Nine problems related to windshield have been reported for the 1999 Ford Contour. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The dashboard windshield air/defrosting vent cover below the windshield popped off and the dashboard padding has pealed up blocking windshield/forward visibility. This has caused the vehicle to fail the virginia safety inspection. All remedies we have tried have only seem to provide temporary relief. I have pictures. I have talked to several other Contour owners who have the same problems and I have seen Contours in parking lots with similar conditions. Additionally, I was told this was identified in a past safety recall. This is a safety hazard resulting from defective materials and poor design.
Dash on Ford Contour warps, interfering with vision and defrost capabilities of vehicle. Ford had a one recall on the dash, but refuses to fix the problem again.
99' Ford Contour se the dashboard has been replaced once before. It becomes unglued and obstructs view, and also prevents the defroster from working properly. This is clearly a defect by the manufacturer, as like I said it has been previously repaired in a Ford service department. Unfortunately, it has became unglued again.
Dash board is warping near the windshield. I was told the warranty to fix that part was expired. The cost to fix it would be $300. This problem has been going on for a couple of years and I fixed it myself. Ford never sent me a recall notice and now they are claiming they did.
Vehicle hesitates and jerks violently on acceleration, feels like it wants to stall. Dashboard curled up in front by windshield, obstructing view and popped out vent trim. Dealer wouln't fix it because they said the recall on it had expired. Had to try to glue it down ourself.
The dashboard of our 1999 Ford Contour has experienced a severe warpage and is now resting upward about 5 inches higher than its normal position. The defroster grill popped out earlier and in the winter the defrost function does not work properly on the windshield. The current position of the warped dashboard is obstructing our visibility of the roadway and a service technician at the local Ford dealership admitted that it was a hazardous. There was a Ford customer satisfaction program (#01b78) which was issued in August 2001 and effective until August 31, 2002 admitting to problems with dashboard (instrument panel) warpage on the 1999 & 2000 Ford Contour. I have contacted Ford customer service on at least 4 occasions over the past year plus without any satisfaction and the problem is getting worse. The Ford dealer (heritage Ford in south burlington, vermont) indicates that this is a factory problem which is not being addressed. They were to notify a Ford regional service technician over a month ago but I haven't heard from anyone. The local dealer estimates that it would cost me $1400 to $1800 to fix this problem. Based on what I've outlined above, I feel that it should be completed at Ford's cost. I feel that this a very serious problem, which is getting worse with the impaired visibility and could possibly cause an accident. I can't even see the hood from my sitting position in the driver's seat. Also, if I were to try and sell the car, it would be basically non saleable because of this dangerous problem. There are a substantial number of complaints filed with your agency regarding this problem that I researched under the categories of other, visibility and visibility. . . Defroster among others. How many complaints are required before you force Ford to issue a recall for this very dangerous situation? Ford has already admitted a flaw in the dashboard with their customer satisfaction program. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Dashboard has delaminated at the windshield. It is blocking the view and redirected the defroster so that it will take much longer to clear windshield, but not completely. It has peeled back so far that it is now in the area of the passenger side airbag, which I felt it's a safety issue. Dealer has consistently blown me off. Finally, has answered about this after nearly a year, that I will have to pay for repair myself, minus 10% Ford safety warranty. I felt it should be paid in full by Ford. I know that I would not get full trade in value from them due to this issue.
Our car has had problems since day one we have 2 different emblams on the fenders, window fell out, speakers busted, carpet ruined by leaks, fan switch only works on high setting, instrument panel smoked up as if burning, hood doesn't meet up with cowl, trunk stays soaked, and there are numerous other problems all happened within six months of original purchase.
This is not an aesthetic complaint as classified by Ford motor corporation. Dashboard is peeling up from base of windshield and obstructing drivers view, defrost panel is now dislodged from dashboard and creating additional obstruction of driver's view and rendered non functional. The recession of the dashboard is now separating from the air bag deployment section of the dash. I purchased this vehicle new and have been the sole owner since its purchase in July 1999 and have been refused assistance. I contacted first the Ford dealership from which I purchased the vehicle and was told there was in fact a recall on this item and had since expired and was directed to call Ford motor corporation directly for further assistance. I was not notified of the recall. The three customer service representatives that I have spoken to over the past 24-30 months each confirmed the recall and noted 1) since it was classified as an aesthetic problem it had an expiration date attached it and 2) it was sent to the dealerships to expedite on vehicles that came in for scheduled maintenance visits. Again, I was not notified from either the dealership at the time of my service visits or Ford motor corporation when the recall was initiated. I have requested second opinions from outside sources that are Ford certified in body repair and each noted the ramifications of driving this vehicle without the manufacturer defect corrected is and not limited to a spontaneous deployment of the air bag and a result of a potentially fatal accident for the driver, passengers, and not excluding other drivers on the road that could inadvertently be involved. In my research of this situation I have found complaints of this nature with similar responses since 2001.