Five problems related to power steering pump have been reported for the 1996 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
When driving through a small puddle at 20mph, the power steering failed, making it difficult to manuever vehicle into a parking spot. Dealer believes the power steering belt slipped.
The steering belt on vehicle is too low to the ground. When it's raining it gets wet & causes the driver to lose control of vehicle when making turns. Took to dealer & informed cannot do anyting. It was designed like that.
Consumer experiencing problem with power steering belt slipping. Whenever vehicle is driven in the wet condition road the water would come underneath onto the power steering belt, causing the belt to slip, and steering to fail. Dealer notified, and refused to correct the problem because claimed vehicle was not under warranty. However, consumer indicated that vehicle wa sunder an extended warranty sold by the dealer. However, warranty doesn't cover any item that the manufacturer is responsible for.
Power steering hose and pump failed.
When driving vehicle in wet conditions, water is backsplashed by front right tire into the engine compartment, specifically where the main drive belts are. This causes the power steering pulley to slip and sieze, thereby causing a lock up on the steering mechanism. This has occurred numerous times and creates a hazardous situation because you loose control of vehicle momentarily. We lost control of vehicle recently in the expressway, while traveling on wet pavement and puddles. Steering siezed and car went out of control. Fortunately we brought the car under control before causing major accident.