Four problems related to engine belts and pulleys have been reported for the 1999 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I have a 1999 Ford Contour I bought it and 6 months later the timing belt went out this cost me $800. 00 out of pocket after the warranty paid their part. Drove it another 3 months when it stalled out and started sputtering I replaced the plugs, wires, ignition control box, and fuel filter and found a hose that had a hole in it from being melted after replacing all of that found the transmission to be leaking and no way to get to it easily. Still ran crappy took it to a garage and was told they could not figure it out brought it home and it won't run anymore it still does not run not sure what else to do had to buy another vehicle to get to and from work while still paying on this one and can not use it anymore. This is my second Ford and I will not ever get another one. And with all this going on when the mechanic shut the back passenger the glass shattered and it was shut normally. Also the radio has issues.
1999 Ford Contour, check engine" light came on, car jerking/stalling, took it to local mechanic who could not diagnose problem, then had to have car towed to local Ford delaership (key scales Ford, lessburg, florida), they kept car for 2 days, charged over $800 to replace the timing belt, attempted to charge an additional $165 to replece spark plugs (service declined, spark plugs replaced by local mechanic for $50), "check engine" light still on, car still jerking/stalling. Afraid to drive car out of immediate neighborhood. Local mechanic suggested possibly catalytic converter problem but said it could not even be tested because of the position of the converter is in the middle of the manifold and is inaccessible. Local Ford dealership has not replied to email requesting additional investigation.
Timing belt idler pulley is broken after only 60,000 miles. It has shredded a bit of the lower timing belt cover and causes a whirring noise while the engine is on. This has happened even though the car has been maintained well and driven carefully.
The contact owns a 1999 Ford Contour. The contact received a letter from the manufacturer stating that the dashboard needed to be replaced. After the replacement was made, the dashboard developed a gap next to the passenger side vent, which over time, caused the vent to sink behind the dashboard. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer (ken gordon Ford) and had it repaired. While driving approximately 55 mph under normal conditions, the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the thermostat was repaired. A few days later the vehicle overheated again. The contact discovered that the timing belt and water pump needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.