1999 FORD CONTOUR Complaints

THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE IGNITION CYLINDER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

STALLS AND WON'T RESTART. I HAD THE ALTERNATOR CHANGED AND THE FUSE BEHIND THE HEAD LIGHT SWITCH BY GOODYEAR. THEY DID A COMPLETE DIAGNOSTICS TEST AND SAID THE ONLY THING IT COULD BE WAS THE ALTERNATOR AND MAYBE THE FUSE. I GOT THE CAR BACK AND IT RAN FINE FOR ABOUT 3 HOUR'S THEN STALLED. I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK 3 MORE TIMES AFTER THE INITIAL VISIT AND STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. GOOD YEAR COULD NOT FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM AND HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A FORD DEALER SHIP WHERE I HAD TO PAY AGAIN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH CAME BACK CLEAN, SO THEY SUGGESTED A NEW BATTERY AND FUSE. THE CAR WAS WORKING FINE UNTIL EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER WHEN THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED, IT STALLED YET AGAIN. I CAN BARELY OPEN THE DOOR'S WITH MY KEY AND IT TAKES ABOUT THREE TIMES TO DO SO. I WENT TO WALMART AND BOUGHT SOME FUSE'S AND FOR NOW IS WORKING. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO 2 PLACE'S ONE A FORD DEALER SHIP AND HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS LAST YEAR, IF BOTH PLACE'S COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM THEN, THEN WHY SHOULD I WASTE MY MONEY AGAIN. THERE IS A DEFECT SOME WHERE IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CHANGE THE FUSE SO OFTEN. *AK

A NEW BATTERY WAS INSTALLED. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS A CONSTANT STRAIN OF 32 AMPS BEING DISCHARGED, CAUSING THE BATTERY TO DRAIN, AND NOT BEING CHARGED. *AK THE KEY COULD BE TURNED OFF WITH THE IGNITION IN THE LOCK POSITION AND THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK. WHEN THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WAS OPENED, THE BUZZER THAT REMINDS THE CONSUMER THAT THE KEY WAS STILL IN THE IGNITION HAD GONE OFF EVEN WHEN THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE IGNITION. *SC

AFTER 22K MILES I HAVE TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL TIRES 185/70/R14 ON MY FORD CONTOUR SE '99. I CONTACTED GENERAL TIRE (THE TIRES HAVE 70K MILES WARRANTY). I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT "GENERAL TIRE WAS NOT CONTRACTED BY FORD CO TO PUT TIRES 185/70/R14 ON FORD CONTOUR SE". I CONTACTED TIRE DEALERS, CHECK WEBSITES AND FOUND THAT THE ONLY SIZE 205/60/R15 IS LISTED AS AN ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. THE SIZE 185/70/R14 IS DOWNSIZE TIRES, AND TIRE MANUFACTURES WILL NOT HONOR THE TIRE WARRANTY IF I PUT THESE TIRES ON MY CONTOUR SE. THIS IS ONE PROBLEM. THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS SAFETY: DO THE TIRES 185/70/R14 PROVIDE THE SAME SAFETY FEATURES AS 205/60/R15? I FOUND THAT R15 TIRES COULD HOLD 400 LB MORE THAN R14 TIRES, PROVIDE BETTER TRACKING CONTROL. AND, I ALREADY KNOW THAT, THE R14 TIRES LASTED ONLY 22K MILES. I TRY TO CONVINCE FORD CO THAT BECAUSE OF THE PRODUCTION DEFECT MY CAR - CONTOUR SE 99 -WAS EQUIPPED WITH INCORRECT TIRES (185/70/R14 INSTEAD OF 205/60/R15), AND AS A RESULT OF THAT THE SAFETY LEVEL OF THE CAR IS LESS THAN IT SHOULD BE, AND TIRE WARRANTY IS DENIED BY TIRE MANUFACTURERS. THE ONLY FIX IS TO REPLACE THE WHEELS (RIM AND TIRES). THANK YOU.

WHILE SITTING AT A STOP SIGN ANOTHER VEHICLE REAR ENDED THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. IN RETURN, THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED A BUS. UPON IMPACT, NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.*AK *JB

DRIVER FELL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL WHILE DRIVING AND HIT A HOUSE POLE THEN A TELEPHONE POLE. UPON IMPACT, BOTH AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED HEAD AND BACK INJURIES AND WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK

CONSUMER IS ABLE TO TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN PARK. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

FORD MOTOR CORP IS AWARE OF A DEFECTIVE VALVE IN IT'S FORD CONTOURS WITH 6 CYL 2.5L ENGINES THAT CAUSES AN OIL OUT AND OVER-PRESSURIZED CONDITION. MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THIS AND MY MECHANIC CONTACTED A FORD SERVICE MANAGER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY ARE HAVING A SILENT RECALL, AND EACH CASE WILL BE HANDLED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO FORD AND AFTER KEEPING IT FOR A WEEK THEY DETERMINED THAT THEY WOULD NOT RECTIFY THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I HAD NOT RECEIVED MY OIL CHANGE FROM THEM. I HAD PREVIOUSLY TAKEN MY VEHICLE TO FORD AND SPENT SO MUCH MONEY FOR ALL PROBLEMS AND I HAVE WELL DOCUMENTED SERVICE RECORDS ON MY VEHICLE. I ALSO HAVE A COLLEGE SON THAT I PURCHASED THE SAME VEHICLE FOR AND AM AFRAID THAT HIS WILL EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM WHILE HE IS OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE BECAUSE OF THIS. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 38,000 MILES AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. I THINK THAT THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD TO MANY CONSUMERS AND THAT FORD SHOULD STEP UP AND SERVICE THIS PROBLEM FOR IT'S LOYAL CUSTOMERS AND FOR THE SAFETY OF SO MANY INDIVIDUALS. *JB

DASH WAS REPLACED, BUT IT WAS INSTALLED IMPROPERLY. ALSO, AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM HAS LEAK, AND WILL BE REPLACED NEXT SPRING. *LA VEHICLE HAS HAD THE FOLLOWING REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENTS: WHEEL BEARINGS, BRAKES, TIE RODS, DASHBOARD, INTAKE MANIFOLD, PASSENGER REAR STRUTS, LEFT FRONT DOME LAMP SWITCH, LEFT FRONT SPEAKERS, AND OYGEN SENSOR.*MR

I OWN A 1999 FORD CONTOUR WITH A HORRIBLY WARPED DASHBOARD. THERE WAS NEVER A RECALL, ONLY A COURTESY CALL TO COME TO FORD AND HAVE IT FIXED. I BROUGHT IT INTO MY LOCAL DEALER, WHO DID NOT HAVE ANOTHER DASH TO REPLACE. THEY HAD TO ORDER IT. WHEN I CALLED BACK SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THEY TOLD ME THAT TIME HAD EXPIRED AND THEY SENT THE DASH BACK TO FORD AND THERE WAS NOTHING I CAN DO. THIS WARPED DASH IS DANGEROUS, INTERFERES WITH MY FIELD OF VISION, THE DEFROSTER WON'T WORK PROPERLY AND NOW IS INTERFERING WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THIS EARLY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. THIS CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW IN 1999 BY ME AND ONLY HAS 35K MILES ON IT. *AK