One problem related to manual transmission floor shifter has been reported for the 1998 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Contour. The contact was driving 30 mph when the vehicle suddenly shifted into first gear. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 98v233000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift) but the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact was concerned that the sudden downshift could cause a crash. The failure mileage was 22,000. Updated 06/10/11 updated 2/08/2012.