Dash Wiring Problems of Ford Contour - part 1

I own a 1996 Ford Contour [xxx] that the instrument panel lights and tail lights went out on. There was a recall on this item (recall 99s14) back in 1999. Upon bringing the car into an brookdale Ford (brooklyn center, mn), they told me that they would fix the problem free of charge because it did not apply to my vehicle. I then called Ford motor company customer relationship center. They told me that the problem was already fixed on my car (even though I never brought the car in for this service). They refused to help. Even if the recall was fixed on my car, the fact that the same two parts of my car (instrument panel and tail lights) failed, tells me that the recall repair was not done correctly. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 1996 Ford Contour 🔎.

Consumer complained about a mass air flow sensor problem. Owner took the vehicle to the dealer to have the work done. Also, owner was informed that the wire harness under the hood was defective.

1. Abs brake fuse and blower motor fuse are one and the same, darn cold in minnesota, and hard to get too to replace. Must pull out battery first. To replace the hydraulic pump for abs brakes to fix problem. . . $3000. 00, more than the car is worth for trade in or resale value. I found this out after hitting a deer on Nov. 26 2004. And does not include cosmetic damage. Air bags did not deploy either. 2. Front and back window molding is shrinking and forcing windows out, very drafty. 3. Shift module failed, took to Ford dealer to replace, when replaced the dash board started smoking. The neighbor module burnt up, and all the dash board wiring. Total cost to repair $1200. 00, but the dealership took off $200. 00 of the labor costs. 4. I called Ford on several different occasions to complain. They will not stand behind their product. I have dealers that will not take it on a trade in, because it's a Contour.

See all problems of the 1998 Ford Contour 🔎.

I have normal use on my car and on July 26, 2004 my air bag light and the emergency brake light came on. I read my owner's guide to see what the problem could be and it stated that if theses problems was to occur that I need it to be service by a qualified technician. I brought my vehicle in on July 27, 2004 to get it serviced. I informed Ford that I smelled a wire burning, and that I saw a little puff of smoke on July 26, 2004 that came from under my dash board. I was informed my the Ford dealership that they did 3 diagnostic test on it and they still could not figure out what the problem is with the airbag system. This is a safety problem that could have ended up deadly if I was to get into an accident because of the malfunctions in the car. As far as what is being done is beyond me because they still cannot figure out what the problem is, and what parts are going to be needed for the repairs on my car. I would like to matter to be investigated immediately before someone get hurt, and they don't have their air bag system nor emergency brake light system working.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Contour 🔎.

The consumer could hear the radiator coming on/over and over again. Previously it overheated in June 2004. When the consumer took vehicle to dealer for repairs they changed the thermostat, added more water to the radiator, and something else in the transmission area. When the consumer picked up the vehicle the problem recurred. Afterwards, there was a rattling noise coming from the dashboard. They told her that it was due to a bracket that broke. . Dealer replaced the radio. The consumer stated that the air conditioner was no longer working properly since they replaced the radio. Also, the dashboard was loosening and there were wires showing. The front driver's side window knob came off. These were the only known problems with the vehicle at this time. There had been no accidents concerning these issues.

Consumer stated dashboard was lifting, and defogger did not work. There was a recall regarding this issue. However, there was no recall information in the system. Consumer was told that a letter was sent to her two years ago.

I own a 1999'contour the dashboard has curled up at the vent area near window. Have contacted Ford motor CO. And they refused to do anything about issue. I have contacted previous owners and they knew nothing of the customer satisfaction program provided by Ford. Ford tells me it was a time is of the essence type of thing . But I see that they have only tried to avoid taking responsibility for a faulty product. I will seriously consider never purchasing another Ford . This has been my 4th Ford that I have owned and it saddens me to see the poor response from Ford about a potentially hazardous problem.

Dealership replaced the bronze terminals, but refused to replace the headlight switch as stated in the headlight switch/wire harness recall 99v103000. Instrument panel lights and headlights were not working properly.

Molded dashboard was shrinking and lifting off of the frame . Consumer was afraid that air bags would deploy prematurely if the shrinking persisted. Manufacturer had not been notified.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Contour 🔎.

I recently became aware of a recall that occurred in 2001 on 1995-1999 Ford Contours, Mercury mystiques, and cougars. The dashboard in my 1999 Ford Contour is tearing and a friend of mine told me there was a recall on it. So I decided to check the recall information on NHTSA's website. Instead I found other disturbing information. According to a report listed, the blower switch / resistor overheats and starts or could start a fire. It also states that "failure of the blower switch causes loss of one or more blower speeds". However, I was never notified about neither recall. In July 2003, I had to have my 1999 Ford Contour (bought brand new) repaired because my a/c stopped working. The repairs involved the wiring in the fuse panel (repaired) and the blower / resistor was replaced. The cost: $60. 00 (technician hooked car to a machine to diagnose check engine light staying on, parts & labor) and $187. 40 (a/c problem, part $7. 40 and labor $180. 00). I was never informed by the service department (local Ford dealership) that there had even been a recall. Will I be reimbursed for this mishap?.

A recall was issued for the dashboard buckling. However, the problem recurred. Consumer contacted the manufacturer and dealer, and their response was sorry, there was nothing they could do.

While driving 50mph heat was extremly hot coming from under the dashboard.

Dashboard is coming up, and defroster does not work properly. Also, there are bubbles on dashboard.

Turn signal electrical harness malfunction, no 4-way or turn signal at all. Replaced with another electrical harness, worked for about 3 weeks then malfunctioned again, this time left turn signal inop at the harness(sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. ).

This vehicle has been a "lemon" since purchased new in August, 1997 from sam galloway Ford in fort myers, florida. From the beginning, the car drove "rough" not smooth. The vehicle constantly was vibrating, and simply got worse over time. The vibrations would occur at speeds as low as about 40 miles per hour, increasing the faster you drove. You could actually feel and see your body shake. The ride was the total opposite of a smooth one. Rough and bumpy, even on smooth, florida roads. The vehicle felt like you were "pushing" or "forcing" it to drive. The gear shift has always been difficult to manuver, generally sticking while trying to change gears. A couple of times, this nearly caused an accident, due to the inability to change gears. When reported to Ford, the only response that that "per the manual, the transmission needed some type of overhaul, at a cost of about $500. Also, several times, there was smoke and a burning rubber type smell emitting from the air vents. This was brought into Ford several times, and not fixed. The final time, the entire car filled with smoke--I called the service manager, marlon hanson, from the vehicle on my cell phone, because I was scared that the car may burst into flames. His remarks made it sound like "no big deal" just bring in the car. Meanwhile, I had to pull over, I was so scared, not knowing if the vehicle was going to start on fire or even blow up. This vehicle was brought in twice more for this repair, and finally appears to be fixed. We were told that it was some wiring that was burning, or starting on fire. Our only compensation for that was a free rental car, after I pressured the service manager. The cassette portion of the radio broke early on. Never addressed that issue with dealer or Ford. Steering column is increasingly difficult to manuever-very hard to turn. Airbag warning light intermittendly comes on, at any speed. Tires have been replaced, but newer tire keeps deflating--per tbs, coil spring problem?*a.

Blower started functioning sporadically. Took to a dealer and they reported that there was a resistor failure in blower. Ford refused to acknowledge the problem.

Wires are fused together and shorted out. No fuse or circuit breaker openned. Fire went out when the key was turned off.

See all problems of the 1997 Ford Contour 🔎.

Front coil spring broke and punctured front tire, car left road and had to be towed.

Ac fan / blower speed switch failed at the 3rd speed setting, requiring the entire control assembly to be replaced.

Consumer was traveling on highwayand vehicle started smoking blue smoke. Then, vehicle caught on fire dashboard was badly burned. No injuries.

This problem seems to be the same as NHTSA action number pe00023. The fan switch and harness connector show burn damage, a related problem seems to be that the fuse protecting the circuit did not fail. The fuse should have burned out when the connector failed.

This item was covered once under my original warranty and once under my extended warranty. No safety defect listed.

Said car had defects almost as soon as we purchased it, we noticed it had 2 different emblams on the fenders and they had to run the VIN# so they could find out which it was. The car started leaking within 6 months of purchase, they worked on it 3 times to no prevail(still leaks) the dash has bowed up at the windshield and at the panel behind the steering wheel, instrument panel has smoked up, heater switch only works on high setting, pass. Side front window fell out of door track while going down the highway, speaker busted, carpet ruined because of leaks. Blancetts had all of these parts ordered for over 6 months and they still did not get all of them in, an d Ford motor company has closed them down. I don't know the specifics of the reasons for closing them, but they had trouble once or twice with getting cars and trucks with mileage rollback problems.

Consumer's vehicle was sitting at a friend house, and vehicle started to burn from the dashboard. Vehicle was totaled.

My car frequently smells like an electrical fire. I hardly ever drive it. I am especially concerned about the recent articles about possible fires in Contour models. I would like more information about this situation.

4 recalls-that I know of- now this problem-will stall sometimes.

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.

Electrical smell and smoke came from dash area. Wife and 2 children abandoned car. Car was serviced at dealer in georgia. Two days after first repair same electrical smell and smoke. Wife and two children abondoned car for a second time. Wife is concerned over childrens safety. Taken to second dealer. Service manager observed problem while he was driving vehicle. Smoke was coming from dash. Dealer quickly opened glove box. Vehicle was repaired at no charge the second time. Problem was with wiring harness. Neither the dealer nor Ford has informed me of root cause. Am concerned problem can again occur without warning. Have read similar complaints to NHTSA. Desire to know root cause, and fix to assure safety of family.

While driving instrument panel flickered on and off, and vehicle stalled unexpectedly which could have caused a crash. The occupant was not able to restart the vehicle. Dealer has not yet looked at vehicle. Please provide further information.

The electrical problems I have experienced include; failure of temperature gauge, failure of clock light, failure of electric windows and emergency brake light igniting when emergency brake disengaged.

Headlight switch and mount failed/burned up/lights won't turn off/on, needed replacing, dashboard components always run hot; fuel door lever inside car doesn't work reliably & door sticks; egr hose failed, took Ford 1. 5 weeks to get one in, no guidelines this hose ever needing replaced, & it costs $93??!?!.

Smoke came out of the dashboard .

Consumer took vehicle in for a mfr. Recall repairs , under dash fire broke out while in the dealer shop for repairs; needs help on this matter.

Ford need to replace this car with a safe one! come on 6 electrical failures? when will the fire start from the failures?. . Dateline nbc next!.

Wiring harness failure caused short in electrical system.