1999 FORD CONTOUR Complaints

MY FORD CONTOUR ONLY HAS 69000 MILES. ALREADY, BRAKES HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE, DASHBOARD CURLING UP ABOUT 6 INCHES AND DEFROST COVER HAS COME LOOSE BLOCKING VIEW, NOW THE TIMING BELT IS GOING BAD, HAD TO REPLACE TO MOTOR MOUNT. FUEL PUMP ALSO WENT OUT.*AK

PURCHASED CAR IN SEPT. 99; NO DASHBOARD WARPAGE' RECEIVED A PRINTOUT OF TSB# 01B78 FOR WARPAGE ON 8/24/01; NO WARPAGE YET. 01/07/04 RECEIVED A PRINTOUT FROM DEALER OF NO ACTIVE TSB#01B78. DASHBOARD WARPAGE SEVERE AFTER WINTER OF 2004. BROUGHT INTO SERVICE THE TSB. THE DEALER AND FORD COMPANY FAILED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY QUOTE THE SENT LETTERS TO CONSUMERS OF THE CAR. I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER. THE BLAME THE US POST OFFICE FOR THE FAULT. LIABILITY FALLS INTO THE MFG., WHICH IS FORD NOT THE USPS. DASHBOARD IS WARPED AND DEFROSTER FAILS TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD IN THE WINTER DUE TO WARPAGE. THE DEFROST VANES NO LONGER FITS IN THE DASH TO DIRECT FLOW TO WINDSHIELD WHICH CAUSES A VISUAL HAZARD TO DRIVING IN FOGGY, WINTERED ENVIRONMENTS. I WOULD LIKE THE TSB SERVICED DUE TO HAZARD. I AM ORIG. OWNER OF THE CAR. I FOUND ALL THE INFORMATION ON MY OWN THROUGH THE INTERNET AND PRINTOUTS. NO OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION WAS SERVED TO ME. THE LIABILITY SHOULD TO SERVICE THIS TSB.*AK

VEHICLE WAS IDLING TOO HIGH. WHEN THE VEHICLE IDLED TOO HIGH IT ALSO SHUT OFF. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEALERS, AND VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED 2-3 TIMES. EACH DEALER INDICATED THAT IT WAS THE CAM SENSOR. CONSUMER HAD A NEW CAM SENSOR INSTALLED ON 04/19/2004, AND IT WAS STILL DOING THE SAME THING, VEHICLE CONTINUED TO IDLE HIGH AND THEN STALL. *AK

THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO ROTATE THE IGNITION KEY TO THE LOCK POSITION AND REMOVE THE KEY WITHOUT THE SHIFT LEVER AND TRANSMISSION BEING IN PARK. *AK ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE ROLLED WHILE PARKED, BECAUSE THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION WHILE THE GEAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE. *JB

WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE THE ROAD DUE TO POOR HEADLIGHTS. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP. *AK THE CONDENSATION INSIDE THE HEAD LIGHTS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR THE HEAD LAMPS TO PROPERLY ILLUMINATE THE ROADS SURFACE. *NM

AS SOON AS I EXITED THE FREEWAY (ALMOST A FULL CIRCLE EXIT), MY CAR STARTED CHOKING AND FINALLY STOPPED. NO FUEL SEEMED TO BE REACHING THE ENGINE. I HAD AAA TOW IT HOME SINCE I WAS CLOSE TO HOME. THE ENGINE CRANKED BUT WOULDN'T START. THIS CHOKING HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE WHEN I ENTERED THE FREEWAY ON A SIMILAR FULL-CIRCLE RAMP, AND THEN STEPPED ON THE GAS TO PICKUP SPEED. IT COUGHED A BIT BUT THEN RAN FINE. SEEMS LIKE THE SPIN CAUSES SOMETHING TO CHOKE. OTHER CONTOUR OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE. IT SUPPOSEDLY HAPPENS WHEN THE FUEL IS LESS THAN A QUARTER OF THE TANK. FORD HAD RECALLED THE FORD FOCUS FOR FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND MY CAR EXHIBITS THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS. WHEN I TALKED TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY ASKED ME TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER, HAVE IT FIXED AT MY EXPENSE AND THEN THEY WOULD CONSIDER RE-IMBURSING THE EXPENSES, BUT THEY ALSO SAID THAT I SHOULDN'T COUNT ON A REIMBURSEMENT. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS SINCE IT CAN HAPPEN WHILE ENTERING A FREEWAY. I'VE SEEN A FEW MORE COMPLAINTS LIKE THIS ON THIS SITE (WWW.NHTSA.ORG) BUT NO SOLUTIONS. SOME SAY THAT THE DEALER CANNOT FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE. THE SOLUTION SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THE FORD FOCUS RECALL SOLUTION AND SHOULD BE FIXED AT FORD'S EXPENSE.

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.

MY DASHBOARD IS WARPING. I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED AND IT APPEARS TO BE THE SECOND DASHBOARD PUT IN. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE. IT DOES OBSTRUCT THE VIEW. THE DASHBOARD IS CURLING TOWARD THE INSIDE OF THE CAR.*AK

CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO ROTATE THE IGNITION KEY TO THE LOCK POSITION AND REMOVE IT WITHOUT THE SHIFT LEVER AND TRANSMISSION BEING IN PARK. *PH *NM

DASHBOARD IS PEELING UP FROM WINDSHIELD, DEFROST PANEL IS NOW FREE FLOATING ON THE DASH. AT THIS TIME THE DASH IS PEELING UP NEAR THE AIR BAG AND I HAVE CONCERNS OF IT DEPLOYING WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE CONTACT FORD THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VERY ITEM WHICH HAS NOW EXPIRED. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED (I AM THE ONLY OWNER). THEY HAVE REFUSE TO EXTEND THE RECALL TO COVER THIS DEFECT. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT WILL BE $1500.00 TO REPLACE THE DASH. I WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT I INDEED WAS NOT NOTIFIED AND THAT THE DEALERSHIPS WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND SHOULD HAVE NOTICED IT. MY CAT WAS IN THE SHOP FOR 3 MONTHS DURING THE RECALL TIME AND THE DEALERSHIP NEVER CHECKED MY VEHICLE FOR THIS DEFECT. I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD AT THEIR COST REPLACE MY DASH. THIS IS A EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD.*AK