Two problems related to axle shaft have been reported for the 1997 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The right front hub bearing and intermediate shaft bearing have failed with only 45,000 miles on the vehicle. If left unrepaired the driver could lose control of the car when they catastophically fail.
When driving at 35 to 40 mph and over noticed some type of knocking noise and vibration within the right front wheel due to wheel bearing that wore out.