Wiring problems of the 1996 Ford Contour

Car was purchased from a used car dealer on 8/11/15. The car has 58606 miles on it. The transmission had to be replaced due to electrical issues caused by a faulty wiring harness. Wiring harness was under the owner notification and not repaired. Ford has not offered any type of assistance and mechanic says the car is a fire hazard and harness has to be replaced. Contacted Ford who said the car was not under any type of recall and they no longer make the part.

I purchased a used 1996 Ford Contour for my granddaughter and after a few days the check engine light came on. My mechanic diagnosed the problem and fixed it. A few miles down the road it came back on. After further diagnostics it was found that the engine wiring harness was bad. The insulation on the wires was flaking off and in one spot the wire bundle covering had melted. Research on line showed that Ford had a recall on this problem (99m03) and extended the recall for 10 years. In an attempt to repair the problem with a different wiring harness has proved to be a loosing battle I contacted Ford and they said that they no longer build this part and that they had no parts in stock throughout the USA. I tried salvage yards and there are no good parts out there. How can a used car lot sell cars without looking into safety recalls on the vehicles. I have no recourse but to junk the car and take a $3000 loss. Is there any help out there?.

My car had been having many issues . Fixing what we thought were the problem we found that the electrical connected to the cooling fan was melted as well as many problems in wire harnesses in front of engine. . It is very apparent the wiring is defective and caused melting n burn wires throughout the wiring system. I have had 4 mechanics look at it and was told by all that this make n model is very well known for this electrical issue.

The contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. While operating the vehicle in reverse, the contact noticed that the vehicle lost power without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who performed a diagnostic test which concluded that the wiring harness was corroded and cracked. The mechanic confirmed that the vehicle needed to be repaired. The vehicle was included in recall number: 01v230000 (electrical system); however, since the recall had expired the dealer was not willing to offer any assistance. They advised the contact to locate a wiring harness at a junk yard for installation. The contact did not inform the manufacturer nor was the vehicle repaired due to the cost. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Updated 5/2/11 updated 1/11/11.

The contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. While driving 55 mph, the contact smelled a burning odor and noticed smoke emanating from the instrument panel. After close inspection, he noticed that the blower switch and all associated wiring were melted. The dealer would not assume responsibility because the VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 01v230000 (electrical system). The manufacturer would not assist and the vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 109,688. 4/01/09 Ford stated the vehicle was diagnosed before it left the factory and they refused to reimburse the consumer. Updated 04/07/09.

The contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. The contact stated that the wiring harness was malfunctioning, which causes the check engine indicator to illuminate on the instrument panel, engine failure, and electrical fires under the hood. He has been repairing the failure himself, but the wiring harness continues to malfunction. The dealer stated that there were no recalls related to the failure and the repair would cost $1,500. The manufacturer stated that they would not repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was 103,000.

- the contact took his 1997 Ford Contour to the dealership on 12/20/06 because the vehicle had lost complete power. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed to get the wiring harness replaced. The dealership called the manufacturer to see if the vehicle would be covered under the recall NHTSA campaign id number : 01v230000 and they stated that it wouldn't be covered under recall due to the vehicle being more than 10 years old. The contact can provide copies of repair invoices if needed. Updated 2/16/2007 -.

Car has 168000 miles . My daughter just purchased it. 11/06 after checking over I found insulation on wires is rotted and falling off. I noticed some repairs have been attempted but still looks unsafe to operate because of possibility of fire . She now has a car she cant use and cant afford to repair.

I paid to have the car towed again to get a second opinion. While doing this I also did some research on the internet and found that my car had a recall on the under wire harness but that the recall had expired after 100,000 miles after seeing how many recalls where done on my car I realized that what genes evans Ford told me was that it would cost me $2500. 00 to fix the under wire harness problem. I obtained a second opinion which confirmed the wire harness, issue and Ford built the car. , and gene evans Ford knew nothing about the recalls! I want my car fixed! on April 28,2004 when I was not sure if my car had a problem I took it to gene evans Ford for a diagnostic reading, the odometer read 95904 and on may 3,2004 when the odometer read 96037, which is considerably less than the statute of limitations with regard to the electrical problem as well as the under wire harness recall,99m03, which is 100,000 miles or ten years. If the automotive technician at Ford service could not elaborate that there was a recall that may cause problems . How was I to know? I continued to drive my car, trusting Ford's opinion on any concerns I may have had. This situation has cost me endless distress as well as financial setbacks, fixing problems that now I see where related to one recall or another . I have but one car, pay my premiums on time and a clean driving record. I feel that this can happen to anyone and I am most dissatisfied , with the way gene evans Ford has handled this matter. I want my car fixed! or if need be replaced, with functioning non-defective parts, should my car get fixed I want all recalls on my car researched and fixed since the underwire harness was not the only recall I found on my car,and I want it all in writing! thanking you in advance for your careful consideration in this matter. My car is now completely dead. With no attempt at gene evans Ford or dearborn michigan addressing my concerns.

I bought a 1996 Ford Contour from and individual in July of this year. It ran well, for a few days, and then the od light kept coming on, and it felt like it was shifting into low. I kept mashing the button on the shift arm and the light would go out and then come back on this would go on for several days, then it would be ok for several days, just to start up all over again. Then I had the old changed in November and the would not stay cranked for me to get home. The wires under the hood are all flaking of there plastic covering. I assume this is why it will not stayed cranked. I can not drive it in this condition.

Major harness & electrical wiring which is under recall that the Ford dealership will not honor.

Consumer states that she has had problems with the electrical system. She has had the vehicle in to the mechanic several times and the mechanic called a local Ford dealer and inquired on recalls on the vehicle. At that time they were told there were two recalls, 01i009000 and 01v230000. Consumer called the customer service department at Ford and was told the recall had expired and she would have to pay for the recall work.

1996 Ford Contour. The contact states the wiring harness failed. The vehicle was inspected, and this was how they found the problem. Recall 01v230000 was issued, but this vehicle was not included. There has been nothing done to correct this problem. The contact stated it will cost $1700 to fix it. This problem was discovered approximately a year ago. There has not been a fire yet, but this could be the consequence of the recall. Updated 11/16/2005.

Vehicle was parked and it caught on fire. The neighbor noticed that blinker was on, and suddenly there was a loud bang, assumed to be the battery.

Intermittently transmission went in and out of overdrive by itself. When this failure occurred and the system failed to correct itself vehicle was taken to a dealership. Dealer determined that an electrical malfunction affected the speed control sensor, and the sensor needed to be replaced. The electrical failure was caused by wiring harness plastic installation disintegrating and falling off. Manufacturer issued an extended warranty on this part, but consumer's vehicle was over the warranty mileage.

Nhtsa#99-v-103-000: vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The terminals at the headlight switch and wiring harness connector can experience heat damage as a result of overheating. This recall failed.

The consumers vehicle experienced symptoms of recall 01-v-230-0000. Recall deescription: passenger vehicles. The rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector.

The contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. One month ago, the contact discovered that there is a recall for her vehicle. She stated that the engine lights continue to illuminate while driving 40 mph, and a wiring repair was performed in the transmission. She also stated that the wiring harness was damaged by the heater blower. The vehicle was purchased in 2001 and the contact has been experiencing engine failure ever since. The engine size is not available. The current mileage is 110,000 and failure mileage was 90,000.

The wiring was damaged by corrosion which caused the abs light to malfunction, the alarm system to be defective, the heating system to work improperly, and the cigarette lighter to not work.

My car was in the shop 5 times in one month - all electrical problems. Alternator, battery, starter, wiring harness, speed sensor and oxygen sensor were all changed. The Ford dealership does not understand why I am having all these problems. It was also in a garage fire at the dealership in this time and I had smoke damage to my car on top of the engine problems. Needless to say, I loss money on the trade in. This is the worse car I have ever owned and will never own another Ford car or truck again.

Screw for driver side sunvisor fell off while vehicle was in motion, causing blocked vision totally. The driver side visor fell off twice. The second fall shorted electrical wires causing radio, clock and other components to fail.

There is a defective switc/ panel & wire assembely parts components of the wiring panel. This causes problem with air conditioner, blower, etc. Will be taking vehicle to dealer to have electric component checked out.

There is a short within the electrical wires which melted, causing truck light wires to hang down, and door light to work intermittently.

Consumer experienced a series of electrical problems which resulted in a fire. All lights inside and outside went out except the headlamps. Also, fuses blew out too often and smoke came from the turn signal. Mechanic replaced the turn signal and noticed that all other wires in the steering column were damaged. Dealership insisted that if there was no extnded warranty they would not repair.

The plastic insulation on the electrical wiring burned off, causing a short circuit in the heating system, heat remains on high. . Et.

I have a Ford Contour (1996 sport w/2. 5 v6. . Nearly all of the wiring under the hood either has broken or no insulation on it. Some times the temperature light comes on. . . Today the electric cooling fan smoked then blew a fuse. I've never seen wiring like this. I expect better from Ford than this. . This car just turned over to 72000 miles. . . . This car is a total fire hazard. . . . . I've owned Ford cars and trucks all my life but if nothing can be done about this car it will be the last Ford I buy. . This wiring should be against the law. I wonder if the safety team knows about this.

The main electrical wires in the engine compartment are all peeling. The insulation of all the connectors are all dry rotted, causing numours odb codes to pop up. Because of the short in the wires.