Eight problems related to battery have been reported for the 1996 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Vehicle had no power causing consumer to purchase a new battery. Vehicle wouldn't work with new battery because consumer noticed wires were not attached. Dealer stated " Ford has a program which is 10 year or 100,000 miles, but can only be fixed if a problem occurs. " consumers is responsible for the cost of repairs.
There are too many problems with our car to write down. Please contact us.
Battery not able to hold the current. Also, headlights and interior lights are not working.
Have had numerous problems: interior/brake lights failed to light. Replaced switch twice. Fuel filler door will not open with latch inside. Never worked. Cigarette lighter failed. Power window on driver's side has failed. Car intermittently will not start due to drained battery. Mechanic could find no cause for this related to alternator/charging system of car. Never able to fix this. Trunk leaks water around seal. Abs light keeps coming on . Mechanic could find no problem with abs. Air conditioner/heater would only blow out defrost setting. Also bad smell comes from ac when on. Rear seat belts keep jamming; not able to use sometimes because they won't come out. Worst problem so far: transmission has failed. Not yet fixed. I loved this car once, now I hate it! the whole thing should be recalled.
Would be driving when all lights in vehicle would go out, and then vehicle would stall. Alternator failed to charge battery. Took to dealership, had battery replaced for 4th time in 3 years.
The fuse keeps blowing out. This causes the air conditioner not work. Took to dealer. Vehicle failed to start & needed a jump. Informed battery was needed.
Engine check light and battery light illuminates. Took vehicle to dealer, and had electrical problem; repaired but problem still exists.
Occasionally, when the vehicle rolls through a puddle, the steering will fail and the battery light will appear, with the engine almost stalling. This has happened with the car going as fast as 35 mph and as slow as 5 mph. The problem has been reported to the dealer on several occasions, and the dealer has reportedly contacted the manufacturer regarding this particular problem. Additionally, the first time the vehicle was taken back to the dealer to report the problem, the service personnel was aware that the problem existed with the specific model. After repeated returns to the dealer (at least three separate complaints), the dealer informed us that the problem was fixed and that the car was even "driven through several puddles" without any steering failure. The last time the vehicle was taken in was approximately August, 1999. The warranty has since expired, and the dealer says that it is our responsibility to pay to have the problem fixed. Unfortunately, we have taken the car back several times, and the problem still exists. On 02/13/00, the vehicle again experienced steering failure.