1998 FORD CONTOUR Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. *AK THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED. *NM

I NOTICED I HAD A FLAT TIRE. I TOOK IT OFF WENT TO HAVE IT REPAIRED,THEY TOLD ME IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED BECAUSE THE SIDE WALL HAD BEEN PUNTURED.I THEN HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRE ONLY TO FIND OUT THE NEW TIRE WOULD NOT WORK, THERE WAS A LOUD CLANKING SOUND WHEN YOU TRIED TO MOVE THE CAR. I THEN PUT THE SPARE (PONY) ON AND TRIED TO MOVE THE CAR THE TIRE GOT HOT AND SMOKED.SO WE TRIED TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE COMPANY WE BOUGHT THE TIRE FROM,IN THE PROCESS WE HAD A BLOW OUT AND HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED IN. ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE SPRING HAD BROKEN ,PUNCTURED THE TIRE ON TH INSIDE SIDEWALL AND WRAPPED AROUND THE STRUTT AND BENT IT..BECAUSE OF YOUR DEFECTIVE SPRINGS.. WE ARE FORCED TO BUY NOT ONLY A NEW TIRE BUT A SET OF SPRINGS AND NEW STRUTTS. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT FORD PRODUCTS ARE KNOWN FOR THIS. THAT IT HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS. THIS IS GOING TO COST ME FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS AT THE VERY LEAST.....WHY HAS THE'RE BEEN NO RECALL ON THESE SPRINGS????? THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DISASTROUS SITUATION HAD IT HAPPEN AS WE WERE GOING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. I FEEL THAT SOME TYPE OF COMPENSATION IS IN ORDER....MY CAR IS A FORD CONTOUR A 1998 WITH ONLY ROUGHLY 50,000 MILES ON IT. THE SERVICE WORK IS BEING DONE BY SEARS AUTO CENTER BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE WE PURCHASED THE NEW TIRE. YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE AND SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM WOULD ENCOURAGE MY CONTINUED FAITH IN FORD PRODUCTS, WHICH HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT SHAKEN. RESPECTFULLY YOUR, RACHEL G MILLER. *AK

1) A/C BLOWER SHUT OFF AND UPON INVESTIGATION A 60 AMP FUSE BROKE UNDER THE FUSE BOX IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR UNDER THE ENGINE HOOD WERE DAMAGED. AND FURTHER INSPECTION SHOWED SEVERAL OPEN WIRES COMING FROM THE BATTERY AND ONE COMMING FROM THE FUSE BOX WHICH IS BELIEVED TO HAVE CAUSED THE FUSE TO BREAK. 2) NOTIFIED BY 2 DIFFERENT AUTO-ELECTRICAL REPAIR SHOPS THEY HAD SEEN SIMULAR DAMAGE AND INFORMED ME OFF THE COSTS OF A REPLACEMENT WIRING HARNESS AND LABOR WHICH RANGED FROM $3800 - $4400. CHECKING OTHER VARIOUS WEB SITES SHOWED A LOT MORE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS WHICH RANGED FROM FIRES TO HAVING TO DRIVE WITH BROKEN FUSES OR HAVING TO PAY HIGH AMOUNTS TO REPLACE IT. 3) DOING PREVENTATIVE MAINTENTENCE BY CLEANING AREA AND SPRAYING A HIGH BASE IN THE AREA TO PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE CAUSED BY EXPOSED WIRES TO THE ELEMENTS ON A WEEKLY BASES TILL I CAN AFFORD SUCH A LARGE REPAIR AND NOT REPLACING A FUSE WHICH CONTROLS MY BLOWER AND ABS. *AK

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHING 4-4, SOMETHING TO DO WITH FRONT AIR BAG SENSOR, AFFECTED IN DAMP CONDITIONS AND OCCASIONALLY FOR NO REASON. DEALER LOOKED AT THEM AND GREASED THEM FOR BETTER CONNECTION, BUT WOULDN'T DO ANY FURTHER WORK BECAUSE MY CAR DOESN'T FALL UNDER EXISTING RECALL OF SAME SYMPTOMS AND PROBLEM. 1998 FORD CONTOUR SE SPORT, WITH 64,000 MILES AND EXCELLENT CONDITION. STILL AN ONGOING PROBLEM, NO INJURIES OR CRASHES YET, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT MY AIRBAGS WILL NOT FUNCTION IF FLASHING DURING ACCIDENT, THAT COULD BE NASTY. THANKS AGAIN FORDS FOR TRYING YOU BEST TO FIT ME UNDER THAT EXISTING RECALL!!! HA!*AK

WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A LOUD BOOM AND THE FRONT LEFT TIRE WAS RUBBING. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO INDICATED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE. THE SPRING WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, WITHIN 6,000 MILES THE FAILURE RECURRED, THE LEFT FRONT SPRING BROKE. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO REPLACE THE SPRING BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER DISCONTINUED MANUFACTURING THE PART. *AK THE STEERING KNUCKLE WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED DUE TO THE WHEEL BEARING RACE SPINNING IN THE KNUCKLES WHICH CAUSED ABNORMAL WEAR OF THE KNUCKLE. THE KNUCKLE AND THE BEARING WERE REPLACED. *SC *JB

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE OF AN OBSTRUCTION IN THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS SERVICED THE VEHICLE 5 TIMES. THEY HAVE REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, THE FILTER AND THE OXYGEN SENSOR. THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO SERVICE THE VEHICLE ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY INDICATED THEY HAVE DONE ALL THEY COULD DO TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *NM THE VEHICLE LEAKED OIL OVER THE ENTIRE ENGINE, THE FUEL PRESSURE DROPPED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ON MOUNTAINOUS AREAS, A SHORT WAS FOUND, AND WIRES WERE FOUND CHAFFED. *SC *JB

FORD DEALERSHIP FAILED TO HONOR PROMISE TO REFUND COST OF REPAIRS THAT WERE COVERED BY A RECALL. *PH (BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT COIL SPRINGS) ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE SPRINGS FAILED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO COLLAPSE DESTROYING BOTH FRONT TIRES. ON ONE OF THE OCCASIONS A STRANGE NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, SMOKE WAS SMELLED DUE TO THE FRICTION AS THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY JAMMED. *SC

FRONT RIGHT COIL SPRING BROKE AND TIRE WAS FLATTENED. THIS IS LISTED AS AN ISSUE ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE AND IT INDICATES FORD HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WITH THE 1998 FORD CONTOUR AND FORD HAS EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS TO 10 YEARS/150,000 MILES. HOWEVER, WHEN I SPOKE TO FORD AND EXPLAINED MY SITUATION, THEY SAID MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN KANSAS CITY AND IS REGISTERED IN MARYLAND.

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF AT HIGHWAY SPEED. CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE. TOOK VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT A CIRCUIT INSIDE THE HEADLAMP BURNT. *AK ++++++++++++++++++++

WHILE CHANGING A TIRE CONSUMER FOUND THAT THE COIL SPRING CRACKED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE FRONT COIL SPRING WAS CRACKED. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THIS MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR. BUT, THISW VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK