1995 FORD CONTOUR Complaints

DT: CONTACT STATES THE WIRING HARNESS IS CRACKING , CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING, GASOLINE FUMES FROM THE FUEL INJECTOR IS COMING INSIDE THE VEHICLE. WHEN IT RAINS OR WHEN WASHING THE VEHICLE IT GETS WATER INTO THE COMPUTER OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THE SERVICE DEALER STATED THIS WAS A DEFECT WITHIN THE VEHICLE.*AK

1995 FORD CONTOUR HAD FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURE. *MR DURING AN INSPECTION THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS HAD FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT HE VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF ANY RECALLS. THE CONSUMER HAD RECENTLY RECEIVED A RECALL FOR HIS 2001 FORD TAURUS FOR FRONT COIL SPRINGS AND BELIEVES THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *BF *NM

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 1995 FORD CONTOUR LOCKED UP SUDDENLY ONE EVENING RECENTLY. TRANS SHOP REBUILT THE TRANS FOR ME. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THEM WITH BAD NEWS. THE BAD NEWS WAS THAT THE MECHANIC REALIZED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS BEING DAMAGED. IT WAS DAMAGED IN A WAY THAT THE OWNER OF THE SHOP SAID IT COULD VERY WELL HAVE CAUGHT THE VEHICLE ON FIRE, AND APPARENTLY LED TO THE FAILURE OF THE TRANS (I AM NOT MECAHNIC, SO I CAN ONLY GO WITH WHAT I GATHERED FROM THEM). FORD HAD ISSUED PROGRAM 99M03 WHICH COVERED ENGINE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESS FAILURES. THIS PROGRAM WAS FOR 10 YEARS/100K MILES. FORD REFUSES TO TAKE ANY ACTION TOWARDS PAYING FOR THIS REPAIR BECAUSE THE VEHICLE (ALTHOUGH 10 YEARS OLD), HAS EXCEEDED THE MILEAGE (IT HAS 130K MILES). HOWEVER, I DO NOT FEEL THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE MILES DRIVEN, BUT RATHER A POORLY ROUTED WIRING HARNESS. THE HARNESS WAS RUN UNDER THE BATTERY, AND THE SHOP SAYS IT APPEARS AS THOUGH IT WAS EATEN AWAY BY ACID OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. CAN YOU HELP ME GET THROUGH THE ENDLESS RED TAPE AT FORD? THS IS A QUALITY AND SAFETY ISSUE THAT I FEEL REQUIRES BETTER "INVOLVEMENT" FROM FORD. *AK

AFTER VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES A FIRE STARTED UNDER THE DASHBOARD. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED NHTSA RECALL 95V232000 CONCERNING FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY:PIPE:FILLER:NECK. AFTER HAVING THE FUEL TANK REPLACED CONSUMER NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC INFORMED DETERMINED THAT FUEL TANK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK *SC

FAN MOTOR ON THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM FAILED TO COME ON ITS ON. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE RECALL 00V367000 FOR THE FAN BLOWER EXPIRED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK

BOTH REAR SPRINGS WHERE BROKEN. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. CUSTOMER SAID THE FRONT SPRINGS HAD BEEN REPLACED AT AN EARLIER DATE. *AK

FOUND ALL 4 SPRINGS BROKEN, THERE IS AN EXTENDED WARRENTY ON FRONT BUT NOT ON THE REAR. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. *AK

IN 2002, REAR SPRING BROKE ON HER 1995 FORD CONTOUR. WE WERE UNAWARE OF THE BREAKAGE, UNTIL A REPAIR SHOP FIXING THE CAR FOR ANOTHER PROBLEM INFORMED US. WE TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL TIRE SHOP AND THEY REPLACED THE REAR SPRING. NOW, SEPT. 8, 2004 WHEN TAKING OUR 1995 FORD CONTOUR TO THE SHOP FOR NOISE AND DIFFICULTY DRIVING, WE FIND THAT THE FRONT SPRING HAD BROKEN. WE WERE ADVISED TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED, NOT DRIVEN TO A LOCAL TIRE/FRONT END SHOP FOR REPLACEMENT. AFTER GETTING SUSPICIOUS, I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH SPRINGS BREAKING ON THEIR FORD CONTOUR. THIS FORD CONTOUR HAD LESS THAN 60,000 MILES. I CALLED THE LOCAL FORD SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THAT WE COULD BRING THE VEHICLE TO THEM FOR REPLACEMENT. AT THAT POINT, OUR CAR HAD ALREADY BEEN DISASSEMBLED AND THE BAD SPRING REPLACED. WE HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION OF A POSSIBLE FAILURE OF SPRINGS, LET A LONE TWO SPRINGS TO BREAK UNDER 60,000 MILES AND TWO YEARS APART. SO FAR FORD HAS NOT RESPONDED TO MY REQUEST TO REIMBURSE US FOR ANY OF THE CHARGES FROM THE TIRE/FRONT END SHOP. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS FAILURE OF A SPRING IN THE BACK AND FRONT OF THIS FORD CONTOUR. NOW WE HAVE THREE NEW SPRINGS (REPLACED TWO IN FRONT AND ONE IN BACK), BUT STILL HAVE ONE OLD SPRING ON THE BACK WHICH HASN'T BEEN REPLACED. THIS SHOULD BE A SERIOUS RECALL, NOT A PROGRAM, AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE NOTIFIED. WE ACTUALLY HAD THE CAR IN TO THE SHOP IN 2001 FOR ANOTHER RECALL, SO I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY FORD DID NOT NOTIFY US ABOUT THE SPRING PROBLEM. FORD NEEDS TO REPLACE ALL THEIR SPRINGS ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS CAR HAS HAD ENORMOUS REPAIRS FROM AIRCONDITIONING, TIMING BELTS, STEERING PROBLEMS, ETC., BUT THIS SPRING SITUATION COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. MY GUESS IS THERE ARE MANY MORE VEHICLES OUT THERE UNAWARE THAT THIS WAS A "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM". IT SHOULD BE A RECALL.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH COOLING MOTOR OVERHEATED. AS A RESULT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT ON FIRE. NO INJURIES REPORTED. *AK