2000 FORD CONTOUR Complaints

1) NO EVENT YET. 2) THE DASH IS CURLED AND PULLED AWAY FROM WINDSHIELD TO THE POINT THE DEFROSTERS CAN'T WORK. THE ENTIRE FRONT DASH ASSEMBLY HAS TWISTED UNTIL THERE IS TENSION ON THE AIRBAGS, STEERING WHEEL, STEREO HAS FALLEN OUT, NO VENTING WORKS. SO MUCH DISTORTION THAT WE ARE FEARFUL OF THE AIR BAGS RELEASING ANY TIME THE VEHICLE HITS A BUMP. 3) I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR OTHER MAINTENANCE ISSUES THE FIRST YEAR AND ASKED HIM ABOUT THE DASH, WHY IT WAS PULLING AWAY FROM THE CAR. HE COULDN'T EXPLAIN IT. THREE TIMES THE FIRST YEAR WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION. THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE MENTIONED A RECALL ON MY VEHICLE FOR THE DASHBOARD, BUT STATED "IT'S TOO LATE NOW, IT ENDED IN OCTOBER". I WENT TO THE OWNER OF THE COMMUNITY FORD WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND HE TOLD ME I HAD TO "GO TO THE MANUFACTURER, FORD" AND GET THE DASH REPLACED." I'VE CONTACTED FORD MOTORS VIA-E-MAIL, AND GET NO RESPONSE. 4) THE DEFROSTERS CAN'T OPERATE BECAUSE THE DASH HAS CURLED AND BLOCKS AIR FROM REACHING THE GLASS. VISIBILITY IS OBSTRUCTED. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THE MOVEMENT AND DISTORTION OF THE ENTIRE FRONT DASH IS DANGEROUS FOR MY FAMILY FOR FEAR OF THE AIR BAGS RELEASING OR THE DASH JUST SIMPLY FALLING INTO OUR LAPS WHILE WE ARE TRAVELING. 5) I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW AND THESE PROBLEMS STARTED WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF OWNING THE VEHICLE. I'VE HEARD OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL OF VEHICLE. 6) I LIKE THE CAR, HAS GOOD GAS MILEAGE, ETC., AND CAN'T AFFORD A NEW ONE. THE SAFETY ISSUES NEED TO BE DEALT WITH. 7) SOMEONE WILL BE KILLED DRIVING THIS CAR. *NM

2000 FORD CONTOUR FRONT DASHBOARD IS SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE.**NO ANSWER REQUIRED***. *MR *JB

DT: THE DASHBOARD MATERIAL CURLED UP. IT PUSHED THE VENTS UP AND THEY WERE COMING LOOSE. IT WAS BLOCKING THE VISIBILITY OF THE WINDSHIELD. IT WAS ON THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGERS SIDE. *AK *TT

EXPRESS LTR FWD ON BEHALF OF DOUGLAS J. HOLT (GA) RE A DEFECTIVE 2000 FORD CONTOUR DASH, FRONT WINDSHIELD AND FRONT WINDOW DEFROSTER.*MR THE CONSUMER STATED THE DASH HAS WARPED TO THE POINT WHERE THE FRONT DEFROSTER IS NO LONGER EFFECTIVE. *JB

THE CAR HESITATES, STALLS, LOSES POWER, SURGES, ETC. WHILE ACCELERATING ONTO THE FREEWAY, GOING UP HILLS, TURNING ONTO A HIGHWAY ETC. WE'VE BEEN LUCKY THAT IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED WHEN WE HAD A SHOULDER TO COAST ON TO. WE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN REAR-ENDED BY OTHER VEHICHLES IN TRAFFIC. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES : AT FIRST IT ONLY HAPPENED WHEN THE GAS TANK WAS LESS THAN 1/4 FULL, THEN AT 1/2 TANK, NOW 3/4 FULL. WE TRY TO KEEP THE TANK FULL. NHTSA HAS A RECALL ID # 04V421000 FOR THE 1999 AND LATER MERCURY COUGAR THAT HAS THE IDENTICAL FUEL DELIVERY MODULE AS THE 2000 FORD CONTOUR (V-6). THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE FORD CONTOUR AND MERCURY MYSTIQUE V-6 MODELS AT THE VERY LEAST. NHTSA HAS ALSO RECALLED THE 2000 FORD FOCUS WITH SIMILAR FDM DESIGN DEFECTS AND PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS

LTR FM DOUGLAS HOLT (GA) 2ND ATTEMPT W/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO GET NHTSA TO REQUIRE FORD TO REPLACE HIS DEFECTIVE WARPED DASHBOARD THAT NOW CAUSES THE WINDOW DEFROSTER TO BE RENDERED INEFFECTIVE.*MR *JB

THE DASHBOARD ON MY 2000 FORD CONTOUR HAS CURLED UP AT THE DEFROSTER VENT AND BLOCKS THE DEFROST AIRFLOW FROM FLOWING ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD

DASHBOARD SEPARATED FROM STRUCTURE AND ROSE UPWARDS ABOUT TWO INCHES IN FRONT OF THE WINDSHIELD. AS A RESULT, DEFROSTER WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND THE WINDOWS WERE NOT BEING CLEARED.*AK *MR *NM

THE DASHBOARD HAS SEPARATED AND CAUSING VISIBILITY PROBLEMS AS WELL AS PROBLEMS WITH THE VENTING SYSTEM. THE DEFROSTER AIR FLOW IS DIVERTED AND ESSENTIALLY USELESS. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS COULD NOT DEPLOY IF NEEDED. I ALSO DID NOT GET THE RECALL, FOUND OUT ABOUT IT TOO LATE. LOCAL DEALER SAID CALL FORD. CUSTOMER SERVICE SUGGESTED I GET IT REPAIRED SINCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT THAT THEY WOULD PROVIDE NO HELP AT THIS TIME. SHE SAID REPORTS LIKE THESE ARE WHAT GET THE ENGINEERS TO CONSIDER RECALLS---WHEN?

DASH HAS CURLED UP SO BADLY THAT MY WINDOW WILL NOT DEFROST. THIS CONDITION HAS ALSO CAUSED MY WINSHIELD TO CRACK FROM ON SIDE OF THE CAR TO THE OTHER. IT IS SO BAD THAT AT TIMES I NEED TO WIPE THE WINDSHIELD WITH ONE HAND WHILE DRIVING WITH THE OTHER JUST SO I CAN SEE WHILE DRIVING. I ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD LINKAGE THAT KEEPS COMING APART DURING OPERATION OF THE WIPERS CAUSING THE WIPERS TO STOP WORKING.