1998 FORD CONTOUR Complaints

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 60MPH ON HIGHWAY AND VEHICLE HESTITATED. THROTTLE WOULD ROAR UP HIGH. WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, AND THEN VEHICLE WOULD STALL OUT. BOTH DEALERSHIPS WERE AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK

VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND WOULDN'T START. IGNITION SWITCH DAMAGED KEY. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK

UNABLE TO FILL GAS TANK WITHOUT GAS OVERFLOW, OR GAS FEEDBACK, SHUTTING OFF FUEL NOZZLE. ATTEMPTED TO TURN FUEL NOZZLE, IN EVERY POSITION TO NO AVAIL. CALLED A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID NO RECALL, JUST A SERVICE BULLETIN. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND FRUST. *AK

I WAS UNABLE TO REFUEL VEHICLE AT ALL, I TOOK VEHICLE TO NOURSE FAMILY FORD OF DELAWARE, OH, FOR REPAIRS, THEY REPLACED THE FUEL NECK TO TANK. *AK

HEATER OPERATES INTERMITTENT, VISUAL INSPECTION SHOWS WIRE CONNECTOR AND RESISTOR PACK MELTED. FORD REFUSES TO CORRECT PROBLEM UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY DOES NOT APPEAR TO WANT TO GET INVOLVED. I NOW FIND SEVERAL OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS PROBLEM, AND HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR, AND THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE, SINCE MY WIFE HAS THE GRANDCHILDREN WITH HER AN INJURY OR DEATH COULD HAVE OCURRED. THE AGGREVATION COMES FROM FORD AND THE DEALERS WITH THE "SO WHAT ATTITUDE" ABOUT MY HAVING TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS AND THEN SEE THE WARRANTY COMPANY ABOUT GETTING PAID, AND THE FACT THAT THEY NEVER BOTHERED TO TELL ME ABOUT THE PROBLEM, SAFETY BULLETIN RECALLS 99M07 AND 99M08. I HAVE TO FIND THIS OUT MYSELF? LOOKING THROUGH THE DATA, SEEMS FORD HAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, AND ARE NOT FIXING IT, MORE THAN ONE REPORT OF DASHBOARD FIRES, CARS BLOWING UP WHEN STARTING, ETC. *AK

WHEN THE ABS FAILED, THERE WAS NO BRAKING ACTION AT ALL. LUCKILY, I WAS GOING SLOWLY ON A LOCAL CITY STREET, AND USED THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE. THE ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON NO MORE THAN 15 SECONDS BEFORE I HAD TO USE THE BRAKES TO PREVENT HITTING A CAR THAT PULLED OUT AHEAD OF ME. WHEN THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON, I SLOWED THE CAR SLOWLY WITH THE STANDARD BRAKES, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY THE OTHER CAR PULLED OUT. IT TOOK 3 WEEKS FOR THE BRAKES TO BE REPAIRED, AT A COST OF $2399, NOT INCLUDING COST OF RENTAL CARS, ETC. FORD HAS DECLINED ANY REIMBURSMENT, AS THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 36, 000 MILES. *AK

PROBLEMS OCCASIONALLY WITH DIFFICULITY FUELING--SPEWBACK OF GAS AND PREMATURE CUT OFF OF PUMP . ON OCCASION IT HAS TAKEN ME 20 MINUTES TO FILL THE GAS TANK BECAUSE THE CAR WILL ONLY ACCEPT A SMALL AMOUNT OF GAS AT A TIME. *AK

AIR CONDITIONER EMITS BAD SMELL WHEN RUNNING. ALSO WHEN HEATER IS RUNNING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER 8 TIMES. DEALER COULD NOT FIX PROBLEM. DEALER STATED CONTOURS HAVE THAT PROBLEM. *AK *SLC

MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, WHEN I PUT GAS IN MY CAR, THE CAR KICKS THE PUMP OFF AT LEAST TWICE, SOMETIMES MORE THAN THAT. A FEW DAYS AGO, I BECAME FED UP BECAUSE IT STOPPED AND SPEWED GASOLINE BACK ONTO ME, RUINING MY PANTS. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE TIMES THAN I CARE TO COUNT. I PUT 25, BUT IT IS JUST AN ESTIMATE. I AM WORRIED THAT IT WILL SPEW MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE GAS NEXT TIME. *AK

WHEN FUELING IN HOT WEATHER, GASOLINE DOES NOT FLOW FROM PUMP NOZZLE INTO TANK. PUMP SHUTS OFF EVERY FEW CENTS, AND GASOLINE SPURTS BACK OFTEN. DEALER CLAIMED TO FIX, BUT PROBLEM PERSISTS. *AK