nearly hit a motor cyclist. the car coasted to a stop near 128 ford of wakefield, ma. their service writer, ludlow, told me that this is a relatively common occurrence with the ford contour. that opinion was reinforced by two employees of fna transmission repair of wakefield. i called ford. i was told that they have no knowledge of this ever happening to a contour. i asked the customer service rep to file a report, and i told him that i would as well. i am concerned that this defect exists and is a serious hazard to motorcyclists (i am one.) i am worried that the rapid loss of transmission fluid usually leads to serious transmission damage. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission slipped out of gear. the vehicle has not been seen by a mechanic, but the dealership and manufacturer were alerted. there was a nhtsa recall, # 98v233000, regarding the automatic transmission floor shift; however, it was not included in the recall due to the vin.

On 98 ford contours both of the headlights form condensation on the inside and then become pitted. this greatly reduces the visibility at night and during stormy weather. we have changed the bulbs but not the entire headlight assembly. when we went to look for a set of headlights we discovered that all the used sets have the exact same problem. the lights need to be replaced and this problem is occurring on all ford contours and its mercury counterpart. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle stalled several times immediately after being started and the check engine light illuminated constantly. therefore the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the battery, on-board computer, and alternator were replaced. a rebuilt transmission was also installed. after the work was performed, the problems continued. there is a nhtsa recall campaign # 98v233000, regarding the power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift related to the make and model of the vehicle, however the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. the water pump and thermostat was replaced. updated 05/03/06. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the transmission slipped out of gear between 10-50 mph. the engine revved when this occurred. the gear shifter is moved to a lower gear then back to drive, but the transmission does not go back into gear. the vehicle has not been seen by a mechanic.

Recurring electrical problems and dangerous exposed wiring resulting from deteriorating under hood wiring harness. same problem existing on 1995-1997 contours addressed by owner notification program 99m03. ford dealer examined and acknowledged problem exists but will not repair as onp 99m03 doesn't cover 1998 contour. see http://henning.ws/fordcontour.cfm for photographic evidence of problem. *jb

Ford will not repair a recall (99s14) on my 1998 contour se due to the fact that my specific vin number is not included in the recall, although the year is in the recall. the problem is the same. (instrument panel lights and tail lights not working when headlights are turned on.) the description of the ford recall 99s14 is the same as my observed problem. unsafe to drive car at night. no correction has been performed. ford should take responsibility for this known recall. *nm

Dt: the contact was sitting in the driver seat while the vehicle was parked. the driver seat suddenly fell backwards and the hinge broke. the seat felt lose prior to the failure, but had not been inspected. after inspection the dealership said the breakage was due to fatigue of the seat frame. the entire seat was replaced. *ak updated 2/21/2006 - *nm

The 1998 ford contour have many known problems, the one i am currently having an issue with is a faulty headlight switch that causes the dashboard lights to go out creating a situation where a driver can not see their safe speed and worse the running lights also stop working, preventing people from seeing your car from behind. the brake lights and turning lights work but not the running lights. on a dark road the car is not visible from behind. both these conditions make it extremely unsafe to operate the vehicle at night. there is a recall from ford covering this exact problem however for some reason the ford can not tell me, my car is not included. i have a 1998 ford contour. so far no one at the dealer will help me to determine why my car is not included although they agree it is the same problem and calls to ford have gotten me no where as well. what can i do now? it is an expensive repair and a safety issue as well. *nm

Dt: the contact states there is nhtsa recall campaign 99v243000 concerning the air bags sensor control module. this vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall, but it is not included in the recall due to vin. the contact repaired the vehicle at his own expense. *ak

Transmission began to downshift (3->2) hard recently, and i brought it to an automatic transmission specialist who performed several tests and gave it a clean bill of health. ~5,000 mi later while gently slowing to turn left from a major street, it felt as though i had run over some walnut shells. as i began to ease open the throttle to complete the turn, the engine bogged and the car lurched, making some crunching sounds. i coasted to a stop on the side of the road, but the car would not move under its own power or by pushing by hand. local transmission shops have said the cd4e transmission is notorious for early failure, and that i was lucky to get 102,000 miles from it because many fail by 40,000 miles. they have quoted me repair prices ranging from $1500 to $3500. i am very grateful this failure did not happen while either on the freeway or on a curvy road, as an axle lockup like this would be very dangerous. *jb

All the wiring under the hood has brittle insulation. every senor. my car does not fall under recall 99m03 which is should since it is the same problem. my car was built in 1997 and titled a 1998. this is a serious fire hazard. *jb

Automatic transmission hard shift from 1-2. *nm

My dash on my 98 contour has been warping / curling , even while it kept in my garage , in a cool climate . also my rear bumper is sagging for no apparent reason . *jb

Dt: the contact received nhtsa recall 01v230000 . the dealership said that they did not want to fix the recall at this time because there was no problem, and it required them to remove the entire dashboard. she did not start experiencing a problem until 2005. the blower did not work all the time. the new owner of the dealership did not want to do the recall repair. the manufacturer said that the vine was included in the recall, however it expired. they said that the time frame for the recall was either the first six years after the vehicle was manufactured or 72,000 miles. therefore, the repairs have not been done because of the time limit. *ak

Dt: while driving and without prior warning the consumer could not make a right turn. took vehicle to the repair shop, and they said the rack and pinion steering rack broke, and needed to be replaced. also, did a power steering flush. *ak *nm

Dt: the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. the contact complained about a rear coil spring problem. the contact stated while having the tires replaced the mechanic informed her that the left rear coil spring broke. the mechanic recommended that both coil springs be replaced. a recall on the front coil spring was issued, but not on the rear. the dealership stated they could not offer any type of service under a recall, and that the contact would have to cover the cost of the repairs. the manufacturer confirmed this decision by the dealership.*ak

Dt: the caller found a recall on the front coil springs, but the manufacturer says it was an owner notification and not a recall. the caller has not had the failure yet the vehicle was making a noise. the dealer said there was some corrosion on the coil n springs. manufacturer said they could not replace the coil springs until they fractured.*ak

My vehicle was manufactured on 5/15/97 but is titled as a 1998 vehicle. ford motor company has issued a recall on 1995-1997 ford contour vehicles for a problem where the insulation falls off the underhood wiring. my vehicle has this problem to the extent that bare copper wiring is exposed at every connector under the hood and i am sure in places that are not visible as well. if these wires contact each other, possible engine stalling, loss of lighting, cooling and even engine fires are possible. ford motor company is refusing to make the repairs because the vehicle is titled as a 1998 even though it wwas manufactured in 1997 with the same parts as the vehicles they are offering to repair. i am refering to their warranty extension 99m03 which calls for all wiring harnesses to be replaced at no cost to the consumer. my local ford examined the vehicle and agreed that the repairs were necessary for the ontinued safe operation of this vehicle but when he looked up the vin in his system, the vehicle was not covered because of the title year, (1998 but built in 1997 with 1997 parts). they are obviously well aware of the problem but for some unknown reason are refusing to make good on my vehicle. *nm

Jan, 2004: 1998 ford contour recall performed (brackets for front springs). aug, 2005: replaced tires on 1998 ford contour se using p205/60r15 tires suggested by the manufacturer. the tires made contact with the bracket bolts installed during the recall, causing tire to be gouged (tried 3 brands, all had same contact problem). ford dealership said there was no problem with the bracket. i ended up using a different tire size: p195/65r15, which barely clears the bracked bolts. i believe there is a problem on the 1998 ford contour se brack recall / tire combination.

Dt: cosco model # 02-531bnp, the grandmother noticed that while removing the child seat the owner has to keep pushing the button to release the fasteners. the owner was concerned that it took a couple of minutes to release the child out of car seat in case of an accident. the owner will contact cosco. *ak

When turning headlights on, tail lights and interior panel lights do not come on. this is a known problem (nhtsa campaign number 99v103000). however, ford says that it is not their responsibility because of the vehicle identification number [xxx]. updated 07/19/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Vehicle was purhased in jan of 1998. vehicle currently has 70,000 miles. vehicle was taken to a goodyear for tune up. when picking up the vehicle goodyear informed me of a fautly wire harness. they also included that the wire harness was flaking off almost as if it was rotten. the vehicle was never in a fire or an accident. i took the vehicle to another ase certified mechanic for a second oppinion. they stated that vehicles wire harness was of poor quality and that due to the protective layer over the metal wires flaking off it caused a short once the exposed wires touched metal burning the computer. they also included that it could have caused a fire and or worse while operating the vehicle. i contacted ford and even took the car to them and they refused to even look at the vehicle claiming that goodyear damaged it. i have researched this car and the sister vehicle mercury mystic on the net and they both have had the same exact problems as far as the manufacturer using a decective wire harness cause shorts and or sometimes fires. i have contacted a lawyer and they contacted ford with no resolution. ford does not want to look at the vehicle because it's out of warranty. i have contacted many specialist in field and according to them a wire harness should last as long as the vehicle. please help!

Dt: vehicle started making loud noises and the brakes failed. caller was driving on a highway and had to pull off the road. caller said brakes did not work very well when she tried to get the car home. dealer said the front left rotor broke ,and rear wheel bearing wore out . manufacturer will not offer any help.*ak

Dt: contact states while driving both air bags deployed without an impact. vehicle was towed to a towing yard. the service dealer and the manufacturer have been informed that the air bags deployed without an impact.*ak

Driving on intersate 66 from manassas va into washington dc at 65mph when noticed cold air blowing out of heater vents. car is severely overheated before safe exit from highway. water pump's plastic impeller had shattered with 53k miles on the car. ford replaced water pump for $527. after overheating the car also begins to leak oil from several locations. the oil pan gasket is replaced for $407 at 63k miles. the replacement water pump's gasket is discovered to be leaking at 66k miles while trying to locate the source of additional oil leaks - this time the oil pressure sending unit.

1998 ford contour front spring broke when entering the garage. *mr recall campaign#'s: 01i013000 and 01v255000. on another occasion the dealer found both back springs broken and replaced them on april 27, 2005. *sc *jb

I went in to get new tires put on and during the inspection the front coil springs are borken. the coil spring on the right is broken in two places. i looked for a warranty and there does exisit one for the contour but based on my vin it does not cover it.

Dealer told me electrical system had a short. o2 sensor & computer in car. the car has had to have the o2 sensor replaced 3 times ($1200.00 charged by to me by dealer each time) and the computer reset. *ak my complaint is that i should not have to pay to have the electrical fixed and the o2 censor replaced again (4 time!!)... the turn signals work and than do not .. i have been told a short is in the car but ford will not find for free.. i am tired of fixing this car please please help

During routine inspection the consumer was informed that front driver coil spring broke. the problem was not repaired, and the cause of the problem was not determined. *ak *sc

Air conditioner and heater do not work. consumer took vehicle to dealer for service, and it was determined that blower motor malfunctioned. *ak *bf *nm

While driving vehicle shut down. vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the engine was found to be defective.*ak

The vehicle was taken in for inspection about a month ago and now the coil spring has broken and damaged the brake line. the vehicle has been repaired. ford has recalled some of this year model but not this vehicle because of the vin. customer is requesting reimbursement for replacement of the coil spring, brake hose and cv joint boot. *tt

Dt: cracked wiring in the engine department. all wires leading to the engine, battery, coil and possible fuel injectors are cracked and exposed. little or no insalation are left on the wires. wire harness that leads to the ecu is cracked and exposed. this has not caused a fire, but all this is causing more damage everytime the car is serviced. *ak

Back of driver's seat on my 1998 ford contour vin [xxx] broke off evening of 05/05/05 as i was getting out of car. car has never been in an accident. i feel this is a result of defective design and/or materials, and that ford should replace free. however, when i contacted their customer relationship center the representative said ford would not. *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

My 1998 ford contour se has problems with the trunk leaking. ever since i bought the car the trunk leaks slowly. i find huge wet spots in the carpet in my trunk. also the vehicle has a problem with the transmission. when you drive the vehicle the transmission gets caught and hesitates to shift.*ak

Recall campaign 01v230000 concerning heater blower resistor. on two separate occasions vehicle caught on fire while idling in the driveway. both times consumer extinguished the fire, and vehicle was taken to a repair shop. the mechanic determined that the heater blower was the cause of both fires. consumer contracted the dealer and the manufacturer. both confirmed that this vehicle was not covered under the recall due to vin. *ak

While driving 10 mph front coil spring punctured the front driver's tire. the consumer managed to pull over, and had the tire changed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

The front wheels on the 1998 ford contour were severely cracked. the rear of the wheel, the crack continued toward the rim, then curled to the right. *bf the vehicle was taken to the nearest ford dealer and was told that since the vehicle was out of warranty the manufacturer would not pay to replace the wheels . the consumer believes that the manufacturer should pay for replacing the wheels. *nm

The consumer is experiencing problems with the accelerator cable. when the consumer takes his foot off the pedal the engine does not return to it's lower idling speed. the consumer is also experiencing electrical problems. the air bag light stays flashing. owner has contacted the dealer and because of the vin, this vehicle is not included in any recalls relating to the defects of this vehicle. *tt

Check engine light illuminated 9/04 and i took my 98 ford contour to my mechanic who diagnosed it as needing a new catalytic converter. i took it to ford in 3/05 (because my mechanic said it could wait awhile) and they diagnosed a different code and replaced the manifold. after paying $600.00 to ford, the light came on again after 45 miles. took the car to autozone and they diagnosed a catalytic code. i had told ford that was the problem before i brought it in and now they want me to re-diagnosed with them out of pocket. *jb

Regarding nhtsa campaign id # 99v243000, concerning ford motor company recall 99s23 on 1998 ford contour. the nhtsa web page lists the remedy as: dealer will install air bag sensors with revised wiring insulation. in addition, vehicles which have the air bag warning light lit, will have a new air bag diagnostic monitor installed. my 1998 ford contour has had the wiring replaced when i brought the car in for it's annual inspection, and the air bag warning light was flashing code 51. once the wiring was replaced, the air bag light remained lit, and the car failed the safety inspection. ford customer service, and the ford dealership (freedom ford, 1020 w. mercury blvd. hampton va), refuse to replace the diagnostic monitor unless i pay for it. i would like the nhsta to remove the wording from their web page regarding this replacement, or inform me that ford motor company is responsible for the remedy. thank you.

Took the car in for an alignment and discovered the front coil spring was broken. didn't know about the special extended warranty on this particular part and paid for the repairs myself. ford admits there is a problem but won't reimburse me because work was done by a non-ford authorized repair shop after the letter notifying me of the extended warranty was sent out. even though the letter was sent out two years before the part actually failed. even if ford doesn't want to reimburse me for the labor done by the non-ford shop, they should at least reimburse me for the coil springs because they had to be ordered directly from ford!! *ak

The front coil spring broke and punctured the front left tire, while the vehicle was parked. the mechanic indicated that the suspension system broke down and the rod in the system hit the tire and flattened it. *jb...*ak the consumer heard of a recall on this part and requested reimbursement. *nm

The consumer believes that the rubber odor he smelled inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle came from the belts in the engine. *nm *jb

Front coil spring on my 1998 svt contour broke. apparently ford extended the warranty on the coil springs on the base contour but not on the svt contour which is apparently able to have the same problem.*ak

I purchased the car on october 1, 2004. i was driving the car for about 10 minutes on the freeway i slowed down due to traffic. when i started to take off i felt a jerk when the transmission shifted. my check engine light came on. when i turn off my car and restart it, it does not jerk when it shifts, unless i continue to drive about 10 miles, then it does it again.*ak

1.abs brake fuse and blower motor fuse are one and the same, darn cold in minnesota, and hard to get too to replace. must pull out battery first. to replace the hydraulic pump for abs brakes to fix problem...$3000.00, more than the car is worth for trade in or resale value. i found this out after hitting a deer on nov. 26 2004. and does not include cosmetic damage. air bags did not deploy either. 2.front and back window molding is shrinking and forcing windows out, very drafty. 3.shift module failed, took to ford dealer to replace, when replaced the dash board started smoking. the neighbor module burnt up, and all the dash board wiring. total cost to repair $1200.00, but the dealership took off $200.00 of the labor costs. 4. i called ford on several different occasions to complain. they will not stand behind their product. i have dealers that will not take it on a trade in, because it's a contour.*ak

Smoke then flames came from the engine compartment and within 5 minutes of parking in the garage. the fire department extinguished the fire, and indicated that the fire occurred because of an electrical system failure.*ak

The blower and abs system were defective. the abs light was on. the fuse needed to be replaced, after inspection wiring harness was found to be defective. there was a recall for vehicles through 1997. *ak

Whenever foot was released from brake pedal vehicle accelerated when slowing down. this problem happened when cruise control was engaged. vehicle continued to move while trying to slow down for stop signs or lights. consumer did not take vehicle to dealership.*ak

I own a 1998 ford contour se, recently on 10-13-04 i was driving and the back of my seat gave out, causing me to loose temporary control but avoid an accident. upon closer inspection of the seat, i found the entire right side of the seat was disconnected. the metal had sheared in half, i couldn''t understand how that had happened. the bolt was still intact, the metal had just sheared into top and bottom causing the seat to fall immediately backwards. i sent emails to ford motor corporation and the dealer i purchased it from brand new, seeing if something could be done to help. so far i have not heard any response and my car is a safety hazard on wheels, with no usable seat belt and no support to drive. i am a recent college grad and can't afford to not work, so i must still drive it everyday. *ak

Air bags sensor light kept flashing. consumer was told that there was no recall. consumer was afraid that something will happen. to have the vehicle looked at and repaired will cost $95.00 plus labor and parts. consumer did not think this was fair. *ak

While driving check engine light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to a garage for inspection, and mechanic determined that the engine wiring harness needed to be replaced. *ak

When driving the vehicle at night, the driver noticed that the headlights were dim. the consumer will take the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. please provide any further details. *jb

Consumer received recalls 01i013000 & 01v255000 concerning front coil spring failure. consumer learned that the coil spring on the right side broke. vehicle was towed to repair shop and then to the dealer, who informed consumer that the coil spring was covered under the recalls, and needed to order the part. consumer was waiting for the part to arrive. *ak

Recall 01v255000, while driving at any speed the consumer heard a rumbling sound coming from beneath the vehicle. upon inspection of the vehicle consumer found that the front suspension springs broke. consumer's vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak

While driving 55 mph a popping noise was produced from the front driver's side tire. when driver looked out she didn't see anything so she continued to drive. suddenly driver noticed smoke coming from the tire. she pulled over. as a result the coil spring broke, puncturing the tire. no impact reported. two weeks later the passenger's side coil springs failed, puncturing the second tire. *ak *ts

Brake failure. on a 1998 ford contour svt (~118,440 miles), the bolt attaching the rear brake caliper resulted in a single point failure to the braking system. *jb while driving north on us 301, just south of laplata, md, i heard a pop and the car felt as if i had run over something, but nothing apeared in the road (from the mirrors). later when slowing while approaching aa traffic signal, i had no brakes. thankfully i was on a slight incline and able to gear down and use what little brakes remained to stop the car and crawl it to a parking lot. after having the car towed in, my mechanic told me that one bolt attaching one of the rear calipers had sheared off causing the loss of braking power on the car. the car did not lose any brake fluid during all of this.

There were no traumatic events such as crashes or injuries. my complaint is about an equipment failure due to a defect of which ford was aware. *ak the front coil springs of my 1998 ford contour broke early in july 2004. the car had 164000 miles on it. although they did not issue a recall, ford did issue an extended warranty on the front coil springs for 10 years, 150,000 miles. (this is documented in nhtsa campaign id number : 01i013000) this was issued on august 3, 2001. that is also the date for a recall for the installation of spring catcher brackets in case the springs broke. (nhtsa campaign id number : 01v255000) i had my vehicle in for the recall on 3/29/2002. i called the toll-free number provided by ford about this problem (1-866-436-7332) and also heard on a recorded message at that number that another make of ford car (taurus) is currently under a repair program for the same problem: corosion of the front coil springs. this recall program is for 1999-2001 taurs and sables started, according to the recording, in the first week of august 2004. this taurus-sable program offers free replacement of the coil spring for taurus and sable models for 10 years/150,000 miles or until july 31, 2005 if the vehicle is over the mileage requirement in the extended warranty. also during the recording at the toll free phone number, there is notification of a safety spring shield recall that will go into effect december 2004. i believe it is basically the same safety recall program offered for the same problem on my ford contour in 2001. it is my contention that the reason the taurus/sable was given a free repair offer until july 31 2005 regardless of mileage is because the taurus is one of ford's banner models. i believe that the offer of free repairs until july 31, 2005 was not made for the contour because the contour is a model that was discontinued some time ago. there are relatively few contours compared to the ford taurus and sable, which ford still sells.

I own a 1998 ford contour covered by recalls 01s23-01m08 pertaining to front spring fracture and extending warranty to cover 10 years or 150,000 miles. the vehicle falls under the time and mileage requirements. i took the car to fred martin ford for noise in front end and they told me the problem was a broken spring. they failed to tell me that the parts were covered under the ford recall and instead told me the repair would cost me over $500.00. after waiting a week and being told there were no springs available for my model anywhere in the country, i started to investigate on my own and found out about the recall and also that there are over 460 vehicles waiting for these parts in the united states. i was told that it could be over a month before the springs are available. apparently, there is a dispute between ford and its spring supplier. ford customer assistance was no help and i am still waiting for the ford zone manager to get back to me. the dealership would not supply a loaner or rental vehicle while i am waiting for the parts. i have since pulled the vehicle out of fred martin ford, 4701 mahoning ave. youngstown, ohio 44515, and taken it to another dealer. i feel that ford is not living up to the terms of recall 01s23-01m08 and not repairing my vehicle promptly and free of charge. *jb

Had vehicle taken in for normal pmi (preventive maintenance inspection) servicing and during inspection-- the rear pcrv (pressure conscious reducing valves were found to be corroded and leaking. this vehicle is operated in wi (salt is used on roadways up here). there is a recall out for this item, but it covers non-abs vehicles only....... my vehicle has the abs system. it looks like the recall wasn't expanded far enough..... problems are still out there!!!!! the technician that did the repair on the car said that he had done that specific recall on other vehicles multiple times, and stated that the replaced pcrvs on my car were the *old style* valves..... that is why he was concerned and recommended i replace the pcrvs asap--- which was done that day. there was no accident/injury/fatality involved in this incident obviously. but there could have been. the related recall information that i'm referring to is as follows: nhtsa campaign id: 00v075000. *jb

The front coil spring broke. the consumer was told that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were unavailable. the manufacturer stated that it could be mid august, 2004 before the parts would be available, in the meantime, the consumer could not drive the vehicle. *ak *sc *jb

While driving at 40 mph driver side tire tread separated. consumer had to pull over the road. firestone, fr 440, size p185/70r14 , dot:hyrv4fa3100. dealer notified. *ak

Consumer's vehicle was stopped at a traffic ligh and another vehicle rear-ended it, causing consumer's vehicle to rear end another vehicle. upon impact, both front air bags did not deploy. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership. *ak

Consumer stated that the temperature gauge system was defective. vehicle lost power, and began to smoke. consumer was told that the wiring of the temperature gauges was done incorrectly. consumer contacted the manufacturer, and was told that there was nothing that they could do.*ak the vehicle's engine was damaged and had to be replaced as a result of the overheating. *nm

Intermittently the turn signal malfunctioned. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the bulb needed to be replaced. *ak

Recall no.#99s23, airbag sensor module: recall no.#01f22, heater blower resister: when the vehicle is running the air bag light stays on at all times. also intermittently the heater will not work properly when the system is engaged. the heater will also blow out a foul odor similar to sulfur. there is a recall for this make, model and year vehicle but, the consumer's is not a part of the recall. *nm

Airbag light flashing 4-4, something to do with front air bag sensor, affected in damp conditions and occasionally for no reason. dealer looked at them and greased them for better connection, but wouldn't do any further work because my car doesn't fall under existing recall of same symptoms and problem. 1998 ford contour se sport, with 64,000 miles and excellent condition. still an ongoing problem, no injuries or crashes yet, but my understanding is that my airbags will not function if flashing during accident, that could be nasty. thanks again fords for trying you best to fit me under that existing recall!!! ha!*ak

1998 ford contour 4 door sedan bought 10/15/99; since then many incidents of car cutting off suddenly - sometimes only once in months, sometimes several times in one day; many close calls; nearly rear-ended, etc. frightening to be powerless in traffic. many repairs tried, computer analysis, electrical check ups only help is to replace idle air control - computer chip with which can go nearly a year without random shut off. many contour owners have same problem, which is potentially fatal. have had 4 shut downs in traffic in last 2 weeks and have another iac - but ford needs to find permanent solution to deadly error. *ak

I noticed i had a flat tire. i took it off went to have it repaired,they told me it could not be repaired because the side wall had been puntured.i then had to replace the tire only to find out the new tire would not work, there was a loud clanking sound when you tried to move the car. i then put the spare (pony) on and tried to move the car the tire got hot and smoked.so we tried to take it back to the company we bought the tire from,in the process we had a blow out and had to have the car towed in. only to find out that the spring had broken ,punctured the tire on th inside sidewall and wrapped around the strutt and bent it..because of your defective springs.. we are forced to buy not only a new tire but a set of springs and new strutts. it is my understanding that ford products are known for this. that it happens on a daily basis. this is going to cost me five hundred and twenty five dollars at the very least.....why has the're been no recall on these springs????? this could have been a very disastrous situation had it happen as we were going down the interstate. i feel that some type of compensation is in order....my car is a ford contour a 1998 with only roughly 50,000 miles on it. the service work is being done by sears auto center because that is where we purchased the new tire. your prompt response and solution to this problem would encourage my continued faith in ford products, which has been somewhat shaken. respectfully your, rachel g miller. *ak

1) a/c blower shut off and upon investigation a 60 amp fuse broke under the fuse box in the front of the car under the engine hood were damaged. and further inspection showed several open wires coming from the battery and one comming from the fuse box which is believed to have caused the fuse to break. 2) notified by 2 different auto-electrical repair shops they had seen simular damage and informed me off the costs of a replacement wiring harness and labor which ranged from $3800 - $4400. checking other various web sites showed a lot more people with the same problems which ranged from fires to having to drive with broken fuses or having to pay high amounts to replace it. 3) doing preventative maintentence by cleaning area and spraying a high base in the area to prevent further damage caused by exposed wires to the elements on a weekly bases till i can afford such a large repair and not replacing a fuse which controls my blower and abs. *ak

While driving there was a loud boom and the front left tire was rubbing. consumer drove the vehicle to the dealership, who indicated that the right front coil spring broke. the spring was replaced. however, within 6,000 miles the failure recurred, the left front spring broke. the dealership was unable to replace the spring because the manufacturer discontinued manufacturing the part. *ak the steering knuckle was removed and replaced due to the wheel bearing race spinning in the knuckles which caused abnormal wear of the knuckle. the knuckle and the bearing were replaced. *sc *jb

We have a 1998 ford contour. the check engine light goes on. it first came on in oct 01 we took it to the ford garage in delhi. they said it needed a cam sensor/ solenoid sprockets etc. since that was a lot of money we decided to take it to canadian tire to see what they thought. they thought it was a cam sensor. we had them put that in. $58. mileage 111346. it worked fine for a couple weeks. we complained to ford and found out about the awa.. after warranty adjustment. this had not been mentioned earlier. so we a new solenoid sprocket etc. put in by ford,, (jan /02) . how it came to that mileage when ctc had it back in nov/ 01 and then it was* 11134*???? they also had it in dec and the mileage was 112279.) that baffles me. the check engine light was to surface again. my daughter had the car at school so she was finally able to take it to our garage in may/28/02 at that time the garage checked #3 cylinder cause of our check engine concerns.. cost 39.10. nothing was done at that time. the engine light continued to stay on. finally we took it in again on oct 24th and another cam sensor was put on. $144.46. mileage 130776. on nov,.5th /02 took it in again and they said it would require an exhaust camshaft and solenoid gaskets and seals. we again asked about the awa and they said no it was no longer covered. they said that the last solenoid was only covered for 20,000 km. had they detected the problem back in may when we brought it in and had they written down the correct mileage then it would have been covered under warranty. since we did not really feel that the solenoid ( and really didn't want to pay $1000 for fixing it and then finding out that there might be another problem) was the problem, since we had already had that replaced once we considered taking it to a guy that used to work at ford. (his wife drives a contour) he checked the car for surges. scan tested it tried various computer parts rechecked valve. etc,, but it all proved negative.

I was rear ended into another car on oct.29 2002 and niether the air bag worked as well as the seatbelt did not lock. i had head, neck, and back injuries at that time. i did't question these things not working because i was not hit hard. oct. 27,2003 i was involved in the exact same type of accident only this time i was hit hard from behind and hit the car infront of me hard. again nothing worked and this time the police even questioned the air bag. again i have injuries to my face, head, neck, shoulder, and back but to what extent i do not know yet. i was at a complete stop in both accidents and hit straight on in the rear. in 2002 i hit the car in front straight on and now in 2003 i hit the front can with the center to passenger side. my car is said to be totaled.

Ford dealership failed to honor promise to refund cost of repairs that were covered by a recall. *ph (both right and left front coil springs) on two occasions, the springs failed and caused the vehicle to collapse destroying both front tires. on one of the occasions a strange noise was heard coming from the front of the vehicle, smoke was smelled due to the friction as the right front tire suddenly jammed. *sc

My 1998 contour is at 128,225 miles. the problems that i have experienced with the car are the following: -the headlights go out of aim and moisture collects in the headlamp and when the moisture dries it leaves a film on the inside of the lens. the brightness of the headlights is terrible. i can barely see at night even when it is a clear night. i have had several near misses. i almost hit a man on a bicycle the other night. he had reflectors on his bike but i didn't see him till i was right up behind him. i haven't had this fixed because i can't afford to pay two four hundred dollars for a new pair of headlamps. i have been actually looking in salvage yards. -another thing is the transmission. it shifts out hard between first and second gears. now it jerks when i go up hills or when i let off of the gas pedal. i figure if i take it to the ford dealership they will tell me that i have to replace it. -the next thing is the drivers seat. the seat track itself has rust on some of the parts. the driver seat is the only one with the rust problem. when you sit in the seat it rocks side to side (from door to center console). this scares me because i read someone else's complaint and he said he was hit from behind and the seat and the track itself broke on him.

Vehicle experienced complete engine wiring harness failure at 74000 miles. *ph *mr

Intermittently when the gas pedal was applied, the vehicle failed to accelerate. this occurred because of an obstruction in the flow of fuel to the engine. the dealership has serviced the vehicle 5 times. they have replaced the fuel pump, the filter and the oxygen sensor. the problem still exist. the dealership refused to service the vehicle anymore because they indicated they have done all they could do to correct this problem. *nm the vehicle leaked oil over the entire engine, the fuel pressure dropped when the vehicle was driven on mountainous areas, a short was found, and wires were found chaffed. *sc *jb

While driving 35 mph driver applied the brakes and the rear brakes locked up. driver was able to control the vehicle. *ak the vehicle has been repaired. *nm

Front right coil spring broke and tire was flattened. this is listed as an issue on the nhtsa web site and it indicates ford has experienced this problem with the 1998 ford contour and ford has extended the warranty for the front coil springs to 10 years/150,000 miles. however, when i spoke to ford and explained my situation, they said my car was not covered. my car was manufactured in kansas city and is registered in maryland.

While driving engine suddenly shut off at highway speed. consumer smelled smoke. took vehicle to a mechanic, who determined that a circuit inside the headlamp burnt. *ak ++++++++++++++++++++

While changing a tire consumer found that the coil spring cracked. vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who confirmed that the front coil spring was cracked. a recall was issued for this make, model, and year. but, thisw vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak

Ford refused to honor recall campaign #01v230000 manufacturer's campaign #01s22 claiming "warranty had expired". *nm

Transmission is leaking fluid. *jb

I was leaving work and discovered that my car now only goes in reverse-i have not had any problems with the transmission up to this point when from out of no where it just stopped working. the automotive shop tells me i have to go to a dealer to get a new transmission put in all costing more than the car is probably worth. ford needs to recall this part-they're obviously having problems with it that are not "rare" or "unusual" for this transmission. *jb

Consumer received recall 99mo3 regarding wiring harness, recall only affected vehicles from 1995-1997. the insulation on the wiring harness deteriorated, causing the system to short out. dealer will not fix the problem free of charge.*ak

Transmission slips and jerks when shifting. *nm

Consumer stated that while driving and taking foot slightly off the accelerator vehicle shut off. this caused consumer to lose control of the vehicle. however, consumer was able to regain power and restart vehicle. consumer took vehicle to the dealer, who was suppose to fix the problem, but the vehicle was still doing the same thing.

Vehicle didn't pass safety inspection due headlight lenses being opaque. *la *mr

I have a 1998 ford contour svt sitting my driveway with 74,000 miles on it which will not run because it has a defective wiring harness. i am aware that the 1995 thourgh 1997 models had a factory recall because the wiring harness insulation failed. this car is a 1998 model that was built in may of 1997 and the insulation is falling off the wiring in the engine compartment. the car will not run at this time due to the fact that this wiring has caused a problem shorting out. it is also has major protential to be a life threatening fire hazzard. *ak

The vehicle's blower switch caught fire around the steering column. *nm

Dealership replaced the bronze terminals, but refused to replace the headlight switch as stated in the headlight switch/wire harness recall 99v103000. instrument panel lights and headlights were not working properly. *ak *mr

Driver seat left side snapped ( not the hinge ) while entering my car. causing it to fall back, making it unsafe to drive without replacing seat.*ak

Vehicle is without dash lights and tail lights. dealership will not honor recall. *ak

The passenger side seat belt would not release and had to be cut. the cause of the failure has not been determined. the vehicle is currently at a mechanic. *jb *nm

The consumer's husband suspected that one of the coil springs was broken. but when he took the vehicle to the mechanic, he was told that all four coil springs were broken. the consumer stated that her husband kept hearing a thumping noise while driving. *ak shortly after, two tires needed to be replaced. recal#'s 01i013000 and 01v255000. *sc *jb

The passenger's side rear view mirror came off without being impacted. this occurred while the outside temperature was 19 degrees. *ak

Over a period of time the headlight lens faded. this made it difficult to see while driving at night. the dealership has been notified, but did not resolve the problem. please provide any additional information. *nlm

1998 ford contour seat belt jammed when vehicle landed upside down in a creek resulting in a fatality.*mr the consumer's two year old daughter drowned because the driver was unable to release the seat belt. the driver of the vehicle received two lacerations. *jb *nm

Car turned over upside down in small creek. safety belt of driver and rear passenger failed to release after multiple attempts by driver. the rear passenger was my two year old daughter and she died, because the safety belts failed to release and jammed. she drowned and my sister in law was the driver and almost died due to the safety belts jamming and not releasing, so she was unable to get to my daughter. the first people on the scene had to cut the safety belts for them to get them both out of the car and it was to late for my daughter. the creek was less than 18 inches deep. car only turned over one time to upside down position and approximate speed was twenty miles an hour. my daughter had no other injuries from the accident except for drowning (i have read her medical records thoroughly). my sister in law had no other injuries except for near drowning and 2 small cut's. my daughter lost her life because the safety belts jammed and failed to release. *la

On september 29, 2000 this vehicle was involved in three car crash. upon impact the air bags deployed. *ak the passenger side air bag deployed fully and remained inflated although the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle. the drivers side air inflated 50% the deflated. the driver sustained minor injuries to her chest/ribs. the dealer replaced the air bag sensor. *nlm

Air bag light is on flashing 4-2. this indicates a failure in the front left crash sensor. under recall 99v243000 (ford # 99s23) this was supposed to be replaced. ford indicated that the recall work was performed on feb. 28th, 2000. i picked up the vehicle on feb 29th, 2000. if the recall work was performed, it lasted less than 4 years. ford stated to take it to local ford dealer, but no further recall was planned. a recall fix should last more than 4 years, especially on a safety system. *la

While driving at any speed, the vehicle would intermittently stall and the check engine light would stay on. the dealer informed the consumer that a new engine was needed. this vehicle has been repaired for thirteen recalls since ownership by the consumer. *ak *la *jb

Several problems with vehicle has resulted in consumer paying for most of the recall repairs. *mr the vehicle experienced several mechanical problems. the vehicle also caught on fire once. *nlm

Transmission starting slipping on major interstate during rush hour traffic...i have read so many complaints on this and many other sites about these cars and i feel that a recall on these transmissions should go into effect before there is a fatality... *la

Firestone p 185/70r14 87s m&s ft70-c i have these tires and just yestereday noticed a "bump" i returned home to find the l front tire had a section of the total tread down to the wires missing this is a section about 3x4 inches. the other tire r front shows no changes. *jb

My car stopped running while i was in motion at around 45 mph. fortunately, traffic was light and i was able to move my disabled vehicle to a safe location off the roadway. the computer was determined to be the problem and was replaced. after picking up the car from the dealer, i drove around thirty miles and noticed that the "check engine" light was on. returning to the dealer, i was informed it was a faulty sensor. i replaced that, and about 4 miles later, the car died again, while i was on the road, in motion. the dealer mechanic said it was a faulty wiring harness which would cost $2000 to $4000 to repair. we took it to another mechanic who got the car running again for $1400, and the car has died again. i am seeking to file a complaint and request that you investigate the wiring harness on 98 ford contour se's and find out if other drivers are having this problem, since i was lucky twice. if it had been on the freeway, i might not have been.

This car has been nothing but problems, springs, brakes last 4 months,water pumps went at 63,000, tires wear out in less than a year, temperature gauges do not read right. engine races, solenoid went....very expensive to fix. i do not understand why everyone is having the same problems but no help? *la

Passenger side rear door could not be opened from the inside. dealer stated latch failed. *ak

When filling gas tank, the gasoline shuts off after only a few cents. it takes 10 minutes to get 3 gallons of fuel. i noticed an air line that exits to the right of the gas filler tube. i sprayed pressurized air and it worked enough to get me home, but after 3-4 fill ups later, it started again. the pressurized air does not help anymore. *jb

Temperature rising while in rush hour traffic. car started smelling like something was burning. got off nearest exit .2miles. stopped car. when car was restarted temerature indicator was in the red zone. took car to dealer. the fan housing system had melted.*ak

Constant problems with the vehicle. alternator, fuel tank, gear shift indicator, computer sensor's (variable cam timing over retarded), automatic shift labored and fails, cooling fan motor, etc. this vehicle is in some form of repair shop on a regular basis. have i driven a ford lately? yes, and sorry i chose to do so. *ak

My 1998 ford contour se 2.0 (automatic tansmission) has 80,000+ miles. it had sudden powertrain malfunction. it shifted irradically nearly causing me to to rear-end the vehicle in front of me. of course, my warranty has expired and i have been forced take my vehicle to cottmans transmission shop where i have been told they are familiar with this problem having worked on four cases, with the ford contour, similar to mine in the last month. repairs, involving a complete overhaul of the transmissin, have been estimated between $1700-$2300. i purchased this vehicle new off the lot in 1998. causes for this malfunction have been explained to me in laymen terms as "transmission computer" failure that then causes a mechanical malfunction with in the powertrain. im not sure that this normal wear and tear. please advise

Complaint of poor service from advantage bohn ford. *mr the coils spring(s) had broken. *scc *jb

Parts were not available to perform recall 01i013000 repairs for the coil springs. *ak

Automatic transmission failed in 2001 (see odi # 759046 submitted 3/02). transmission was rebuilt and remained in service until 2003. in june 2003, transmission began slipping under normal city driving conditions and was taken to independent mechanic for inspection and service. transmission was deemed "unrebuildable" and replaced with new ford automatic transmission.*ak

I went to the ford dealership here in louisiana and showed them the papers that was sent to me concerning recalls for my year & make of car. i told them that some of the recalls on those papers was happening to my car and why haven't they been repaired when i brought my car in and they stated to me that if the vin # for my car didn't come up as a recall and as long as the problem didn't exist then they could not repair it . and i stated that even though my vin didn't come up and even though my car is having some these recalls problems yall are not going to repair them because my vin # didn't come up and the problem is not existing right now all are not going to repair or fix these recalls, and i was told yes. well, some of these recalls are existing on my car and i can't get the ford place to repair or fix them why is that? i think that's very unfair to the customer.*ak

Consumer states that while vehicle is stopped engine would race. dealer notified.*ak

Consumer noticed a grinding noise while driving. took to dealer, dealer stated the 2 front coil springs were broken. please provide any further information. *ph

The vehicle was taken to the dealer on 6/17/2003 for recall# 01v255000 subject: front coil spring corrosion. on 7/8/2003 the vehicle hit a pothole. the shield that was installed due to the recall went down onto the front passenger side tire. the dealer was contacted but refused to make any repairs. *ph

Consumer states that heater fan has failed.*ak

After going through two fuel pumps, first pump went at 32000 miles and the second around 62000, i have had extreme problems with the fuel pump. now, my car doesn't start on its own very often. i have to wiggle the fuel pump under the backseat in order to start the car. i have, on occasion, had the engine die while traveling down the freeway or in the middle of an intersection. once the fuel pump was wiggled, the car started again and i was on my way. i took my car to a well trusted mechanic and he told me that ford doesn't have any parts to fix the very loose pipe that runs into the fuel pump. i am very concerned about this issue and feel that my car may stall and cause myself and others great danger. please help.*ak

I own a 1998 ford contour. i have been having several problems with the headlamps. the passenger side headlamp hold moisture inside and the driver side is starting to do the same thing. not only this but both headlamps go out of aim every so often. when the lights are on low beam i can't see ten feet in front of the car and i have to drive with the high beams on so i can see what is in front of me. this has caused four near misses. two with deers, one with a mail box, and on with another car. i don't know if the moisture in the headlights has anything to do the brightness of the headlights themselves. when i had the headlights aimed for the third time i asked the dealer about the moisture problem and they said i would have to replace both the headlights.

Consumer called complaining about air bag problems. stated that the vehicle was involved in a collision where the air bags did not deploy.manufacturer or dealer were not contacted.*ak

Car sputtering and stalling. service engine light comes on and stays on. have had it "reset" to turn the service engine light off only for it to come back on a few days later. *ak

Suffered a water pump failure. the plastic/bakelite impeller shattered catastrophically, resulting in parts strewn throughout coolant system. total repair cost: $470. since part was replaced at an independent garage, ford will not report the faulty part. perhaps propylene glycol, the principle chemical found in coolant, causes the plastic part to become brittle and shatter, but no one at ford will listen to that. numerous complaints found on web regarding this same issue. time for a recall - the toronto field office told me that there is no recall on this problem.*ak

On 5/3/2002 the vehicle went to the dealer to have recall 01i013000 repairs done on front coil springs. vehicle was taken to the dealer on 6/7/2003 because the front coil punctured the front right tire which caused it to flatten. *ak

Consumer stated that while driving and with no warning the vehicle stalled, which made it difficult to control. dealer notified.*ak the failure was intermittent. several attempts were made to repair the problem. it occurred a lot at idle or while coasting, especially when turning corners. dealer confused. *ph *jb

Fuel leaking from tank because the neck warped. ford motor co. says it will not compensate because it is out of warranty even though this is a safety issue.*ak

Left front coil spring broke, puncturing a tire that was only a year old, while car was parked. a recall had been done on vehicle just over a year ago to prevent this. apparently it didn't work. had i been driving the vehicle i'm sure there would have been serious consequences. especially, had i been on the interstate as 50% of my driving is. i often have my grandchildren with me and it is quite frightening to think what could have happened. *jb

Had the same problem as the recall on the front coil spring. *tt

No dash lights, back-up, or license plate light. took to dealer and dash lights were fixed $200.plus. but no clock light, license plate light or back-up lights. all fuses where checked and ok.*ak

Shreds timing chain belts every 40-100 miles, 8 replacements in 3 months. pulleys, tensioner and belt all replaced repeatedly by ford dealership and they are trying to say it's normal. *nlm

1998 ford contour se 4cyl vin [xxx] - 4speed transmission. my wife was driving home from work when the transmission made sudden, erratic, jerky shifts on its own causing the car to pull from side to side and losing control and leaving the road and finally stopping in a field. i had to tow her out. the car now does not move forward, but does has reverse. further research on the net has revealed other ford/mazda owners have experienced the same transmission failures. i am surprised the nhtsa has not done anything about these transmissions. *ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

When the driver applied the brakes they locked up and caused the vehicle to experience extended stopping distance. *nlm

Timing belt needed to be replaced. have taken the car back 4 times since then for the same problem with the timing belt. *nlm

Re: your #00v350000 i have experienced the problem with me ford contour for 2 years ford refuses to fix because they only cover the problem up to 100,000 miles. it takes me up to 25 minutes to fill my gas tank because of this problem. i have had one gas station attendant ask me not to fuel at his station until i get it fixed. i don't have the extra money to fix. $300.00 plus. it is a faulty part why is it not fixed? *nlm

While driving another vehicle t-bone the consumer's vehicle on the passenger side. the drivers side airbag didn't deploy. *nlm

The instrument panel warped and was repaired. mr scc

Car is 5.5 years old, and the fuel tank needed replacing. the tank was literally falling apart at the seams, leading to gas leaking from the gar and gasoline fumes throughout the house. in addition, no replacement part was available due to a nationwide shortage. *jb

Vehicle intermittently jerks when shifting, sometime very violently. vehicle has also stalled when negotiating a turn in an intersection. vibrates often at low speeds (30 mph), as though it's in too high of a gear for the terrain. check engine light on intermittently, usually for several days then goes off for a few days before coming back on again. i've gotten two estimates for the repair, both in the neighborhood of $2,500 for a rebuild of my transmission or installation of a re-manufactured transmission. recently had to have coolant sensor and fuel pressure regulator replaced as a result of regularly occurring check engine light. *nlm

My compliant is that i was backing my car up and the front brakes locked up specifically the right front. the car would not move. you could smell burning and see smoke from the right front wheel. i had to have the car towed to my mechanic. after extensive work on the car we found out that the brake caliper piston would not retract into the caliper, after the mechanic reassembled the car, he found out the right caliper would not bleed out, after extensive testing the conclusion was reached no fluid would come out of the port on the hydraulic control unit to that wheel. replacement of the hcu and module assembly was necessary. my car was towed to the mechanics on 2-06-2003 and was finally finished on 2-20-2003. the delay in getting the car finished was because it was the contour svt model 1998, changes in the brake parts had been made and were not easy to obtain. the ford dealer did not have the parts needed to complete the job they had to be ordered. i have all the parts that were pulled off the car. also letter from my mechanic. *jb

Air bags deployed while vehicle was parked.*jb. *ak

My 1998 ford contour 4-door sedan recently experienced a devastating failure. while my daughter was driving through a parking lot at low speed, a sub-frame assembly under the dash fell down on her feet. the assembly is held in place with two bolts which had come loose. as a result of this, the steering linkage was allowed to disconnect, permitting the steering wheel to spin freely. had this happened on the highway she would have completely loss control, and because the frame fell on her feet, she probably couldn't have applied the brake. no steering and no brake! i think this is a potentially fatal design defect. of course, the dealer and ford apologized but refused to correct the problem because the car is out of warranty. *jb

The heater worked intermittently. *jb

The vehicle hub broke off while driving. *jb

The vehicle stalled, which almost caused consumer to lose control of the vehicle.*jb

The vehicle was involved in an accident and the air bags failed to deploy, the driver was injured. *jb

While driving and without prior warning the airbag warning light illuminated on the dashboard. the dealer is aware of the problem. *nlm

The steering wheel became stuck in one direction. consumer had to use excessive force to get steering back to the center. *jb

The heater was inoperative.*jb

The air bag light illuminated on the dash board.*jb

The vehicle rode roughly due to defective coil springs. *nlm

There was consistent air bag module failure. scc *jb *nlm

The vehicle was taken to the dealer because the air bag light illuminated. the vehicle was repaired under recall 99v-234. the air bag light did not reset and the vehicle was returned to the dealer who determined the the air bag diagnostic monitor needed to be replaced. the dealer refused to replace this component per the recall notice and refused to provide a copy of the recall letter to the consumer. ph *nlm

The front springs broke, which caused the passenger tire to blow out.*jb *ts

The heater went out in our car, so we decided to fix it at home. after taking out the bad part, we discovered it was melted. i decided to check the web to see if yet another recall had been issued. indeed it had. we don't remember being notified. i called the dealership to schedule a repair. they fixed it. one month later, our heater blower motor went out. we believe this is in direct correlation to the heater blower resistor that was melted. we ended up paying out of pocket to get a new heater blower motor, but not after trying to contact ford customer services. when we contacted them, we could not talk to a manager ( they would have to call us back when it was convenient for them). they called back three times. all three times we were out, when we called them back we were told that we would have to wait to be called back at fords convenience. after the third time they called and we weren't home, they said they couldn't be bothered with our complaint anymore. while we were at the dealership to pick up our car, we insisted someone from ford talk to us. they lied and said our complaint had nothing to do with the recall and they know this because they talked to the service manager. we know they lied because he was out all day, and we asked him if he talked to ford and he said no. the service manager did finally say that the part that was melted did contribute greatly to the demise of the heater blower motor, but that ford would not pay for it. he said other people had this same problem. i am not sure of the exact dates.*jb

Vehicle operator noticed odor of natural gas in passenger compartment. vehicle brought to framingham ford via flat bed determination fuel tank leaking. not under warranty. has extended warranty, expires may 2003. ford denies coverage. this constitutes a safety hazard.----- dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis-----------------769739. *ak

The vehicle experienced premature transmission failure.*jb

Consumer stated that the vehicle's check engine light has been on since october 2002. dealer states parts are not available. please provide additional information. ts

Consumer called complaining about having problems with head light switch being inoperable (connector was burned causing no function to the tail light. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

While driving vehicles accelerator cable broke causing the pedal to go to the floor resulting in loss of speed and acceleration. dealer notified. ts *nlm

Recieved seven recall on my vehicle, brake recall

Smelling a burnt odor coming from the heater vents.

Consumer states still having the same problem after recall was perform on the vehicle. recall#01f104000 fuel pipe. cottam walker ford 505-751-3200 please provide the address ts

Consumer states that while driving the engine light comes on and will stay on the remainder of the time vehicle is in motion. dealer notified, oxygen sensor was replaced by a different technician which seems to have corrected the problem. mr *nlm

Consumer states timing belt failure is causing vehicle to hesitates or may not start intermittenly dealer is aware of the problem. ts

Consumer states that the dealership didn't do the recall for the heater blower properly, and after the recall was done the heater blower was inopervative. ts

Consumer stated fule was leaking from the filler neck area. mr the dealer installed a new fill tube and seal and placed a new gasket on the exhaust.*jb

After getter the recall part replaced for the fuel system, noticed that when the tank is filled the car would leak fuel from around the fuel pump. vehicle is leaking water in trunk area during rain, failed seal, replace rear back glass seal and reseal back glass. check engine light is on, weak, replace cannister purge and vapor canister.

(3)of the four tires seperated where the tread meets the sidewall at 7000miles. dealer will replace only two of the tires.

While driving 50mph heat was extremly hot coming from under the dashboard.*ak

While driving 25mph interior light dropped out, causing loss of control.*ak

When refueling vehicle pump will cut off numerous times and fuel will spill. this has gotten worse over the last 2 years. vehicle was taken to dealer at 96000 miles, consumer was informed of extention of warranty on fuel pipe. part was on backorder until vehicle was over 100000 miles. now ford refuses to honor warranty.*ak

Left front hub stuck/ broke while the vehicle was going though inspection. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Seatback collapsed due to a rear end collision from another vehicle while sitting still. speed from other vehicle was 55 mph. trunk crumbled, and vehicle had been totaled from the extent of the damage. driver did sustain a severe head injury.*ak

Timing chain broke while driving at 50 mph. dealer and manufacturer were not notified at this time. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Air bag light comes on/off intermittently. vehicle was checked by dealer, who advised consumer that there was no problem. consumer concerned that air bag may or may not deploy.*ak

While driving noticed a fire on right side of vehicle in cooling fan. car was totaled. *ak *nlm

Intermittently vehicle brake lights and turn signal lights will not operate when vehicle ran over a bump or pothole. vehicle been to the dealer on five occasions, and problem is still reoccurring. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Vehicle would not start. vheicle was towed to garage and a mechanic stated that flywheel needed replacement. please provide any further information.*ak

Rotors have warped, and consumer had them replaced several thousand miles later. new rotors also warped. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak the origional rotors warped due to excessive heat build up and was replaced, but the problem occurred again. *yh

Consumer has problems with door locks after vehicle was stolen. *mr

99 v 243 000/air bag sensor assembly: air bag light remains on while driving. dealer contacted. *ak nothing has changed since consumer first reported the problem to nhtsa and the ford company. the warning light is still blinking. consumer refuses to pay for repairs because the ford company knows it is a problem. *jg

The vehicle stalls without warning while stopped, the vehicle has been taken to two dealers but neither inspected the vehicle. *nlm *scc

Took vehicleto dealer for recall 99v243000 repairs in march of 2000. dealer replaced diagnostic monitor for airbag system. 15 months after original parts were replaced. airbag warning light was flashing. took back to dealer, and they stated that diagnostic monitor failed, which had been replaced prior. *ak

Mfr# 99s23 & nhtsa# 99 v 243 000/air bag senor assembly:consumer states that the air bag senor light would flashes intermittently while driving. a recall has been issued on the the vehicle make & model, however this vehicle is not included due to the vin#. feel free to provide any further information. nlm

Consumer states while traveling, and without any indication vehicle stalls, vehicle was serviced by technician who notice timing belt needed to be replace vehicle is on the second timing belt. nlm

While traveling on highway vehicle was making a loud noise which was coming from underneath the hood. consumer was able to pull over to the shoulders, and vehicle was in drive. vehicle started rolling in reverse.*ak

While driving engine light came on and transmission slipped when changing gears which was caused by transmission failure.*ak

While traveling about 5mph on a side street vehicle hit a curb and right coil spring fell out and punctured tire, causing a flat. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

After recall was completed problem reccurred and caused damage to other parts of vehicle.*ak

Air bag light remains on while driving. dealer contacted.*ak consumer states the warning light was still blinking on and off. *yh

Airbag light is coming on intermittently. vehicle has not been inspected by dealership.*ak

Consumer received a recall. took vehicle to be serviced, mechanic stated vehicle had been serviced,.consumer disagreed and stated vehicle still had same problem. took it to another dealer, and had vehicle serviced. consumer had to pay for service.*ak

Casing around coil springs of recall 01i013000 does not allow vehicle to carry 15 inch tires which are recommend for vehicle. contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak consumer stated the dealer finaaly agreed to adjust the shileds, however when he went to pick up vehicle, consumer discovered that new shields had been installed.*jb

While driving at highway speed vehicle started to lose power. towed to dealer, dealer stated engine needed replacing. please provide any further information.*ak

While driving and without warning air bag light illuminated on dashboard. minutes later, light went off. dealer has been notified; however, mechanic can not duplicate the problem.*ak consumer adds with full tank of gas, fuel light is illuminated. *tt

While driving driver's side seat came loose and fell into the floor of vehicle, almost caused an accident, consumer stated the frame of the seat was crtacked. *ak the recall (99b23) on the water pump expired because the dealer was booked up several times and the consumer was unable to leave the vehicle at the dealer. *yh

While stalling a car seat in the rear of the vehicle was not tight. consumer was pulling on seat belt to tight up,and in doing so, seat belt ripped. contacted dealer. *ak

Fuel was leaking on the ground due to a crack in seams of gas tank. consumer is concerned that a fire can start. *ak dealer found leak at fuel tank and replaced. consumer feels fuel tank is defective. *tt

Consumer states that something is leaking from under the vehicle. consumer pulled over looked under car and notice gas leaking from a pipe connected to the gas tank. please provide any further information. nlm

Consumer state while vehicle was stopping notice temperature gauge rising. consumer parked vehicle one hour later vehicle was restarted and while driving the temperature gauge began to rise again. consumer returned home and look under hood and saw that the engine fan was on fire. dealer replace engine. please provide further information. nlm

Consumer stated the heater core is inoperative, will not blow out heat, took vehicle to dealer, and repaired it, but problem still exists. third time that problem has occurred, the problem is with the heater / air conditioner blower switch only operates on high speed. * jg *ak

Fuel pump went out and consumer found out by trying to start vehicle. however, vehicle would not start up. contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything. *ak

While vehicle was stopped consumer noticed temperature gauge rising. consumer parked vehicle, hours later vehicle was restarted. consumer test drove vehicle and notice d temperature gauge was raising. consumer returned home, and noticed smoke coming from under the hood. engine fan was on fire. dealer replaced engine. please provide further information.*ak

A faulty oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. dealer notified. feel free to provide any further information. *ak

When making a turn at about 5-10 mph, another vehicle hit consumer's vehicle head on, causing vehicle to start spinning on the street. upon impact, none of the air bags deployed. *ak air bags deployed after impact, while spinning, five people were injured. *jg

Consumer was traveling on highway, and without prior warning water pump shut down, and transmission vibrated when applying brakes. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

While driving transmission gears stick. please provide any further information.*ak

After taking vehicle to the dealership twice for recall 01v230000 and 01v255000 repairs none of the two recalls were done properly. name of the dealer is brad martin ford in youngstown oh 330-793-2444.*ak

Driver's air bag failed to deploy. *ak

Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. upon impact airbags did not deploy, causing injury to the driver. in which the vehicle was totalled.*ak *jb

Consumer states that the spring punched a hole in the tire.*jb. the front coil springs were replaced.*jb

While driving, the transmission slips and sticks upon changing gears.*ak *jb

Block eater fell out and burned cylinders. however, engine locked up and lost all power. please provide any further information.*ak

Intermittently the vehicle was only shutting down at high speeds without warning on freeway. problem has progressed to 3 exact incidents and cutting off at any time. dealer was notified. please provide more information.*ak

While the vehicle was parked with the engine running the temperture gauge indicated the vehicle was over heating and the vehicle began to smell like smoke, after inspection of the vehicle consumer notice that the engine fan was on fire. nlm

Recall 99v243000/air bag sensor assembly:dealer:m&m ford, muscatine, ia; phone 563-263-5324 refused to honor recall because vehicle had too much mileage. manufacturer was notified. *ak the water pump failed and was replaced. the consumer states there was a recall on warning light but the dealer did not fix the recall due to high mileage on the vehicle. *yh

While making a turn, heard a loud noise due to a problem with the front axle. had repaired but problem still exist. dealer contacted. nlm *tt

While driving vehicle jerked forward very hard almost losing control of vehicle. upon stopping and restarting vehicle gear went from park to reverse. took to dealer. transmission was replaced. vehicle continues to do the same thing, jerking. please provide any further information. *ak

While driving vehicle it idles very high and makes very loud noises. please provide any further information.*ak

Transmission is gone. vehicle will not go into gear. when put vehicle into first or second gear it makes a noise. vehicle will not pull. contacted dealer, and dealer stated transmission needed to be replaced. *ak

Engine check light remained illuminated on dash,and brake fluid was leaking. dealer has replaced rear brake pressure control valve. *ak the consumer stated that the breaks were fine now since replacing the defective brake valve. the blower motor had no 3rd speed due to blower motor switch failure. it was replaced by the dealer. the vehicle takes fuel very slow due to fuel pipe flapper valve failure. *yh

Power steering unit makes a loud noise if brake pedal is depressed on ice and snow. a noise can be heard once the car is started. power steering fluid has been changed, but that did not remedy the problem. please provide further details.*ak

The air bags were inoperative. *jb

Consumer is calling to report that dealership refuses to provide rental car for the time that the vehicle will be remedied under recall for the heater blower resistor. please provide further details. *ak

Rack and pinion steering unit started to leak some fluid. steering wheel would make alot of noise when trying to make turns. contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything. *akhe rack and pinion unit was replaced with a rebuit unit, the automatic transmission has begun to have problems. *nlm

While exiting highway steering wheel was so tough to turn that consumer almost had a collision. consumer pulled over, and noticed power steering fluid was pouring out of vehicle. please provide any further information.*ak

Dealer put a shield on front coil spring. since then everytime consumer hits a bump there is a lot of noise coming from that area. shield has been replaced twice, and noise is still present. *ak *yh

Air conditioner unit gives out a musty and mildew odor. dealership is aware of problem. *ak

Consumer contacted dealer in reference to recall 01v230000. dealer and manufacturer stated this vehicle was not included in recall. heater blower resistor and air conditioning unit were inoperable. dealer neeed to replace blower switch.*ak

Consumer received notification that vehicle was affected by recall 01v230000. dealership examined vehicle, but performed no repairs in accordance with description of corrective action. *ak engine light illuminated due to faulty o2 sensor. *jb

Vehicle stalled at any speed/ any time. vehicle taken to dealer numerous times, cannot remedy problem. *ak

Electrical short in passenger's side turn signal. dealer has yet to be contacted. please provide further details.*ak

Was informed by dealership of recall 99v243000. mechanic refused to comply with recall regarding diagnostic monitor. mechanic indicated air bag recall was for crash sensors only. owner then contacted manufacturer, and was informed of same recall. indicated to owner that diagnostic monitor for air bags could not be installed due to not hearing from nhtsa. *ak

Engine check light came on. took vehicle to dealer, and they replaced fuel pump. please provide any further information.*ak

Recall 01 v 255 000/front coil spring corrosion: unable to get dealer; salconis ford; moon township, pa; phone# 412/269-2255 to honor recall. feel free to provide any further infoirmation concerning this matter.*ak

Rack and pinion steering failure. dealer/ manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further information concerning this matter.*ak

Rack and pinion steering malfunctioned, had no steering/ control of vehicle.*ak

During normal operation of vehicle traction control light on instrument panel illuminates and will not go off. dealership has yet to examine vehicle for this problem. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak

Engine light and air bag light have illuminated on instrument panel. vehicle was serviced for campaign 99v243000 previously, consumer did not know date. dealership has not examined vehicle to determine cause of problem. please provide any additional information / attachments.*ak

Soon after purchasing vehicle it started to have problems with engine. also,vehicle was shaking whenever going above 50 mph. *ak

While exiting highway, steering wheel got really hard to turn, consumer almost had an accident. consumer pulled vehicle to side of road and noticed power steering fluid pouring out of vehicle. *ak *jb

Control switch for heater and air conditioner malfunctioned, cause unknown. please give any further details.*ak

Consumer received recall notification 98v233000. previous dealership informed consumer parts were not available, and would be contacted when service could be performed. since that time, dealership closed its operation; marksville ford, marksvill louisiana. current dealership indicated computer showed service was performed for this recall. please provide any additional information / attachments.*ak

Parts are unavailable to complete recall01v230000 for heater blower resistor due to parts being unavailable.also , when the heater is on air does not get hot. please provide further details.*ak

Passenger's side rear turn signal has an electrical short in wiring that causes bulbs to constantly be replaced. dealer has yet to be contacted. please provide further details. *ak

Coil spring exploded while shifting into reverse. this caused right front tire to be sliced. front end seized up after vehcle collapsed to ground.*ak

Vehicle stalls out while driving. engine check light was fixed so consumer would see the warning sign. problem was intermittent, but currently an ongoing issue. engine needs a vct solenoid replaced at the consumer's cost.*ak

Intermittently vehicle will stall out and die without warning at various speeds. vehicle will start up immediately after . dealer has been notified. please provide additional information.*ak

Intermittently under wet conditions vehicle will stall out and die. dealer has inspected vehicle and adjusted belts. please specify which belts, and provide additional information. *ak

Recall 99v243000. repairs were done. however, after repairs, air bag warning light on the instrument panel remained illuminated, and dealership could not diagnose problem by error or computer codes. *note: air bag light was not on prior to recall service. in september 2001, dealership discovered an error code finding that the front air bag impact sensors were faulty. dealership was charging consumer $70, for diagnostic s, $300 for repair work. please provide any additional information / attachments. *ak

Vehicle has stalled at least 7 times, mostly at slow speed, taken to dealer 3 times, cannot find cause. *ak

Vehicle filled with smoke, no flames just wires burning. consumer received a recall notice 01v230000/ manufacturer's recall 01s22.made and appointment, and part was ordered 4 days ahead, at that time information came up as a recall. once consumer arrived at dealer was unable to pull up recall, and denied recall repairs. *ak

Vehicle shut down without prior warning. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Was driving and applied tbrakes, and brakes locked up. vehicle slid into a ditch. this caused front end to be damaged. vehicle was drivable. an independent mechanic checked vehicle and indicated that brake pads were the problem.

While traveling at about 65 mph in pouring rain, the airbag warning light started to flash a code 5 and 2. next morning light was off. consumer took vehicle to dealer, and they could not duplicate problem. consumer felt like airbag system was disabled, and may not deploy in an accident. dealer replaced front airbags under recall 99 v 243 000.*ak *slc

Vehicle stalls for no reason. consumer will go to start vehicle, and it will not start. when going in low speed or coming to a complete stop vehicle stalls. sometimes when trying to pull off vehicle stalls. contacted dealer.*ak

Consumer had just put on new brakes. but, 2 days earlier brakes failed while wife was driving, resulting in a head-on collision. driver and passenger of other vehicle were injured. *ak consumer states a vehicle suddenly stopped in front of them and when the brakes were applied the vehicle pulled to the left and hit another vehicle head on. *slc

Transmission has a defect, there is a slip when you applying gears. also, brake pedal goes all the way down to the floor, and grabs a little bit. dealership is aware of problem. brakes have failed, on one occasion consumer almost hit a child, brake pedal slips from under foot. emergency brake is only effective 50 percent of the time. transmission intermittently changes gears roughly, at times jarring occupants in the vehicle. possible electrical problem: light of the clock has burned out twice, consumer states there are shorts in the dashboard, causing the heater or a/c to only have one speed working, dome lights work intermittently, light under dash works intermittently, warning bell does not chime all the times it should, consumer states a sensor causes heater to act as the ac and vice versa. hinges not made properly, causing door movement while opening/closing, does not stop when it should. seat blet retarction does not have enough elast, causing it not to retract properly, has gotten caught in the door jam. alarm system has failed. wheel cover cracked when a tire was being changed and another one fell off, consumer was not aware of the time or place it fell off. *slc

Would be driving at various speeds and noticed that speedometer would indicate a different speed; either higher or lower than actually traveling. had taken vehicle to dealer, and mechanic test drove vehicle. had speedometer repaired under warranty. problem has since reappeared.*ak

While driving in fog and turning on defroster it won't work on low, but will work on high. this could cause a bad accident because defroster has a delayed reaction, and while driving windows are still fogged up. consumer has yet to contact the dealer. please provide any further information.*ak

After receiving recall 01v23000 notification for heater blower resistor, an attempt was made to have recall repairs done by local dealer, dealership informed consumer that unless problem described in recall was occurring, vehicle would not be serviced, *ak consumer contacted nhtsa who suggested another dealer and was given an immediate scheduled appointment, vehicle has had recall repairs. *slc

Consumer received recall notice 99v243000. dealership was refusing to install a new diagnostic monitor as described in recall corrective action. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak

While driving at about 5mph and making a right turn right front wheel came off due to loose lugs: nuts. dealer has seen vehicle. *ak consumer states the vehicle has experienced problems with the following: fuel filter, spark plugs, transmission, cv boot, brakes, air filter, wire, rotors need turning, timing gear, timing belt, and vehicle will not start. *slc

Front spring on left side cracked, causing front end of vehicle to drop. *ak *jb

Left side coil spring broke while driving at low speed. dealer / manufacturer were not notified at this time. please feel free to provide any further details on this matter . *ak

Within 55,000 miles engine mounts have broken, causing vehicle to vibrate, and engine to rise when accelerating. please give any further details.*ak

Wiring harness located behind the headlight switch melted, causing failure of headlight and parking lights. dealership repaired this problem, and manufacturer informed consumer that his vehicle was not included in recall 99v103000. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak

Traveling approximately 20mph consumer was preparing to stop, when it almost lost control. consumer will be contacting dealer to determine cause. *ak

Consumer was traveling about 55mph on highway and vehicle veered into left to avoid debris in street. consumer lost control of vehicle , steering was uncontrolable, and then vehicle straightened out on its own. dealership was aware of problem.*ak dealer replaced belt and took vehicle for a test drive and could not duplicate problem. *slc

Fuse box melted due to a loose wire. dealer has inspected vehicle.*ak

Consumer sped up to pass another vehicle, and when slowing down vehicle started to vibrate. also, vehicle was racing up to 2000 rpm/, stalling, and making a rumbling sound. dealer stated oxygen sensor had gone bad. it controls amount of air and gas mixture. *ak

Airbag light is on/ horn, and cruise control are not working. consuemr stated this was same problem as stated in recall 99 v 243 000. consumer was scared that airbag may deploy in face.*ak

When applying brake pedal to make a gradual stop front brakes grind. vehicle was taken into repair shop, were mechanic stated that front brake pads were too soft, and rotors have wornout. please give any further details.*ak

Gas gauge is inadequate when putting gas in tank. gas gauge does not show correct amount.*ak

Left strut spring broke, then 30 days later right one broke.*ak

When turning or bearing to left there was a loud grinding noise. sound got louder, and vehicle started pulling to left. consumer went to firestone to have vehicle checked out for vibration. firestone took it for a drive to listen to it. bearings and seals were shot, and needed replacemet. also, lubrication had dried up. *ak *jb

Left front coil spring brokethroough tire. vehicle had to be towed, and coil spring replaced. *ak

Consumer heard a knocking sound from front right of vehicle, had it inspected, and was told that right front coil spring was broken. *ak

Interior and courtesy lights intermittently flash rapidly on and off, cause unknown. *ak *slc

Wiring harness problems are same symptoms as mentioned in investigation # ea01001. has replaced wiring harness 8 times. *ak

Air bag light came on and flashed on/off. based on information from mechanic, and a diagnostic was done before replacing sensor. problem was repaired after taking vehicle to dealership. *ak

When shift lever is placed in reverse vehicle hesitates before engaging into gear itself. dealer has not been contacted. *ak

Vehicle was parked. in middle of night consumer heard a loud noise. next morning he started vehicle, put it in gear ,but vehicle did not move forward or reverse. consumer then noticed that wheel well on left front was laying on top tire, vehicle still at dealer, coil spring broke or strut. *ak consumer also had front brake pads replaced,*jb

Consumer was traveling on highway and noticed that smoke was coming from underneath vehicle. he parked and vehicle burst into flames. fire department was notified. fire marshall stated that electrical system started fire.*ak

Right coil spring broke. dealer notified, and repairs made at consumer's cost. "no recalls and out of its warranty". *ak *slc

"mod pump" for abs brake system has stopped functioning. no reason given for possible cause of defect. *ak prior to breaking of the pump, check the engine light came on and stayed on. *yh

There is a vibration when brakes are applied before making a full stop. this occurs at any given speed. *ak the vehicle's vibration becomes scarey when applying brakes at higher speeds. *yh

When filling fuel tank, nozzle keeps shutting off. dealer found problem with fuel filler pipe. flapper valve needs to be replaced. *ak

Was driving when driver's seat collapsed backwards without warning. this caused driver to contact visibility with road. lost control of vehicle. vehicle was declared totaled. contacted manufacturer & informed someone will get in touch. *ak

Headlights cannot be adjusted to produce proper lighting at night, consumer not able to drive vehicle at night. to dealer 3 times, replaced headlights, did not remedy. then dealer stated it was a defect because lights were not adjustable. *ak

Dealer was inspecting vehicle and discovered that front coil springs were broken. *ak consumer states broken spring has extensive rust on both surfaces of break.*jb

Consumer has had a recall on engine overheating, and dealer has had vehicle for a week. dealer indicated vehicle was not part of recall.*ak the timing belt was replaced, then new motor due to overheating, 2 months laer there was an internal repair complete, vehicle overheated again and engine was replaced again, consumer is requesting total refund and to turn in vehicle, all problems occurred within a one year period. *slc

Gears are not shifting properly, and there is a delay when trying to shift.*ak

Water pump stopped working while consumer was driving and caused engine to overheat and stop. contacted dealer, and dealer wouldn't do anything.*ak

Fuel tank is defective, it leaks gas and fumes. dealer will not warranty part.*ak

Consumer was traveling 65mph when hood flew up, smashing windshield. consumer had to hammer hood down to get it home. it was taken to an autobody shop, they had no explaination why it happened. consumer was going to take it to a dealer. *ak consumer states one person was injured due to incident. *slc

Steering wheel would not release from locked position. vehicle had to be towed to a dealership to be inspected.*ak

Consumer noticed flat tire. called tow truck who found front left coil spring had broken and went through the tire. *ak consumer is requesting reimbursement. *slc

Engine blower motor switch has caused wire harness to burn. ford has extended warranty on vehicle. however,vehicle has exceeded mileage.*ak

First day car was bought engine died, took to dealer, and they gave consumer another contour. currently, vehcile will shut off in middle of intersection. dealer replaced transmission, and engine was acting up. *ak consumer states vehicle has been in 3 times for transmission problems, it jerks and vibrates, consumer does not think that dealer replaced transmission like they said. 1 time for engine problems. consumer has been in 2 accidents due to sudden acceleration. front sway bar replaced, steering would shimmy and rattle. blower motor assembly replaced, due to rattling noise in air conditioner, also cycling switch replaced due to air conditioner not cooling. left front seat belt buckle assembly replaced, belt would not buckle. starter failed and was replaced. engine light illuminated, dealer found loose connection at act. rear struts replaced, noisy. *slc

Since june of 2000 vehicle was running hot. took to dealer, and they said it was internal they could not fix it. in february, whole engine went out.*ak

Right front coil spring broke after 9,000 miles and after replacing left front coil spring. manufacturer notified. please feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak

Consumer's vehicle was at a intersection and another vehicle veered into it. consumer and his wife was throwen forward. seat was knocked at a 45degree angle. seat belt broke and latch failed. also, the driver's seat and passenger's seat broke. dealership was aware of the problem. there were miner injuries.*ak

Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision with another vehicle at 25-30 mph impact. upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak

Vehicle was parked and wouldn't start. ignition switch damaged key. dealership was aware of problem. *ak

Air conditioner emits bad smell when running. also when heater is running. took vehicle to dealer 8 times. dealer could not fix problem. dealer stated contours have that problem. *ak *slc

Ea00025, while refueling it won't refuel or it's very hard to fuel vehicle. common problem. *ak

While driving about 30 mph rear ended another vehicle, and air bags did not deploy. consumer was concerned. *ak

Consumer states a noise can be heard when the wheels are turned left or right, wheels were replaced once by the dealer, when driving, sometimes vehicle will shake very bad. vehicle has bad brakes. *slc

While driving about any speed would step on brakes pedal to stop or to slow down, but brakes would not operate as before and pull to side.*ak the dealer replaced wheels but the vehicle makes loud noise also. *yh

Vehicle was repaired under recall for gear shift indicator. after repairs of vehicle, it would not go into gear. dealer has attempted to repair vehicle three times since first repaired, and problem has not been corrected. manufacturer has been notified.*ak *slc

Safety feature on vehicle can be shifted (floor) without pressing brakes or accelerator pedal. even if vehicle was not started or started can shift into gear. took vehicle to dealer & was informed by mechanic that solenoid had broken, but not under warranty of safety related issues. *ak

When appyling abs brakes system failed. this was caused by a malfunction within blower switch and wiring harness. *ak when brakes are released the lights and the blower motor worked normal. the dealer indicated that water intrusion caused wire damage requiring complete wire harness. the consumer had to skip the repair due to a very high cost of repair. *yh

Intermittently while driving vehicle at any speed vehicle cut off. vehicle has cut off 3 times since september of this year. a total of 6 six times over last 3 years. each time vehicle had to be towed to dealership, it will not restart. dealership has tried to correct this problem, but problem still exists. please provide any further information.*ak

When making sudden stops driver seat slides forward. it also moves from side to side. dealer has seen vehicle several times, and could not duplicate problem. *ak

Driver's side and passenger's side seat track and anchor system is rusting out. dealer has not been contacted .*ak

Ignition power module shorted out. please provide futher details.*ak

Consumer heard a squeaking and grinding noise coming from brakes. took vehicle to dealer, and they said rotors needed to be changed, and 60% braking power was left on rear. consumer had brakes changed at 26,212 miles, and at another 25,00 miles they need to be changed again. *ak

While traveling at various speeds vehicle was pulling to the right. when having oil changed consumer was told that front spring coil was broken. *ak

When filling gas tank with fuel fuel would spit back out. door chime fails to work when key is in ignition. heating system would go off, and then on whenever heat is on.*ak

Had to slam on brakes suddenly/abs light came on, and fuse between blower and heater popped out. this happened every time brakes were applied suddenly. would have no codes. would put 80 amps fuse in & same thing happened. heater motor wold still be running & abs light on. front end brakes would lock up. back brakes did not work. *ak

Consumer was traveling about 60mph on highway and vehicle hestitated. throttle would roar up high. without prior warning, and then vehicle would stall out. both dealerships were aware of problem. *ak

Consumer has been smelling fumes inside vehicle for 6-8 months. several dealers could not determine what caused it. consumers complained that fumes were making her sick. consumer has stopped driving vehicle.*ak

Vehicle was running hot the 1st time dealer kept it for 2 weeks & claimed it was fixed. vehicle went to the dealer again this time for 47 days which a loaner vehicle was given & it was returned with no explanation what was wrong. it's still running hot. *ak

Engine check light comes on and stays on.*ak

Pe00-020; firestone firehawk gta, p20560r15, original equipment for ford contour 1998 with 14,300 miles . all 4 tires cracked from tread all the way around the tire. consumer was advised to go slow on roads, and avoid highways. *ak

Engine check light stayed on the dashboard constantly. vehicle will not move beyond 30 mph in first gear. then when vehicle is in second gear it goes up to 70mph. *ak

Bracket that holds brake line into the rear part of the engine melted off or broke, causing no braking ability, which almost caused a crash. currently will take to the dealer. please provide further information. *ak

Headlights in low dim when activated there is a shadow in the headlight which may cause visual difficulty and may result in a crash. ford said it's the design of the headlights. *ak

When she applied brakes pedal went all the way to floor. and the brake light stays on constantly. consumer was going out of driveway/ backing up and applied brakes, and vehicle kept going. vehicle slid and was involved in a crash. vehicle at the dealership.*ak

Consumer took vehicle to dealer for recall repairs. dealer refused to fix airbag monitor. *ak

Intermittently when horn blows there is a burnt wire smell, and the horn becomes inoperable. dealer has been notified.*ak

The fuse to turn signals continue to blow, and there is no warning until attemped to use the signal. dealer has been contacted. *ak the vehicle was taken to a dealer in may 2000 for shift indicator problem recall. the vehicle was returned to the dealer again several times because the problem continued and approximnately 12 fuses blew over all. *yh

The interior dome light & cover fell down while vehicle was parked. *ak front passenger side door never fitted properly. *yh

Driver's seat moves back unexpectedly due to broken pivots which may cause loss of vehicle control. dealer fixed driver's and passenger's seats on numerous occasions, but could not determine the cause of the problem. please provide further information.*ak

Wheels have 12 holes on a 14 inches wheels where they are cracking and can pop out of vehicle. *ak

Ongoing problem with brake rotors continuing to warp. needed replacement every 5000-10000 miles. this problem causes vehicle to virbrate when brakes are applied. dealer notified. please provide further details. *ak

Vehicle jumped into reverse inadvertendly while in park, resulting in a collision. manfuacturer and dealer have been notified. *ak

Vehicle has been in shop for one month and mechanic can not tell consumer why it continues to stop in traffic. however, mechanic said that whole fuel line needs to be replaced.*ak

Consumer noticed that the place where the airbag is located has a split in it. dealer can't seem to fix it so that it will not deploy over a period of time. *ak

Vehicle involved in a frontal collision at an impact of 45-50 mph, and driver's air bag failed to deploy. no injuries were reported.manufacturer notified, and urged consumer to call nhtsa. feel free to provide further details. *ak

Low beam headlights are too dim, making it dangerous to drive at night. dealer adjusted lights 3 times , but problem still occurs. dealer claims it is just a design flaw and cannot be repaired. *ak

Speedometer/odmeter and fuel gauge are not working. vehicle gave no prior warnings, and shutdown while in motion. dealership's remedy for fuel gauge and speedometer are for them to be replaced. defect may have caused consumer into an automobile accident.*ak sometimes, all of them do work, but may fail while traveling. *yh

Fuel will spill back out onto the consumer while pumping fuel, even with less than a quarter tank of fuel left, causing a fire hazard. dealer has replaced a valve in filler, but defect still occurs. dealer has now ordered a gas tank.

Consumer called on feb 2, 2000 to see if parts were in, and they were not in. *ak

Dealer has no repair parts for recall #00v075000 concerning rear brakes, they may lockup. this is just one of several recalls that have been made on this vehicle. *ak.et.

Timing belt slipped off the vehicle. it had to be replaced five times already. when timing belts slipped vehicle shutdown. *ak

Recall 99v194000/throttle cable ; corrective action did not remedy the problem. while driving in heavy traffic throttle cable broke. please give any further details. *ak

Air bag sensor is on back order since october 1999. as of yet dealer has no part. please provide further informaton. *ak

In a crash driver's seatback broke, causing injuries to occupant. *ak *ml

Whle driving in first gear transmission felt like it was slipping out of gear. the same happend when it was in third gear. *ak

Consumer's wife was driving about 30 mph and she rear ended a vehicle in front. upon impact, air bags did not deploy. *ak

While driving driver's seatback broke, causing the seat to fall back, and the driver lost control of vehicle. also engine cut off system malfunctioned, engine did not shut off at the time of the crash. please provide further information. *ak

Consumer had a head-on collison, and the air bags came out with such a force that it knocked off cap on driver's head and his glasses. consumer received recall notice 3 months after the recall was issued. recall 99v243000. *ak *ml

Consumer contacted the dealer in reference to four seperate nhtsa recall notices 99v243000/ 99v194000/ 99v103000 and 98v233000. also, manufacturer's recalls 99s23/99s19/99s14 and 98s26. dealer refused to correct the recall problems without the consumer correcting the problem with transmission . please provide any further details. *ak

While traveling driver's seatback surport broke ,causing consumer to lay down whiel, vehicle was still traveling. please provide further informaton. *ak

When consume r stepped on brake pedal to reduce speed or to stop vehicle, he could hear noise coming from the brakes, like they were falling apart. *ak

When trying to shift gear from first to second, consumer is unable to shift. has to focus on the pawl, make sure of the right gear, then focus on the road. transmission hangs up going into second gear. *ak *ml

Was at a service station. thought that they haven't turned on the pump, and realized that vehicle was not accepting any more gas. fuel gauge was reading like it was a full tank. contacted manufacturer. took it to a local mechanic who said that there may be a problem with the fuel gauge *ak

Tires have flat spots. consumer can hear the difference. when driving on slippery roads vehicle will slide and could cause an accident. dealer said tires were out of line. then, dealer said the struts were bad. *ak

The consumer received a manufacturer's recall on water pump. a week later, consumer heard a knocking noise. took vehicle back to the dealership, and mechanic told him that the bolts were loose on the water pump. also, when consumer applied brakes there was a humming noise. *ak

Consumer was traveling about 55 mph and without warning the heat went off. there was rattling noise coming from underneath the vehicle. then, vehicle started to lose speed. consumer was looking out of rearview mirror and noticed black smoke coming from the manifold. consumer applied emergency lights and veered over to the shoulder lane, and she was struck by a truck on the rear. car was towed. consumer suffered internal injuries.*ak

While driving during rain heavy water gets under the transmission, causing it to jerk and shift hard. also, leaking transmission fluid and a burning smell coming through the heater vents. contacted dealer and manufacturer. *ak *ml

While driving at 10 mph front spring coil broke. provide further details. *ak

When consumer applies brakes the pedal goes all the way down to the floor, and car makes a hard noise. *ak

Consumer's vehicle was sitting at a friend house, and vehicle started to burn from the dashboard. vehicle was totaled. *ak

Recall # 99v243000 interior systems: passive restraint: air bag: air bag warning light continues to flash even though vehicle was serviced under recall campaign. please provide any further information. *ak

While making a stop vehicle would idle high. as a result of this, vehicle surged forward. dealer has been notified. *ak.et.

Consumer had rear end collision, and both front seats collapsed backward. consumer injured his back. *ak

When traveling at any speed and upon hitting water in the road surface steering wheel lock up and freeze, causing poor steering control. also, having problems with vehicle stalling when traveling at any speed. consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer has replaced parts, but problem still occurs. please provide any further details. *ak

Headlight's are not working, and the door light above floor lights on the driver's side and passenger's side don't work. also, speedometer isn't working properly. *ak

Two front tires where put on at 27000 miles and they wore out. *ak

While driving at 60 mph car jerks and vibrates.*ak

Whiledriving into garage with foot on brakes to slow down and to come to a stop,vehicle suddenly accelerated, causing driver to run through garage, resulting in total loss of vehicle. *ak

When taking foot off the accelerator pedalvehicle continues to travel at the same speed for 5, 10, or maybe 15 seconds before slowng down. this increases the stopping time for braking. this vehicle to do this. please provide further information. *ak

While starting vehicle blew up, causing the connectors / vehicle to melt. consumer was hurt.

Enigine mounts broke while driving, causing the motor to fall on the steering shaft, which resulted in steering difficulties. dealer has been contacted. owner replaced the mount resting on the steering shaft at their expense. ford would not repair at their cost. *ak *yc

Owner received recall notice #99v194000. contacted dealer. took vehicle on appointed date. mechanic repaired headlight switch. failed to repair the throttle cable due to lack of parts & too many customers. would need to reorder more parts & would notify owner, who is still waiting. (99s14 repaired) (99s19 waiting for parts). *ak

When driving at any speed there is a knocking and clucking noise coming from the front of the vehicle. also, headlights are working intermittently. *ak

Flapper valve does not allow consumer to put gas into the vehicle. consumer says that this causes the gas to shut back out. this could cause a fire. *ak

Consumer received recall 99v243000. contacted the dealer, no parts available to correct the problem. please give any further details. *ak

Temperature gauge goes all the way to the red area. when car overheats it loses power. since consumer purchased the car she had nothing but problems and recall notices. *ak

Consumer contacted dealer in reference to recalls 99v149000, 99v243000 and manufacturer's 9s23. dealer stated parts ere not available . please provide any further details. *ak

While driving at 60 mph withou prior warning transmission blew out and the consumer was able to coast to the side of the road. *ak

When applying the turn signal, the light blinks excessively fast. dealer says the turn signal bulb was open. dealer has fixed the problem. *ak

The sway bar was improperly installed causing vehicle to malfunction while driving over certain objects in the road. *yc

When driving at any speed accelerator pedal got stuck, and vehicle accelerated at high speed. dealer couldn't determine the cause of the problem. *ak

The abs warning light comes on when starting the vehicle and it stays on. also the emergency brake light comes on. dealer says something in the hydraulic brake system needs to be replaced. *ak

Engine belt that dealer put on made a whistling sound. then belt popped/shredded like ribbon. *ak

While driving at 40 mph and coming to a stop and brake pedal was applied, it was hard as if something was keeping it from being pushed. brakes did not respond at all, causing consumer to strike another vehicle in the rear. consumer suffered a concussion to the left side of head. the dealer was not contacted. *ak

Engine belt that dealer put on made a whistlung sound. then, belt popped and shredded like ribbon. *ak

Engine belt that dealer put on made the car have a whistling sound. then belt popped and shredded like ribbon.*ak

Automatic transmission malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to drop in the gears which may cause a rear end collision. dealer cannot determine the cause of the problem. *ak

Recall 99v243000. dealer refuses to take care of the air bag recall. manufacturer says only the sensor has to be repaired, and not the module. *ak

Vehicle pulls to the left & the air conditioning unit has a musk smell. *yc

Driver's side seat belt locked up, had to untwist belt to use it. also, rear window fell out, nothing had hit it/ignition key switch would rattle when inserting key & taking it out, and sun roof lock was not working. sunroof could not be opened or closed . taking vehicle to dealer to check problems. *ak

Had started up vehicle & the air bag light came on & stayed. it would continue to flash on/off until vehicle is turned off. been to dealer & mechanic informed owner there was a short in the electrical wiring. problem & needs to be resolved. *ak

Reporting problem with vehicle transmssion; whenever shift indicator is engaged in any other gear, consumer can hear a crunching /clicking sound. dealer notified. can nhtsa provide information on this matter on normal wear at this milages at 51,000 .*ak

While driving vehicle oil light came on. engine stalled out. noticed a reflection of flames on the ground. lifted hood of vehicle & noticed the engine was on fire. driver put flames out. the alternator was just replaced, twice, prior to fire. was no warning. *ak

Brakes experiencing a loud noise when braking. dealer has been notified in result of this vehicle was in accident. *yc

When applying brakes a heavy vibration will occur. also brakes will squeak.3 set of brakes rotors have been replaced. *ak

The headlights do not come on. also, interior lights on the dash sometimes do not function. dealer has see vehicle. *ak.

Automatic transmission interlock system became inoperative. anyone can move the automatic transmission without depressing the brake pedal, which may cause a vehicle to roll away. *ak

Intermittently the airbag light flashes on and off while the vehicle is motion. *ak

There is a short within the electrical system, causing the horn, brinker's and brake light's not to work. also, all the rubber has fallen off the door panel, and the driver's side shoulder belt doesn't retract. *ak

Air bag light is on and won't go off. *ak

Without a vehicle collision occurring driver's and passenger's air bags deployed. cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak

When traveling 31 mph consumer was involved in a head-on collsion in which neither driver's side nor passenger's side air bags deployed upon impact. consumer has contacted the dealer, vehicle was totaled . vehicle accelerated on its own, lost control, hit an embankment head-on *ak

While driving at 25 mph noticed smoke coming from the brakes. when applying the brakes there is a grinding noise. also, front brake disc rotors and pads have been replaced. *ak

Whenever ignition is turned off, it would lock up. key would still be in ignition switch. had turned to lock position while nothing was in use at the time. been to dealer 4 or 5 times for problem, but mechanic could not locate cause of problem. *ak

Engine chcek light is on, and there is some type of grinding noise coming from the vehicle. *ak

The airbag light is on. when applying the brakes there is a squeaking noise coming from the brakes. also, the front end misalignment, causing vibration. *yc

Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision, and the airbags did not deploy. vehicle has been repaired. *ak

Consumer was sent nhtsa recall 99v194000/mfr recall99s19, throttle linkages and control. made an appointment on two different occasions. took vehicle into dealer, but parts were not availalbe. *ak

Brake pads and rotors are wearing excessively. dealer has replaced the front brake rotors on a number of occasions. please provide any further details. *ak

There was no notification of recall concerning transmission failure. *ak

Driving down the road at approx 30mph smelled a burning odor.pulled vehicle over. the wire to the speed control burned off, causing smoke to fill in the vehicle. contacted dealer. *ak

The braking system malfunctioned, causing a grinding noise and extended stopping distance which may result in a crash. please provide further information. *ak

Manual gear shift on this vehicle sticks, when the clutch is applied to shift into first it, will not allow this command . once it gets into first there is a problem getting it out. this also happens with the reverse gear. the problem does not always occur. dealer has been contacted. *ak

Was at a complete stop, took off going to make a left hand turn, and transmission went out. coasted vehicle to the side.consumer contacted dealer and manufacturer. *ak

While seating in driver seat the back support callapsed, consumer fell backwards.*ak

When driving at any speed the air bag light comes on and won't go off. also, there is some type of code that appears on the dashboard, such as 41,22,55 and the codes keep blinking off and on. *ak

While driving dash caught fire right behind the glove compartment. fire was electrical. dealer replaced wiring harness and 3 resistor boards. *ak

When it rains hard/floods and in puddles, car shuts off.consumer contacted dealer and manufacturer. *ak

The vehicle vibrates when driving about 60mph ,on the front end. dealer has seen four times. problem still exist. mjs

While driving at about 35 mph in wet conditions consumer hit a ditch and caused the airbags to deploy. passenger side airbag was burning around the subframe.

The airbag warning light has come on and will not cut off which in the event of deployment would cause a crash. dealer has not seen vehicle. *ak

While driving down the highway the clicking starts at a speed of 55mph.the clicking is a constant noise and continues to get worse.dealer was notified and stated that the warranty was up. *ak

When the brakes are applied they grind, causing the vehicle to vibrate. the dealer has replaced the brake rotors. *ak

Due to the "flap in the fuel nozzle which gets stuck and causes the fuel to spray out when fueling the vehicle. this may cause a fire if there is a source of ignition. please provide further further information. *ak ford stated that it is a service bulletin not a recall, only to be replaced undetr warranty. jn

While driving at 65 mph the vehicle died out without any prior warning. also, there is some noise coming from the transmission, and the vehicle has been in the shop over and over and the tranmission has been replaced twice. but dealer can't determine the problem. *ak

Airbag light stays on. dealer has repaired vehicle, and the problem still exists. *ak

Ther e is a problem within the electrical system which causes signal and brake lights to malfunction. dealer is aware of the problem, and vehicle has been at dealer four times for repairs. *ak

Air conditioner wires burned out and left a bad odor within vehicle. *ak

The air bag warning light continues to blink on and off. dealer is not able to duplicate the problem. owner has to pump fuel into tank very slowly. the dealer is aware of this problem because of service bulletin. problem has not been corrected.

Braking system malfunctioned, causing a grinding noise every time the vehicle brakes and a vibration in steering wheel occurs. also ther e is extended stopping distance which may result in an accident. been to dealer 4 times. dealer replaced brake pad andshoe assembly and disc brakes twice. problem is reoccurring. please provide further information. *ak

Consumer turned air conditioner on and smoke came from knob area. inside of knob had melted cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak

At 10,000 miles the transmission has totally malfunctioned cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak

Braking system malfunctioned, causing no braking ability and a crash. also an humming noise in the engine, affecting the way vehicle drives. please provide further information. *ak

Recall # 98v233000/ford shift lever damage; owner has contacted two dealerships, neither dealer had parts to correct recall. dealers contacted in november(1998)/ december(1998),and april(1999). owner has received second recall notice. *ak

When the horn is in use it fails to work properly when pressed. has taken vehicle to dealer for repairs, which were not done. had contacted the dealer, again, and was informed that parts had to be ordered. *ak

Airbag light stays on while the vehicle is in motion. the dealer has been notified. *ak

Vehicle will be serviced for the 4th time in 10 months for the air bag system. the air bag warning light continues to flash. please provide any further details. *ak

While accelerating to get on interstate, accelerator stuck, and car accelerated to a high rate of speed. putting the car in neutral/turning off the ignition, and pressing on brakes slowed vehicle down. vehicle was towed to the dealership. please provide any further details. *ak

Consumer was involved in a collision in which vehicle was hit by a semi -truck, and the driver's/passenger's air bags did not deploy. please give any further details. *ak

When applying brakes vehicle makes a loud noise. dealer has seen vehicle 3 times, and there was no solution. *ak

Front drivers side seat belt was pulled out and would not retract on its own. dealer has been contacted. *ak

The rear tires have been wearing out every 5,000 miles. 3 sets of rear tires have been changed within 15,000 miles. *ak

Consumer received recall notice, and contacted dealer/manufacturer in 11/98. parts not in after 60 days. owner cannot get remedy of problem. provide further information. *ak

When driving at any speed the vehicle vibrates and the vehicle cuts off without giving any prior warning. also, when applying brakes they are hard and foot goes all the way to the floor. consumer took the vehicle in for repairs three times, and the dealer had to replaced the air bag due to the fact that thiere wasn't any air in the air bag. *ak

The consumer has been experiencing problems with engine. engine is very loud. the consumer also stated that while driving engine check light stays illuminated. the manufacturer has yet to be contacted. *ak

When pumping gas was difficult to start vehicle. a clicking noise was heard. new gas tank was installed. front and rear brakes were knocking and squealing. replaced three times. sunroof motor went out. replacement made. also, starter problems occurred. dealer contacted and repairs were made but problem still exists. provide further information. *ak

Consumer took vehicle in for a mfr. recall repairs , under dash fire broke out while in the dealer shop for repairs; needs help on this matter. *ak

Consumer was driving down street when both air bags deployed, driver was injured, burned. resulted in accident. *ak *ml

Ignition allowed driver to pull key out of ignition while automobile was still in drive-. the automobile rolled backward when driven even if the key was out of ignition. *ak

Computer board has a programming error, causing the vehicle to stall out and not register. manufacturer contacted and is aware of the problem. stated that the software package will be available in mid 2/99. as of 18 feb 99 parts still not received. *ak

The vehicle was rearended by another vehicle and both the driver's and the passenger's seats collapsed. dealer has not seen the vehicle. *ak

The consumer has received a recall letter for shift lever damage. since the consumer received the letter, the parts have been unavailable. the manufacturer has yet to be contacted. *ak

The consumer has been experiencing problems with automatic transmission. vehicle jumps into gear on its own. in addition, the engine is very loud. the manufacturer has been contacted.*ak

When driving at any speed the automatic transmission floor shift lever was damaged, and the vehicle lost power. also, the paint on the vehicle has acid rain in it. *ak

Whenever driving at different speeds the engine would lock up. vehicle would buck before engine shuts down. been to dealership at least 8 different times. told no problem exists. now needs parts for repair. *ak

Driver's side seat belt is not staying on track, and the consumer states the cover is coming off the track of the seat belt. *ak

Consumer received recall letter, contacted dealer. no parts available to correct the problem. recall number 98v233000. dec.15,1998 at 8;00 am the service was done. *ak.et.

Car power in the interior of the car cuts off then the engine stalls out. dealer has seen vehicle 7 times and can't find a solution. *ak

Consumer received recall notice #98v233000 for the shift lever, but the dealer doesn't have the parts to fix the vehicle. *ak

Consumer received mfr. recall notice #98 s 26 / ford: shift level damage which the gear position indicator can deteriorate and not correctly indicate the actual gear position. *ak

Consumer received recall letter. contacted the dealer, no parts available to remedy the problem. recall number 98v233000. please give any further details. *ak

Fuel leaks from fuel tank. occurs while driving or parked. has happened at least 3 different times. *ak

Owner took vehicle to dealer after receiving recall notice #98v233000. dealer had checked vehicle & could not shift lever. informed owner parts not available. would need to order parts. *ak

The air bag warning indicator light flashes on and off. consumer experienced the same problem in june of 98, but the light stopped flashing without being serviced. the vehicle will be checked by the dealership. *ak

Consumer has been experiencing problems with exhaust pipes. consumer smell fumes coming through the heater vents. the manufactuere has yet to be contacted. *ak

Consumer was sitting at stop light when she was rear ended by another vehicle, the air bags did not deploy. consumer was injured. *ak

While driving at highway speeds the vehicle suddenly stalls, and within 6 seconds of its stalling the entire vehicle just shuts down. dealer has been contacted. *ak

When driving at any speed the air bag light keeps coming on, and the the horn doesn't work. also, the horn is very hard when trying to press it. dealer repaired the horn, and the problem is back, and they can't determine the problem. *ak

When driving at 45 mph the engine check light comes on and off.consumer is also having problems with the driver's side window and the back window wouldn't roll down. the dealer had to replace the relay part of the window. *ak

While driving electrical system malfunctioned, causing headlights/tail lights/interior lights to go out, which almost cause an accident. cause unknown. currently at dealer awaiting parts. please provide further information. *ak

When driving at night there isn't any light in the inside for the consumer to be able to use the sun roof, and the consumer states that is a safety defect. *ak

The air conditioner does not flow air from the vents like it should. has taken vehicle to the dealer at least 3 different times. problem cannot be found. *ak

The consumer received a recall letter for automatic transmission shift lever indicator, recall number 98s26. after a delay in obtaining parts, the recall repairs were performed, no problem since. *ak *ml

Fuse box can be opened and the fuses can not be reached. dealer states that's the way it was installed. *ak

When driving at night there is a reflection on the windshield, causing poor visibility, making it very difficult to drive at night. dealer determined the problem due to the plastic covering on the windshield which has dust underneath. dealer has yet to replace any parts. please provide any further details. *ak

While driving the vehicle front driver's side wheel broke off from the axle, causing a major accident. please provide additional details. *ak

Was driving vehicle about 40mph it stalled out for no reason. had checked underhood, the timing belt broke. also, the water pump & head gasket failed. had the vehicle towed to dealer.*ak

While driving at 20 mph, a vehicle stopped in front of the consumer's vehicle, causing the consumer to be rearended from behind. the consumer's seat broke in half, causing the consumer to lose contact wiht the pedal. vehicle ended up hitting another vehicle in front. consumer received minor injuries. contacted the dealer. *ak

Whenever the built-in child safety seat strap clip is pulled or tugged on, it becomes unlatched. this happens after it's locked in (clicked sound) & the dot turns from red to green to say seat is latched in properly. *ak

While driving in heavy traffic vehicle idles rough, causing vehicle to stall. vehicle has been taken to dealer, and problem can not be duplicated. cause unknown. *ak

Seat belt on the front passenger's side is not safe for adults because of the modification for child seats. the seat belt locks up which does not allow the passenger any normal movement. *ak

Intermittently while parked and the ignition off the vehicle will slip out of gear without any warning. dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak

Consumer complained of unpleasant odor coming from vent whenever a/c or heater are turned on. vehicle been in/out dealer shop, and condition still unresolved. *ak

The interlock system malfunctioned. while driving the vehicle interlock system malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to stall and could potentially cause an accident. *ak

While driving vehicle about 60 mph the headlights did not work while in use at night. the manufacturer told consumer this was not safety problem. *ak

The shoulder belt on the driver's side has pulled away from the frame. the dealer is aware of the problem. the problem has not been corrected. *ak

Air bag: driving approximately 30mph another car pulled out in front, hit the brakes and car did not stop in time, ran into the passenger's side of the other car, and the air bags did not deploy. light had been flashing previously, and dealer looked at it and said they could not find anything wrong with it. *ak

Driving down the highway and all the lights on the vehicle will go off; will stay off for about five minutes and then come back on. brake lights keep burning all the time even when the vehicle is turned off. *ak

Consumer states the water pump failed.*yd

On several occasions, when turning, the steering wheel started to shimmy, and makes a yawning sound, possibly related to the steering and or suspension failure. *et

Problem with refueling, the internal pressure was causing the fuel pump nozzle to disengage. *et

Starter relay failed. *et

Windshield wiper fails to clean window properly. wiper replaced, problem still persist.

Temperature gauge failed. yh

Fuel injector failed. yh

Speedometer failed. yh

Fuel gauge failed. yh

Fuel tank failed. yh

Ford operation #991308a ford is aware of a problem with the cycle variable camshaft timing (vct) solenoid which according to a print out is still covered under the emissions warranty coverage of 80,000miles and 8 years. however, when calling the dealer onthe problem - they play stupid and quote a pricing in the thousands. what gives??? my information comes directly from ford to the mitchell information company., llc. according to the service tech who looked at the car - he said this is a problem that he is seeing too frequently on the contour, especially the 98. is this one of the reasons why ford discontinued to produce this car? should this be a recall, since this condition may cause the car to stall in the drive position without warning? dt

I've had to replace the water pump 4 times on my 1998 ford contour. dec. 28, 2001 - 1st incident: water pump failure, also had to replace sensor and thermostat because the radiator had zero water in it. march 26, 2002 - 2nd incident: water pump failure. may 24, 2002 - 3rd incident: water pump failure. october 24, 2002 - 4th incident: water pump failure, also had to have a belt on the pump replaced. i called norma at the ford customer relationship center (1-800-392-3673) and she told me there is nothing that ford can do since the parts warranty (12 month/12,000 miles) is over the mileage. i will have to pay for the replacement of a water pump and if there are future failures under the warranty once i've paid for the repairs it will be replaced at no charge. i informed norma that the dealership stated that they have other customers having the same problems with the water pump failure/defect and that ford is aware of the problem. the dealership has graciously paid for a rental car for all 4 replacements and has given me a discount on labor for this 4th replacement. also my check engine light continually stays on even after being "serviced" by the dealership. dt

The dash is distorted so that the defroster will not work properly. nlm

Consumer complains of a heavy gas smell in the garage, due to the gas tank being cracked. *slc

When driving slowly through a puddle the car can experience a sudden, temporary loss of power steering. this results in difficulty controlling the car.*ak

Engine stalls without warning, causing loss of steering and brakes. have had the car back to charapp ford numerious times for same complaint. first time vct solenoid was replaced, second time vct replaced again. this past week was told that they couldn't duplicate the problem. after talking with techician he confirmed the stalling problem. was told it was a carbon build up and to try driving with gas treatment in car. stalled twice leaving charapp. continued stalling 6 times that day. drove for over two hundred miles and no change. this problem has to be addressed. peoples lives are at stake! my car stalled while turning into on coming traffic from a stop sign. luckily i was able to get off the road.*ak

Replaced timing belt and idler pulley 3 months ago and now the gears are sounding like they are going out again. mr

Blower not working already replaced with recall out again. air conditioning repaired and replaced twice going out again. making sounds like before like bearings going out. mr

I accelerated leaving a stop light and the driver seat back collapsed. upon further review a metal bracket snapped clean in half. i have looked this up on the internet and it apears to be a common occurance with the ford contour. however, ford seems unwilling to do anything about itand the part is not covered by warranty. mr

The hood's safety latch failed causing hood to flip open and smash backward onto to the windshield shattering it completely, knocking out the light console in the roof, denting the roof, and causing significant damage to the hood, and various appurtenances in the hood and windshield area. nlm

Driver's side seat,backrest,right side,internal steel framework,snapped completely through,causing me to lose control of vehicle and almost being involved in a traffic collision. *ak

I had a active recall 99v24300 concerning air bag failure on my ford in early 2000 and took my automobile to the dealer that i purchased the vehicle to get the diagnostic component and sensor replaced in march 2000. when i took the car to be serviced the original parts were still in working order. i took the car in for service because i recieved the recall and i wanted to avoid future problems. my vehicle i used to transport clients as part of community based crisis team that worked with teens with severe mental health issues so i wanted to address the problem due to safety and potential liability issues. the replacement part worked for the first 15 months and then failed and i took it to several dealers in my home town to diagnose the problem. was told that it was a 500.00 dollar plus repair. i was also told that the original part had been replaced back in march 2000 and now the replacement had failed. when i first took it in to the dealer in did not realize that the part that was replaced was the same parts of the recall in early 2000. it is my believe that ford is responsible for this repair because the orginal part was in working order which would have been covered under the orginal warranty. obviously their our still some problems with this particular system. i also believe that it is a major safety issue and failure which ford needs to address immediately. if these issues are not addressed in a timely manner i will pursue possible legal options with ford. *ak

Turn signal electrical harness malfunction, no 4-way or turn signal at all. replaced with another electrical harness, worked for about 3 weeks then malfunctioned again, this time left turn signal inop at the harness(sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.)

Engine check ligt comes on for no reason. has been looked at 5 times in the past year. i recently paid $526.00 because the ford repair shop said the sensor was bad. engine check light still comes on for no reason. need help in determining if there is a silet recall or any type of recall making this situation occur.*ak

Plastic impeller blades on water pump have reportedly failed on numerous contours, resulting in engine overheating. coolant from reservoir sprayed inside engine compartment. upon lifting hood, boiling coolant was visible in reservoir. this presents an injury hazard from the hot coolant, as well as from possible engine failure during vehicle use.*ak

Automatic transmission slipped badly nearly causing accident as car behind me did not anticipate my car not being able to accelarate as i turned onto a busy road. second time tranmisson has failed in the vehicle - first at approx 25000 miles. leaking trans fluid also damge seals to power steering "rack" causing seals to fail competely in less than 300 miles.*ak

Our 98 contour check engine light comes on and stays on when this happens the car stalls at about 40 mph or less. took to dealership they ran a diagnostic on vehicle said it was the oxygen sensor . engine light goes off and vehicle seems to run alright for awhile then engine comes back on and the stalling of the engines starts up again. sister has the same car it is a 1996 ford contour her vehicle does the same thing she took hers in they told her the same thing that it is the oxgen sensor. also have talked to several other people who have the contour they have had the same problem. this seems to be a very common occurence with this vehicle. when it stalls you lose all power can be dangerous if turning a corner or curve in road. my car finally stalled again and now it will not start stalled at about 40mph was onexiting highway had no break power or power steering.this could end up being potentially dangerous problem and have complained to ford motor company they seem to be unresponsive.

Automatic transmission failed without warning or symptoms while merging onto a busy freeway.vehicle could have been hit by passing traffic because of a narrow shoulder at point of failure.*ak

This is my second blow out in about a week. *ak

This is my second blow out in about a week.

During the winter i turned on my heating unit and it would not blow unless it was on high. i would have to constantly turn my heat off and on because it would be too hot then too cold. i noticed on real cold days the heating system would malfunction on milder days the heating system would work correctly. my window would get off tract and i would have to constantly set the window in place while i raise the window. took the car to the dealer and they could not find anything wrong with it.*ak

I have experience defects with the seat belt buckles as well as the seat belts. the seat belts are constantly jamming. therefore, i am unable to safely secure my children or myself when driving. also the buckle does not fasten. sometimes they would work and sometimes they would not. on this particular day the belt jammed for my six year old and the buckle would not lock for my three year old. i proceeded to turn left (after two cars gave my the right of way) into a parking lot while traffic was at a stand still. all of a sudden a car speeds by and forced me to brake suddenly. when i did this both my children heads hit the front passenger car seats. i began to wonder what would have happened to my children if i would have been involved in the accident. i have contacted a dealer to get them check out and fixed and i am contacting the manufacture.*ak

Alternator originally replaced on 06/04/2001,part failed on 05/16/2002. *ak

I know a couple of people who have had experienced the same problems with their contours as i have. i bought this car through a private party and took out an extended warranty through my credit union. the transmission was covered but the signals and the shifter lever was not costing me hundreds of dollars. how many complaints does it take until the manufacturer is forced to recall the parts. i read the comments on the transmissions and it is amazing that everyone is experiencing the same thing, it goes out without warning.*ak

Turn signal/brake lamps burn out very frequently (once every month or two). in mid-october, the turn signal burned out, and changing the bulb did not remedy the problem. car was taken to the dealer to be repaired. dealer said that part of the fitting that the tail lamp plugs into had melted, thus shorting out the circuit and resulting in failure of the signal. *ak

Transmission began slipping and soon failed entirely under normal city driving conditions; transmission has been rebuilt and car is still in service. *ak

First i would like to know if recall summary 99v243000 and 99s23 are they the same recall? the air bag warning light has been flashing on and off for sometime now. when it first started we took it to m & m ford and the service person said it was the sensor and it would cost around $95.00 to fix. we told him there was a recall on the senors but he said we had too many miles on the vehicle. we did not have the sensor replaced until now which is why i'm writing you. when they replaced the sensor it states in the repair order that since we had it last check it shorted out the crash sensor mointor. this was new news to us so we didn't have it ordered. we checked your web site that night and found recall 99v243000. in your recall summary it states vehicles which have the air bag warning light illuminated will have a new air bag diagnostic monitor installed. now the ford company says we had the recall done in october of 1999 under recall 99s23. under that recall it says nothing about the monitor problem. when this alleged repair was done there was no problem with the warning light to the air bag. this repair they say was done in davenport ia. when we had the car brake down because of the bad water pump. i feel this is a new problem with the ford contour and the dealership should honor your recall.*ak

Motor mounts have been replaced car broke down again 8/26 dealership did not repair correctly and then my engine blew up before i left town. they repalced engine and now i have to replace motor mounts again. i am very unhappy with all these issues and the service i have rec. miracle ford has not reimbursed me for items they promised, nor have they sent me information i requested since september. how can a car keep having motor mounts replaced. this sounds like a defect. i have records of taking my car in from the beginning with the same issues that i am facing again today.

This pretains to the driver's seat. the reinforcing bar attached to the rear, underside of the seat pan has snapped. this bar connects the seat pan bottom to the seat tracks. the broken bar is allowing the seat to move from side to side. the seat and track assembly appears to be loose.

Driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid hitting an animal in the street, the vehicle overturned onto its roof and ran into a ditch and after impact the air bags deployed, as a result of the faulty air bag the driver was killed and the passenger sustained injuries to his head, prior to this accident the consumers received recall notice 000-000 for the air bag and went to the dealer for repair, the delaer was unable to perform repairs due to lack of parts and the consumer was advised to return in a few days, consumer returned to the dealer who still had no parts available and approximatley three days later the accident occured. *ak *mr *nlm

Seat was repaired because of squeaks and broken stabilizer bar under the seat base. seat was stabile after repair with no more squeaks. i got into the car today, and as i turned to grab my seatbelt, the seat back suddenly gave way. i can no longer use the back of the seat to support myself while driving. the contour is being taken to smith-cairns ford on 2/11/2002 for repairs. i am not going to pay for the repairs becasue i think that ford shoud consider this a safety defect. i have never had a car, only 4 years old with 76,000 miles and have a problem like this with the seats.

Since the beginning of july, 2001 this car has experienced the same problem and has been in for dealer service 4 times for that problem. dealer stated the problem was first the camshaft sensor switch (which was replaced twice, i was told), then stated that the actual problem was the cam shaft itself. that was replaced the fourth time the vehicle was taken in for service. i was told the dealer contacted the manufacturer and a manufacturer's rep consulted on the fourth repair, which took 6 weeks to complete. the problem has not been corrected and occurs at various speeds/unpredictable times. it has happened often when turning into an intersection, but also when traveling at 60+ mph on busy freeways. i consider this a serious problem likely to result in injury if not fixed. i don't believe the dealer can fix the problem since they have attempted to four times without success. dealer has only charged for diagnostic test and has paid for rental car during two times when they had the car in for service. regardless, this is a safety issue that i feel ford motor company must address. after checking your database of consumer complaints, i found many entries that described the same type of problem. the contour is no longer being manufactured by ford, which to me indicates that they know this vehicle has serious engineering flaws. *ak

While driving on i75 around atlanta, car steering failed making car feel like it was hydroplaning but it wasn't. road conditions were wet with light drizzle. car veered to left and hit concrete median. bumper was left hanging by a thread. car wasn't safe to drive and had towed to body shop. feel this is related to similar incidents where the contour steering failed after water hits the belts & pulleys.

Vehicle occasionally stalls causing steering wheel to lock.*ak

Many other ford contour owners experienced this problem as well. on www.contour.org message boards. no safety defects listed. *ak

I believe this is a premature failure of a major component of the vehicle. no safety defect listed. *ak

Clutch hydraulic cable has burst three times within 23000 miles. *ak

The brake/shift interlock works intermittently. seems to stop working when it rains. won't let the car be taken out of park. could leave someone stranded.*ak

Front wheel bearings failed at about 40,000 miles. one side was completely failed, other side was in need of replacement. i noticed sudden grinding noise and checked for cause. had bearings replaced. could have been worse if i had not recognized the problem. no warning as to failure. wheel bearings should last more than 40,000 and should not fail suddenly.

Transmission breakdown, car would work in reverse only, not in forward gears. car taken to dealer who informed owner that a component part broke down and damaged other parts. dealer recommends replacing with a remanufactured transmission at significant cost.*ak

I have spoken to several people at ford abs lst recall supr simon id 3082 laughed at my situation and i am completely dissastified with the lack of help especially since there is a safety recall that cld endanger my familieslife. *ak

The wiring of the main fuse panel crystalizes due to excessive heat from the engine compartment which causes a breakage in the wiring and the wiring to overheat. this has manifested itself by causing air conditioner blower motor not to work. the wiring gets extremely hot when this happens. i know of other contours that have experienced this same problem.*ak

Nhtsa campaign # 011013000 - no problem so far - recall however limited to certain states - i do not live in one of these although i travel in them a great deal - therefore, i may experience problem without opportunity of preventative action - ford customer service informs me i am not eligible for "field service action" - please require extension of recall to all owners - thank you

Driver's seat base stabilizer bar is broken, cuasing seat to move side to side freely, and seat back is unstable.*ak

Water pump impeller failure. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

While driving through a puddle and turning a corner, water was sprayed into the engine compartment and disabled the power steering. luckily there was no one at the corner or i would have hit them, with the sudden loss of steering. ford has a tsb, but this is a life-safety issue.

Stalls for no reason, when i put it in gear or when i come to a stop. also at a slow speed.*ak

This vehicle has been a "lemon" since purchased new in august, 1997 from sam galloway ford in fort myers, florida. from the beginning, the car drove "rough" not smooth. the vehicle constantly was vibrating, and simply got worse over time. the vibrations would occur at speeds as low as about 40 miles per hour, increasing the faster you drove. you could actually feel and see your body shake. the ride was the total opposite of a smooth one. rough and bumpy, even on smooth, florida roads. the vehicle felt like you were "pushing" or "forcing" it to drive. the gear shift has always been difficult to manuver, generally sticking while trying to change gears. a couple of times, this nearly caused an accident, due to the inability to change gears. when reported to ford, the only response that that "per the manual, the transmission needed some type of overhaul, at a cost of about $500. also, several times, there was smoke and a burning rubber type smell emitting from the air vents. this was brought into ford several times, and not fixed. the final time, the entire car filled with smoke--i called the service manager, marlon hanson, from the vehicle on my cell phone, because i was scared that the car may burst into flames. his remarks made it sound like "no big deal" just bring in the car. meanwhile, i had to pull over, i was so scared, not knowing if the vehicle was going to start on fire or even blow up. this vehicle was brought in twice more for this repair, and finally appears to be fixed. we were told that it was some wiring that was burning, or starting on fire. our only compensation for that was a free rental car, after i pressured the service manager. the cassette portion of the radio broke early on. never addressed that issue with dealer or ford. steering column is increasingly difficult to manuever-very hard to turn. airbag warning light intermittendly comes on, at any speed. tires have been replaced, but newer tire keeps deflating--per tbs, coil spring problem?*a

Pump was replaced only three (3) months ago!

Coil spring broke pucturing new $ 50.00 tire. while parked. is right spring a concern? is ford responsible for defect?*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

I shifted from park into reverse, there was 2 loud bangs and my wheels froze. the front passenger coil spring let go, slashing my tire on the inside around the wheel (brand new tire approximately 30 days old), the car froze. there is a recall on the 1997 contour front coil springs. i called ford and they made a report but refused to pay for the repairs to the car. not even 60 minutes prior to this event i was driving on i-95 at a speed of 65mph. if this happened while i was in transit the car would have froze causing me to spin out of control, possibly causing my death. i feel especially with a recall on the 1997 contour that this problem requires further investigation.*ak

I own a 1998 ford contour, vin #[xxx]. about a month and a half ago, i was preparing to travel onto interstate 79 to go from meadville to erie, pennsylvania. less than a mile from my home on harmonsburg road, i heard a "pop" and my vehicle felt like it had a flat tire. i traveled about another quarter of a mile to a gas station and checked the tire. it appeared to be okay. as the vehicle was becoming hard to steer, i decided to return home. i put on my flashers and traveled at 25 mph back to my home, a straight one mile drive from the gas station. when i turned left into my driveway, i heard a grinding sound and my vehicle would no longer steer. as soon as i was off the road, i turned off the engine. the tire was flat, and the car leaned to the right-front. at a very low speed, the car seriously tipped toward the ground on the right front side. at a faster speed, it could easily have flipped several times. i was very shaken by this incident, and i have been uncomfortable driving this car since this first incident. my husband attempted to change the tire and found that the suspension coil spring had snapped and embedded itself into the tire. we called the aaa to have the car towed to lake view ford in conneaut lake. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Ford countour coil springs failed in parking lot after being driven on the expressway at 70 mph...the body fell onto both tires shredding them at 3 mph...if this would have happened at xway speeds i wouldn`t be here today. ford disavows any problems with the coil assemblies but my independent repair station mechanic told me of many contours with same problems...it also took ford motor over a week to get the part in stock...for an area the size of greater detroit that in itself is awful suspicious...please help other people before something like this kills some innocent person...i am not a teen as i am 53 and certainly not a hot rodder . *ak

Right front wheel bearing locked up prematurely causing car to pull violently to the right. this could have caused and accident had there been a car to the right. i believe ford should have a recall due to others having wheel bearing problems prematurely. *ak

When i put the car in reverse it takes a long time to backup. *ak

I know a lot of other owner of the same car encountered the exactly same vct problem (code p1381), and it cost thousands of dollars to be fixed. if anyone take time read the contour owner's problem forum located on the web (www.contour.org), he finds tons of complaints on the check engine light problem of this car. it's definitely outragous in the sense of statistics. engine check light of this car is way above the wildest imagine on the frequency that it could ever happed to any existing model of car. this is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed, at least in the sense of a national recall. cel, the biggest nightmare of ford contour! anyone who made this car should not be allowed to get away with it.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Right front spring broke while car was in driveway, not moving. damaged sway bar link and tire. *ak

The short caused the dashboard lighting and backlights not to function. *ak

Right front coilspring (broke) cut tire,bent right front stabilaizer

Failure of cd4e transmission requiring re-build.*ak

Left front coil spring snapped. this occurred two months after the right front coil spring snapped. vehicle is always driven on paved roads.*ak

The temperature gauge in the instrument panel continually reads above the red zone. the car has been checked and is not overheating. there has been a technical report filed on this and it is a known problem. this could be dangerous if the vehicle was to overheat because the driver would not be able to know.*ak

The left front coil spring snapped and pierced the drivers side tire locking it up--upon taking it to my mechanic, it was the third one in a week on a ford product, upon going to the dealership they groaned "another one" they had another contour in the shop with a similar problem--broken spring, don;t know if theirs punctured the tire or not--we were lucky, it happened right after my daughter pulled into the driveway and parked the car--had it happened on the open road there would have been a serious accident---is there a recall on this item--i have since found out that other ford products have had this problem and there was a shield installed to prevent the spring from making contact with the tire.*ak

Left front coil spring fractured and punctured tire. *ak

I have taken my car into robke ford numerous times to try and find what the grinding noise is when turning my steering wheel after numerous visits they have decided that i need a new axle and axle bearings. i am trying to find if there are any manufacture recalls/defects. i've been told that under normal circumstances a car does not need an axle with the low miles on the car. when turning the car mainly to the right the noise is extremely loud (people stare). i worry about the safety of my child and myself while driving. i've contacted ford customer service more times than i can count to get this problem resolved and i've gotten no where. i've been told the cost of the repair is 670.00, and i feel that ford should be paying for this. since i don't have an extended warranty (which i don't know if that would pay for this) they won't look into this matter for me. i was told to bring proof into the dealership of all regular oil changes to prove that i have maintained my car correctly. please help me in what steps i should be taken to get this matter taken care of before someone gets hurt/killed. thanks for your time, dawn kennedy. *ak

Rear brake lock up on panic stop, loss of control spin out and hit center divider. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle.

The gas tank supply spout acts like it is plugged will not take the gas very fast. has never seemed to breathe properly.*ak

Cooling guage shows engine running at high end-almost to red. *ak

Engine mount bracket bolt broke. causing the engine to move. *ak

My car frequently smells like an electrical fire. i hardly ever drive it. i am especially concerned about the recent articles about possible fires in contour models. i would like more information about this situation.*ak

While driving in a snow storm i smelled something that smelled like an electrical fire, the blower motor stop running. i played with the switch and only high worked. i turned the fan off. this forced me to drive with the choice of a potential fire or seeing out of the winshield. the next day i purchased a new blower motor relay from a ford dealer. when i went to replace it i noticed that the connector to the resistor was melted to the resistor, there were bare wires on the harness side of the connector. i went to the ford dealer and purchased a new connector. what a surprise to find that they had a connector in stock. this made me think that this must be a common problem. what will keep this from happening again and starting a real fire .*ak

The water pump and now the fuel pump. this has been a very bad experience with ford the inconvience and the freedom of purchasing a new car has left me frustrated and afraid to trust the car. *ak

Right front coil spring broke while pulling from parking space; tire was punctured.*ak

Blower started functioning sporadically. took to a dealer and they reported that there was a resistor failure in blower. ford refused to acknowledge the problem. *ak

Fog lamps have not worked since recall. dealer has not followed through on promises. *ak

Spring failed while sitting in a parking lot waiting for passenger. no off road or gravel road usage of car.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

While traveling at 75mph the engine water pump goes out. only thing heard or seen was a engine knock. the engine had to be replaced. *ak

A/c heater blower constantly blowing on and off. wire shows evidence of burning. when wire is jiggled it may or may not turn the blower back on. experienced a complete outage begining 12/12/00 and still will not come on resulting in no heat or a/c in my car. *ak

Heater operates intermittent, visual inspection shows wire connector and resistor pack melted. ford refuses to correct problem under the extended warranty, and ford motor company does not appear to want to get involved. i now find several other instances of this problem, and have never been notified. my wife drives this car, and this could have caused a fire, since my wife has the grandchildren with her an injury or death could have ocurred. the aggrevation comes from ford and the dealers with the "so what attitude" about my having to pay for the repairs and then see the warranty company about getting paid, and the fact that they never bothered to tell me about the problem, safety bulletin recalls 99m07 and 99m08. i have to find this out myself? looking through the data, seems ford has an electrical problem with this car, and are not fixing it, more than one report of dashboard fires, cars blowing up when starting, etc. *ak

Unable to fill gas tank without gas overflow, or gas feedback, shutting off fuel nozzle. attempted to turn fuel nozzle, in every position to no avail. called a ford dealership and they said no recall, just a service bulletin. this is dangerous and frust. *ak

When the abs failed, there was no braking action at all. luckily, i was going slowly on a local city street, and used the parking brake to stop the car without hitting anyone. the abs warning light came on no more than 15 seconds before i had to use the brakes to prevent hitting a car that pulled out ahead of me. when the abs light came on, i slowed the car slowly with the standard brakes, which is probably why the other car pulled out. it took 3 weeks for the brakes to be repaired, at a cost of $2399, not including cost of rental cars, etc. ford has declined any reimbursment, as the warranty expired at 36, 000 miles. *ak

Abs did not work in snow. dealer said wire harness had moisture in it. have to replace harness. cost: $3000+*ak

Front coil spring broke and punctured front tire, car left road and had to be towed. *ak

I was unable to refuel vehicle at all, i took vehicle to nourse family ford of delaware, oh, for repairs, they replaced the fuel neck to tank. *ak

More often than not, when i put gas in my car, the car kicks the pump off at least twice, sometimes more than that. a few days ago, i became fed up because it stopped and spewed gasoline back onto me, ruining my pants. this has happened more times than i care to count. i put 25, but it is just an estimate. i am worried that it will spew more than just a little gas next time. *ak

When fueling in hot weather, gasoline does not flow from pump nozzle into tank. pump shuts off every few cents, and gasoline spurts back often. dealer claimed to fix, but problem persists. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Problems occasionally with difficulity fueling--spewback of gas and premature cut off of pump . on occasion it has taken me 20 minutes to fill the gas tank because the car will only accept a small amount of gas at a time. *ak

Car shuts off without warning,while in gear. *ak

Transmission slips and jerks and can't be driven for long periods of time. cost is 1,500 to fix it. i don't have the money to fix it. this is obviously a factory related problem. i am very displeased with fords.*ak

When it rains alot serpentine belt skips and i lose steering power. the last time it happened i nearly struck a concrete wall. i called the dealer and the manager played dumb saying that he was not aware of a dealer notice. i checked your web page and there is a service bulletin. i am afraid if this were to happen at speed or on a curve that i or my children could be seriously injured if involved in a crash.*ak

I have taken my car to the ford dealer twice and they have been unable to fix my car. yet they find it neccessary to keep my car for weeks at a time. i am at the point to where i want them to take this car back and give me a nother one. please help me. i have no more rental car fees and they are looking at my situation like oh well. that is not fair to me. if you have any suggestions or any knowledge that will eleviate my problem please get in contact with me.*ak

1)driver's power seat rocks from front to rear, replacing seat track made problem worse. 2) vents located to clear side window of fog do not operate when heat selector knob is set to hot.

The left front wheel bearing dust cover rubbs on the wheel. it gives the impression that a wheel bearing is bad.

I mentioned to the dealership where i purchased my car that when i test drove it, it just seemed to jerk when it would shift. ken schuck assured me that there was not anything wrong with the car. it did come with a wpc assoc. limited warranty though if anything would happen it would be covered. well, my car continued to automatically shift hard and i was allowed to take it to aamco in wmspt. pa. this was a month ago. they looked at it and said there was nothing wrong with my car. i continued to drive it up until 4 weeks ago and on my way to work "the transmission went." i contacted ken and told him what happened and he said to call the warranty co. and take it to a dealership. which i did and 4 weeks to this day, they still have it and it's still not repaired! that's at farfield ford pa. 570-368-8121. so, between ken, wpc warranty and farfield, i'm not getting my car fixed. please help me. i know there is recall work that needs done also. please help me. *ak

Recently my 1998 contour svt's anti-lock brakes have on several occasions locked up when applied causing the car to swerve. in some cases the brakes have remained locked and only released after being tapped and pressed several times after the car has been caused to come to a halt in traffic. available avenues of addressing this serious braking problem in the vehicle with ford motor company are exhausted. ford's standard policy requires the dealer's service facility to replicate the problem. the problem in this case is intermittent and dealer cannot replicate it. ford refuses to be involved or to discuss the problem beyond the clerical area that answers at customer relationship center. i purchased the above vehicle new from borgman ford in grandville, michigan in 1998. i currently reside in birmingham, michigan. the vehicle was taken to huntington ford in rochester hills on two occasions. in the first instance i paid to have the rear brake pads replaced and also a fee to have the car inspected for the lockup problem. the problem could not be replicated and no source was identified. after the latest incident huntington provided a "loaner" vehicle for two or three days, but was again unable to replicate or identify the source of the problem. internal ford procedures block efforts to bring the situation to the attention of a higher level of ford management. i have contacted ford through their customer relationship center, 800-392-3673--a higher level of authority is not available by calling this number. my father also called ford's headquarters, 313-322-3000, and asked for ceo jacques nasser. he was connected to mr. colin richard, executive contact manager, again no higher level of management is reachable. richard refused to send a written statement confirming ford's policy and their refusal to respond. my car was returned to me with this serious braking problem unresolved. thank you for your assistance. sincerely, daniel j. osterhart

While under warranty the engine light came on. had it replaced. while under warranty had the rear main seal replaced. just three weeks after that repair the oil light came on. i checked the oil level and found that it was at the proper level.i took it to the dealer who said i needed a new engine. now i have appealed to ford moter co. to replace the engine at their cost. it seems to me that the failure began under warranty but only manifested itself 3 weeks after the warranty period.

I am very displeased with the ford contour. about 2 month after i purchased my car i had to have the brake pads replaced, then replaced again after that. i've had several recalls on the car, not to mention all the other headaches i've dealt with. i'm really considering not to ever buy another ford car, this has been the worst car i've ever owned

When the car is driven and you turn the heating system on your getting a musty smell. it happens on heating more than cooling.

I need to find out information regarding nhtsa campaign 99v243000 on the airbag sensors. the website states that "vehicles that have the airbag warning light illuminated will have a new air bag diagnostic monitor installed" currently, the dealer refuses to install this monitor as part of the recall saying that their info does not cover it. they want us to replace it at an approximate cost of 200 dollars plus labor. i would like to have some sort of documentation sent to me to find out if the info on the website is correct. if it is correct, i would like to be able to provide the dealer with some sort of documentation, recall number, etc. any help you could give me in resolving this would be appreciated. *ak

Though this car is only slightly over 3 years old, i have had 5 recalls on it, had to replace front wheel bearings ($400), console clock light has burned out, had to replace windshield due to extensive crack caused by small stone chip,etc. current cam timing job estimated at $1,000. i've never had this much trouble with a vehicle in my life. asked ford's to cover 1/2 of cost; was referred to dealer, who "declined." is there anything else i can do about this lemon??

3rd gear syncronizer failed. transmission is difficult to shift into 3rd gear. grinding sound present when shifing into 3rd, even with the clutch pedal pushed all the way in.

No summary

Fusebox: bought car in july 1999, had to have three recalls fixed, one of them was on the air bag sensor, we went and had one of the recalls corrected, the next week we were scheduled to have the remaining two finish, on wednesday of that week the air conditioner stopped working while we were driving home from work, we had the mechanic check it that friday when they fixed the air bag sensor, the mechanic said the fuse box was broken and needed to be replaced, he replaced the fuse box (free of charge) and we went on our way, then on 8/14/2000 as we were again driving home from work on the expressway at about 55 the air conditioner died again, we read through the car manual and found the correct fuses to the blower motor and a/c, we changed those fuses, that didn't fix the problem, we then changed the relays, (which were very hard to get replacements for), that didn' t fix it either, finally we took it to a ford dealer and had them chack it, they said there was a fuse in the front (which the owners manual said should only be changed by an authorized ford mechanic) that had blown and when it did it fused the fuse to the connector and that the entire fuse box would have to be replaced, this time at a cost of over $400.00 tires: we have just had to replace two firestone firehawk gta p205/60r15 90t m+s tires because the tread was coming away from the sidewall at the seem, it was so bad there were small flaps of the tread that stuck straight out like someone had peel a banana.( dot number: tire size: p205/60r15 )

Both the driver's side and passenger's side seatbelt do not retact during normal use. the seatbelts will fold over and become jammed approximately 4-5 times during the week. would like to have the problem taken care of before someone is killed because a seatbelt does not retract and tighten up during an accident.

Very difficult filling gas tank, when filling pump keeps shutting off , at times gas will come right back out all over the side of the car. *ak

I purchased my car in june 98 and before leaving the lot the service department had to replace both of the rear tires due to defects. they could not determine the exact problem. therefore the tires were replaced. since then i have had to replace the front tires in feb 2000. this was due to the tread seperation and extensive wear. at the same time i was told that the front brakes were bad and that i needed new brakes and rotors. the tires and brake job cost 481.93. now i had 2 flat tires on the same tire within 3 weeks of each other and now the back brakes need replacing. i feel that these repairs are due to defective parts. i have already taken my car back to ford for at least 6 manufacturer recalls. i do not feel safe driving this car. the car sensor light has been replaced and replaced but it still comes on all the time. from my resaerch on this component this could cause the air bags to engage without cause. between the recalls, tire, and the brakes this seems to me to be a very unsafe vechile. i was thinking that the problems were normal but after having all these recalls and now the recall on some of firestone tires i thought that i should let someone know of the problems that i've had with my car.( dot number: tire size: p20560r15 )

I was in transit to replace my braking system for the second time in 6 months when my transmission failed. my 'check engine' light stays on and the car now stalls when in a stopped position at a traffic light. these issues, amongst a list of other major failures has occurred in the last 2.5 years of ownership of this lemon ( complete a/c system has been replaced, complete fuel system has been replaced, window motor has been replaced, etc.). neither the ford manufacturer or dealerships have responded, agreed or offered any investigation, correction, compensation or assistance in response to these previously written and verbal matters, and legal action will commence. the issues listed in this table are only the recent (last 3 months), and do not include the montage of problems in the last 2 years, some of which are mentioned in the comments section.

Have had 5 recalls since buying the car. also, have had to have the water pump changed. the problem is trying to get the recalls done. i had taken the car in previously only to be told they didn't have the parts and had to reschedule. the last two recalls i stressed the importance of getting these done when schedule. the air bag and the brakes were the last two. i scheduled them finally in april this year. on saturday afternoon i went to pick up my car only to be told they did not have the parts. i expressed again how hard it was for me to come in because i work 5-6 days a week. again i rescheduled for july. i called and made an appointment verified the parts were there. i brought the car in. again late saturday afternoon went to pick up the car only to be told again they did not have parts. it seems to be these recalls are not that important. i also asked why my brakes scrubbed when i stopped, they comment was we couldn't get it too. my point is it i do not believe the ford place cares one way or the other what happens to me or my car.

Took vehicle to dealer to have problem resolved, gave info on tsb about problem absolutelly nothing was done to vehicle. cable assembly at blower resistor melted while a/c was running earlier this afternoon. will definitely have a discussion with dealer tomorrow. there are two tsb's on blower motors in the 98 contour. why doesn't the dealers know how to check to see if they apply to a particular vehicle. i informed the asst service manager of the tsb's on my vehicle 99m07 & 99m08 both of which deal with blower and blower resistor problems. seems my trip to gary smith this date was a waste of time and almost a waste of my vehicle. there could have easily been an electrical fire due to the overheating cable assembly and blower resistor. maybe nhtsa can help resolve this problem before someone gets hurt!!!!*ak

The part for this car is back ordered as of today no part available. car is not operative. backorder is who nation and canada. paying for a vehicle that you can't even use. no safety defect listed in summary. *ak

My understanding is there is supposedly 4 catalytic converters on the 1998 contour. *ak

The speedometer, odometer, trip odometer and gas gauge stop working on an intermittent basis. generally they resume working on their own, at which time the low fuel warning light comes on for a few seconds and then goes out. i returned the car to the dealer for service on 10 april 00. they could not verify the intermittent problem and did nothing. i hit the top of the dash smartly, which fixed the problem for about six weeks, but now it has returned. lack of knowledge about speed and fuel is most annoying and dangerous as well.*ak

Valve sticks shut, causing fuel to backup and spill when filling tank. was replaced, now replacement part also sticking.*ak

How many recalls must there be before lemon law applies? no safety defect listed .

Master cylinder failed at 38000 and 53000 miles and is supposed to last at least 80000 miles. *ak

Coil spring on the right front of car broke. replacement of the following was necessary: shock absorber, cb spring, d boot, bearing assemnbly, aa seat, mounting assy, halfshaft assembly, cv joint assembly, brake shoes, disc brake rotor, tires.*ak

Front coil spring broke as backing out of a driveway; tire was punctured.*ak

The dashboard vents that should clear fog and frost from the side windows does not function when the heat selector is set to hot. thus, it is next to impossible to clear fog and frost from the side windows in cool weather. the side mirrors are then useless. this appears to be a design flaw that affects all ford contours, and probably mercury mystiques.

Temperature gauge reads in very high normal range under normal driving conditions; car comes very close to overheating. have i missed a recall notice on this problem? *ak

Odor of anti-freeze is very strong inside car at times; dealer checked for leaks and said there were none.........no solution to problem. *ak

On january 15, 2000 i had my tires rotated on my 98 ford contour at a tire dealer. they informed me that the right rear wheel on my car was cracked all the way through and was dangerous to drive. they advised that i talk to the dealer from which i purchased this car. on january 19,2000 i took my car into sunset ford to have recall work done. at that time i informed them of the cracked wheel. they told me that wheels are not covered under warranty. i have an invoice from the dealer to verify their position. i left this same car at a repair shop on 5-1-00. they called me the following day to inform me that 3 of the wheels on this car are cracked all the way through. i contacted ford at their corporate headquarters on 5-3-00. they informed me that they have no recall notices out on this car for defective wheels, and therefore i am obligated to replace these wheels at my own expense. i have a warranty on this car which goes through 75,000 miles and yet the dealer and ford corporate refuse to replace these wheels. i will have to do so hoping to receive reimbursement from ford. the repair shop had my insurance company look at these wheels, and the adjuster concluded that the condition of these wheels make this vehicle unsafe to drive. please help. thanks, rob moll. *ak

Front end will not stay aligned it has been realigned 3 times 3/28/00 last time, and the front drivers side tire has been replaced 5 times, it is already showing wear, and its only been 1200 since it was realigned. we have not had the car 1 full year. *ak

Abs brake failure. *ak

The dealership had installed an aftermarket rear spoiler on the vehicle without disclosing this information. after having problems with the third brake light in the spoiler in learned it was not a factory part. the dealership stated to me that it was factory. i was not able to get the part replaced until i called ford directly and threatened to sue the dealership for fraud. *ak

The paint on the 1998 contor is cracking on the hood, roof and trunk of the vehical and is casing the paint to begin peeling. no safety defect. *ak

While driving back from chicago on i55, the water pump (which supposedly had a recall of which i was not notified) went out. warning lights did not appear anywhere on the dashboard, and the only indication that anything might be wrong was a whining sound under the hood which stopped after a short interval. within an hour, the entire car was destroyed. a new engine, water pump, electrical system, and radiator needed to be replaced. all of that is still being done, two weeks later. they have done the work without charge, and have given me a rental car to use in the meantime, however, with a new engine, they are only willing to give me a 9,000 mile warranty on the car repaired. since this was not my fault, a fairly new car, and a lack of communication on the ford manufacturer that this was a problem, i feel that a full warranty on the repairs is justified. additionaly, at the time of this occurrence, i had four middle school students in my care. the thought that the car could have quit in the middle of a six land traffic pattern in chicago without warning, would have been a disastrous accident with all of us possibly being killed. i think that the ford manufacturer needs to deal with this problem and immediately. thank you. ginger granger

It seems to be a recouring problem in that the design of the gas tank makes it very hard to fill up the tank without gasoline ejecting from the tank while filling. i find myself putting in 5 cents of gas at a time. 4/5 times filling the tank i have this problem and a good amount of fuel is spilled each time. i have tried multiple brands/octanes of fuel, and nothing seems to work.

No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak

After any oil change, with a little oil present on under-hood components, there is a strong burnt-oil smell into the passenger compartment, only when the car is stopped. i believe i have found a route whereby underhood air can be passed into the passeng

There was 6 recalls that i was contacted on, 2 of which i had in the shop twice because not fixed properly also my abs system went out on my car besides the heater blower and heat sensors which have been replaced twice.

While driving down the the road starter engaged. i stopped the car off the roadway and turned off the car. the starter continue to turn the engine as if i was cranking the car. i removed all fuses that were related to the starting systems of the car. the starter continued to crank the engine until it caught fire. the fire was at the starter the best i could tell under the engine intake . other items damaged unknown. i have been having problems with the battery going week over the past month. this morning the battery was completely dead. last drove 2 days prior.

While driving at interstate speeds our alternator wire melted off at the connection to the alternator. the alternator, the wire and a 175 amp fuse were all bad. a replacement alternator could not be found in less than 2 days so the original alternator was rebuilt. i have in my possesion the blown 175 amp fuse and the melted alternator wire. this is the second time an electrical wire has melted on our 1998 contour. it is the third time we have been stranded. ford has a service bulletin for this type of problem with the correction being, replace the alternator and the wire on contours with the 2.5l engine. *ak

Engine check light would lficker on and off but now stays on while driving. have had it checked out no one can find the problem. air bag light flashes on and off while driving mostly when you apply brake. heater fan stoped working replaced it wasn't the problem, the pigtail connecting to a regulator box had shorted out and melted. ford place said the whole pigtail wiring had to be replaced cost about $400.00 to replace didn't have it done.*ak

Can't get car into first gear. *ak

They did not check what was requested. i got charged for something that was not even asked to be checked. nosafety defect mentioned in summary. *ak

Complete failure of transmission. i applied for the po7 program for loyal customers and was denied. i have $500,000.00 in ford products in service and have been purchasing ford products since 1970 for our second generation family business. what is a loyal customer to ford motor company?

Bubbling of paint under clearcoat (driver's side front fender, passenger's side rear door)

Thump in front end after coasting and then resumeing speed.

4 recalls-that i know of- now this problem-will stall sometimes

Power steering failed while driving through deep puddle. cause determined to be water splashing on belt and pulley, causing slippage and temporary loss of power steering. dealer offered to install revised splash guard (tsb) under warranty.

Drove through puddle, lost power steering assist. *ak

On 7/25/99, the car accelerated mysteriosly while i was driving on i-75 causing loss of control and accident. later, notification of throttle cable recall was recieved. also, check engine light showed problem with oxygen sensor. there was major damage over $5,000 to the car. the air bags failed to deploy and passenger shoulder harness failed to lock.

Fuel filler opening does not provide vent when adding gasoline. nozzle shuts off repeatedly when attempting to add gas. while attempting to investigate, finger became lodged in fuel filler opening flap (it has a small opening near the base, where it attaches to the pipe), fire rescue personnel needed to cut out fuel tank filler pipe to extract my finger.

The car hesitates and jumps in and out at high speeds. when the overdrive is off the car doesn't do it. i've had it to autonation three times and they say there's nothing wrong with the car. thank you peter stoa

Electrical smell and smoke came from dash area. wife and 2 children abandoned car. car was serviced at dealer in georgia. two days after first repair same electrical smell and smoke. wife and two children abondoned car for a second time. wife is concerned over childrens safety. taken to second dealer. service manager observed problem while he was driving vehicle. smoke was coming from dash. dealer quickly opened glove box. vehicle was repaired at no charge the second time. problem was with wiring harness. neither the dealer nor ford has informed me of root cause. am concerned problem can again occur without warning. have read similar complaints to nhtsa. desire to know root cause, and fix to assure safety of family.