One problem related to carrier/rack has been reported for the 1997 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Consumer was traveling about 65mph on expressway and warning light came on, vehicle was smoking. She pulled over to the shoulder, and put some water into vehicle to get home. She only could drive 10mph on the road and vehicle started losing oil. She took it to garage, and mechanic told her that cylinder block was cracked. Consumer contacted Ford.