Owner-reported complaints naming the heating or air-conditioning system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Ford Contour submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD CONTOUR. IN MARCH OF 2006, THE BLOWER MOTOR FAILED AND CAUSED THE AIR CONDITIONER NOT TO WORK. THE CONTACT JUST FOUND A SAFETY RECALL FOR HIS VEHICLE AND WILL CALL THE DEALER TO DETERMINE IF HIS VIN IS INCLUDED. THE VIN, POWERTRAIN, NHTSA RECALL NUMBER, AND PURCHASE DATE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,207 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,300.
BLOWER NOT WORKING ALREADY REPLACED WITH RECALL OUT AGAIN. AIR CONDITIONING REPAIRED AND REPLACED TWICE GOING OUT AGAIN. MAKING SOUNDS LIKE BEFORE LIKE BEARINGS GOING OUT. MR
CONSUMER STATED THE HEATER CORE IS INOPERATIVE, WILL NOT BLOW OUT HEAT, TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND REPAIRED IT, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THIRD TIME THAT PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED, THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE HEATER / AIR CONDITIONER BLOWER SWITCH ONLY OPERATES ON HIGH SPEED. * JG *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED ON DASH,AND BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING. DEALER HAS REPLACED REAR BRAKE PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE BREAKS WERE FINE NOW SINCE REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE BRAKE VALVE. THE BLOWER MOTOR HAD NO 3RD SPEED DUE TO BLOWER MOTOR SWITCH FAILURE. IT WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE TAKES FUEL VERY SLOW DUE TO FUEL PIPE FLAPPER VALVE FAILURE. *YH
THE WIRING OF THE MAIN FUSE PANEL CRYSTALIZES DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHICH CAUSES A BREAKAGE IN THE WIRING AND THE WIRING TO OVERHEAT. THIS HAS MANIFESTED ITSELF BY CAUSING AIR CONDITIONER BLOWER MOTOR NOT TO WORK. THE WIRING GETS EXTREMELY HOT WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I KNOW OF OTHER CONTOURS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM.*AK
AIR CONDITIONER UNIT GIVES OUT A MUSTY AND MILDEW ODOR. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK
FIRST DAY CAR WAS BOUGHT ENGINE DIED, TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY GAVE CONSUMER ANOTHER CONTOUR. CURRENTLY, VEHCILE WILL SHUT OFF IN MIDDLE OF INTERSECTION. DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION, AND ENGINE WAS ACTING UP. *AK CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN 3 TIMES FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, IT JERKS AND VIBRATES, CONSUMER DOES NOT THINK THAT DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION LIKE THEY SAID. 1 TIME FOR ENGINE PROBLEMS. CONSUMER HAS BEEN IN 2 ACCIDENTS DUE TO SUDDEN ACCELERATION. FRONT SWAY BAR REPLACED, STEERING WOULD SHIMMY AND RATTLE. BLOWER MOTOR ASSEMBLY REPLACED, DUE TO RATTLING NOISE IN AIR CONDITIONER, ALSO CYCLING SWITCH REPLACED DUE TO AIR CONDITIONER NOT COOLING. LEFT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY REPLACED, BELT WOULD NOT BUCKLE. STARTER FAILED AND WAS REPLACED. ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, DEALER FOUND LOOSE CONNECTION AT ACT. REAR STRUTS REPLACED, NOISY. *SLC
A/C HEATER BLOWER CONSTANTLY BLOWING ON AND OFF. WIRE SHOWS EVIDENCE OF BURNING. WHEN WIRE IS JIGGLED IT MAY OR MAY NOT TURN THE BLOWER BACK ON. EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE OUTAGE BEGINING 12/12/00 AND STILL WILL NOT COME ON RESULTING IN NO HEAT OR A/C IN MY CAR. *AK
A/C NOT COLD ENOUGH DUE TO FAULTY SEAL O-RINGS AT THE EVAPORATOR TOP AND LOWER LINE OUTLET. NLM
I WAS IN TRANSIT TO REPLACE MY BRAKING SYSTEM FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 6 MONTHS WHEN MY TRANSMISSION FAILED. MY 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT STAYS ON AND THE CAR NOW STALLS WHEN IN A STOPPED POSITION AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THESE ISSUES, AMONGST A LIST OF OTHER MAJOR FAILURES HAS OCCURRED IN THE LAST 2.5 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP OF THIS LEMON ( COMPLETE A/C SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED, COMPLETE FUEL SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED, WINDOW MOTOR HAS BEEN REPLACED, ETC.). NEITHER THE FORD MANUFACTURER OR DEALERSHIPS HAVE RESPONDED, AGREED OR OFFERED ANY INVESTIGATION, CORRECTION, COMPENSATION OR ASSISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO THESE PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN AND VERBAL MATTERS, AND LEGAL ACTION WILL COMMENCE. THE ISSUES LISTED IN THIS TABLE ARE ONLY THE RECENT (LAST 3 MONTHS), AND DO NOT INCLUDE THE MONTAGE OF PROBLEMS IN THE LAST 2 YEARS, SOME OF WHICH ARE MENTIONED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.
TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE PROBLEM RESOLVED, GAVE INFO ON TSB ABOUT PROBLEM ABSOLUTELLY NOTHING WAS DONE TO VEHICLE. CABLE ASSEMBLY AT BLOWER RESISTOR MELTED WHILE A/C WAS RUNNING EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. WILL DEFINITELY HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH DEALER TOMORROW. THERE ARE TWO TSB'S ON BLOWER MOTORS IN THE 98 CONTOUR. WHY DOESN'T THE DEALERS KNOW HOW TO CHECK TO SEE IF THEY APPLY TO A PARTICULAR VEHICLE. I INFORMED THE ASST SERVICE MANAGER OF THE TSB'S ON MY VEHICLE 99M07 & 99M08 BOTH OF WHICH DEAL WITH BLOWER AND BLOWER RESISTOR PROBLEMS. SEEMS MY TRIP TO GARY SMITH THIS DATE WAS A WASTE OF TIME AND ALMOST A WASTE OF MY VEHICLE. THERE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN AN ELECTRICAL FIRE DUE TO THE OVERHEATING CABLE ASSEMBLY AND BLOWER RESISTOR. MAYBE NHTSA CAN HELP RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!!!!*AK
CONSUMER SMELLS A MUSTY ODOR WHEN USING THE A/C. NLM
VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT & THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT HAS A MUSK SMELL. *YC
FUEL SYSTEM. AIR CONDITION VALVE.
AIR CONDITIONER WIRES BURNED OUT AND LEFT A BAD ODOR WITHIN VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE AIR CONDITIONER DOES NOT FLOW AIR FROM THE VENTS LIKE IT SHOULD. HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT TIMES. PROBLEM CANNOT BE FOUND. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .