1998 Ford Contour Other / unspecified Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD CONTOUR. THE CONTACT PURCHASED BRAKESAFE FRONT DISC PADS FOR THE VEHICLE. APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES LATER, A GRINDING AND RATTLING NOISE WAS HEARD AND AN OUTER LINING ON THE PADDING FELL OFF. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PADS WERE DEFECTIVE. HE PURCHASED NEW PADS, WHICH HE FELT WORKED AS THEY SHOULD HAVE. HE ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE AUTO PARTS STORE FROM WHERE HE PURCHASED THE DEFECTIVE PADS, BUT THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST. HE ALSO CALLED THE CORPORATE OFFICE AND RECEIVED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT FILED COMPLAINTS WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION AND OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL. THE SERIAL NUMBER AND PART NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 135,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 134,970. UPDATED 06/25/08. *CN THE CONSUMER STATED PASSENGER SIDE CALIPER WAS WARPED AND THE ROTOR WAS DAMAGED. UPDATED 06/25/08

NHTSA ID

10229703

Incident

May 22, 2008

Mileage

133,000 mi

I AM THE OWNER OF A 1998 FORD CONTOUR. I BOUGHT IT USED, AND WITHIN A 1 YEAR REMAINDER OF A 3 YEAR WARRANTY. I WAS NEVER OFFICIALLY NOTIFIED OF SEVERAL DEFECTS AND NHTSA RECALLS THAT ARE STILL IN EFFECT FOR THIS CAR MODEL YEAR. ONE OF THE REPAIRS FOR THE BLOWER RESISTOR WAS PERFORMED TWICE, HOWEVER IT WAS NEVER DONE TO MY SATISFACTION AND IT DID NOT MEET THE STANDARDS OF QUALITY AS EXPECTED FOR THE RECALL. THERE ARE SEVERAL SAFETY ISSUES WITH THIS CAR, AND I AM NOW AFRAID TO KEEP DRIVING IT AFTER WHAT I HAVE READ. THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS VERY NEGLIGENT IN FOLLOWING UP WITH CONSUMERS ON THESE ISSUES, AND THEY KEEP AN OUTDATED DATABASE OF FORMER OWNERS WHICH THEY FAIL TO UPDATE WITH THE CURRENT OWNERS IN CASES WHERE THE CAR OWNERSHIP HAS CHANGED HANDS. I AM KIND OF CLOSE TO HIRING A LAWYER TO SUE THEM OVER THESE RECALL ISSUES. WHAT SHOULD I DO? ARE THEY STILL OBLIGATED TO FIX THE RECALL ISSUES AT THEIR EXPENSE? I AM CERTAINLY NOT ABOUT TO PUT ONE DIME OF MY OWN MONEY INTO THAT CAR TO FIX ISSUES COVERED BY RECALLS. AGAIN, I DO NOT WISH TO FIGHT OR WRANGLE WITH A COMPANY THAT IS SO AWFUL WHO PUTS OUT A TERRIBLE AND CHEAP PRODUCT LIKE THE FORD CONTOUR, THEN WON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR CAR. HOWEVER, IF THERE ARE FORMAL RESPONSIBILITIES WHICH THEY ARE LEGALLY BOUND TO, I WILL RESERVE MY RIGHT TO PURSUE THIS UNDER THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. PLEASE ADVISE. SINCERELY, MR. MCDONOUGH *TR

NHTSA ID

10209371

Incident

Nov 19, 2007

DT: COSCO MODEL # 02-531BNP, THE GRANDMOTHER NOTICED THAT WHILE REMOVING THE CHILD SEAT THE OWNER HAS TO KEEP PUSHING THE BUTTON TO RELEASE THE FASTENERS. THE OWNER WAS CONCERNED THAT IT TOOK A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO RELEASE THE CHILD OUT OF CAR SEAT IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. THE OWNER WILL CONTACT COSCO. *AK

NHTSA ID

10133697

Incident

May 1, 2005

AIR CONDITIONER AND HEATER DO NOT WORK. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR SERVICE, AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BLOWER MOTOR MALFUNCTIONED. *AK *BF *NM

NHTSA ID

10117217

Incident

Mar 31, 2005

THE FRONT WHEELS ON THE 1998 FORD CONTOUR WERE SEVERELY CRACKED. THE REAR OF THE WHEEL, THE CRACK CONTINUED TOWARD THE RIM, THEN CURLED TO THE RIGHT. *BF THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PAY TO REPLACE THE WHEELS . THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD PAY FOR REPLACING THE WHEELS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10111418

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

THERE WERE NO TRAUMATIC EVENTS SUCH AS CRASHES OR INJURIES. MY COMPLAINT IS ABOUT AN EQUIPMENT FAILURE DUE TO A DEFECT OF WHICH FORD WAS AWARE. *AK THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS OF MY 1998 FORD CONTOUR BROKE EARLY IN JULY 2004. THE CAR HAD 164000 MILES ON IT. ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT ISSUE A RECALL, FORD DID ISSUE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS FOR 10 YEARS, 150,000 MILES. (THIS IS DOCUMENTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 01I013000) THIS WAS ISSUED ON AUGUST 3, 2001. THAT IS ALSO THE DATE FOR A RECALL FOR THE INSTALLATION OF SPRING CATCHER BRACKETS IN CASE THE SPRINGS BROKE. (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 01V255000) I HAD MY VEHICLE IN FOR THE RECALL ON 3/29/2002. I CALLED THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER PROVIDED BY FORD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM (1-866-436-7332) AND ALSO HEARD ON A RECORDED MESSAGE AT THAT NUMBER THAT ANOTHER MAKE OF FORD CAR (TAURUS) IS CURRENTLY UNDER A REPAIR PROGRAM FOR THE SAME PROBLEM: COROSION OF THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS. THIS RECALL PROGRAM IS FOR 1999-2001 TAURS AND SABLES STARTED, ACCORDING TO THE RECORDING, IN THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST 2004. THIS TAURUS-SABLE PROGRAM OFFERS FREE REPLACEMENT OF THE COIL SPRING FOR TAURUS AND SABLE MODELS FOR 10 YEARS/150,000 MILES OR UNTIL JULY 31, 2005 IF THE VEHICLE IS OVER THE MILEAGE REQUIREMENT IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. ALSO DURING THE RECORDING AT THE TOLL FREE PHONE NUMBER, THERE IS NOTIFICATION OF A SAFETY SPRING SHIELD RECALL THAT WILL GO INTO EFFECT DECEMBER 2004. I BELIEVE IT IS BASICALLY THE SAME SAFETY RECALL PROGRAM OFFERED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ON MY FORD CONTOUR IN 2001. IT IS MY CONTENTION THAT THE REASON THE TAURUS/SABLE WAS GIVEN A FREE REPAIR OFFER UNTIL JULY 31 2005 REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE IS BECAUSE THE TAURUS IS ONE OF FORD'S BANNER MODELS. I BELIEVE THAT THE OFFER OF FREE REPAIRS UNTIL JULY 31, 2005 WAS NOT MADE FOR THE CONTOUR BECAUSE THE CONTOUR IS A MODEL THAT WAS DISCONTINUED SOME TIME AGO. THERE ARE RELATIVELY FEW CONTOURS COMPARED TO THE FORD TAURUS AND SABLE, WHICH FORD STILL SELLS.

NHTSA ID

10086196

Incident

Jul 2, 2004

Mileage

164,000 mi

THIS CAR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS, SPRINGS, BRAKES LAST 4 MONTHS,WATER PUMPS WENT AT 63,000, TIRES WEAR OUT IN LESS THAN A YEAR, TEMPERATURE GAUGES DO NOT READ RIGHT. ENGINE RACES, SOLENOID WENT....VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYONE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS BUT NO HELP? *LA

NHTSA ID

10043239

Incident

Oct 16, 2003

Mileage

63,000 mi

MY COMPLIANT IS THAT I WAS BACKING MY CAR UP AND THE FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP SPECIFICALLY THE RIGHT FRONT. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. YOU COULD SMELL BURNING AND SEE SMOKE FROM THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. AFTER EXTENSIVE WORK ON THE CAR WE FOUND OUT THAT THE BRAKE CALIPER PISTON WOULD NOT RETRACT INTO THE CALIPER, AFTER THE MECHANIC REASSEMBLED THE CAR, HE FOUND OUT THE RIGHT CALIPER WOULD NOT BLEED OUT, AFTER EXTENSIVE TESTING THE CONCLUSION WAS REACHED NO FLUID WOULD COME OUT OF THE PORT ON THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT TO THAT WHEEL. REPLACEMENT OF THE HCU AND MODULE ASSEMBLY WAS NECESSARY. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE MECHANICS ON 2-06-2003 AND WAS FINALLY FINISHED ON 2-20-2003. THE DELAY IN GETTING THE CAR FINISHED WAS BECAUSE IT WAS THE CONTOUR SVT MODEL 1998, CHANGES IN THE BRAKE PARTS HAD BEEN MADE AND WERE NOT EASY TO OBTAIN. THE FORD DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE JOB THEY HAD TO BE ORDERED. I HAVE ALL THE PARTS THAT WERE PULLED OFF THE CAR. ALSO LETTER FROM MY MECHANIC. *JB

NHTSA ID

10010322

Incident

Feb 6, 2003

WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 5MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN RIGHT FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF DUE TO LOOSE LUGS: NUTS. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE. *AK CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE FOLLOWING: FUEL FILTER, SPARK PLUGS, TRANSMISSION, CV BOOT, BRAKES, AIR FILTER, WIRE, ROTORS NEED TURNING, TIMING GEAR, TIMING BELT, AND VEHICLE WILL NOT START. *SLC

NHTSA ID

892195

Incident

Apr 26, 2001

THE VEHICLE HAS HAD A ROARING NOISE SINCE THE DATE OF PURCHASE COMING FROM THE REAR HUBS, THE REAR RIMS WERE ALSO WARPED. NLM

NHTSA ID

559572

Incident

Dec 1, 1998

THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING DUST COVER RUBBS ON THE WHEEL. IT GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT A WHEEL BEARING IS BAD.

NHTSA ID

733433

WHEELS HAVE 12 HOLES ON A 14 INCHES WHEELS WHERE THEY ARE CRACKING AND CAN POP OUT OF VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

865988

Incident

Jul 24, 2000

ON JANUARY 15, 2000 I HAD MY TIRES ROTATED ON MY 98 FORD CONTOUR AT A TIRE DEALER. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL ON MY CAR WAS CRACKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THEY ADVISED THAT I TALK TO THE DEALER FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THIS CAR. ON JANUARY 19,2000 I TOOK MY CAR INTO SUNSET FORD TO HAVE RECALL WORK DONE. AT THAT TIME I INFORMED THEM OF THE CRACKED WHEEL. THEY TOLD ME THAT WHEELS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE AN INVOICE FROM THE DEALER TO VERIFY THEIR POSITION. I LEFT THIS SAME CAR AT A REPAIR SHOP ON 5-1-00. THEY CALLED ME THE FOLLOWING DAY TO INFORM ME THAT 3 OF THE WHEELS ON THIS CAR ARE CRACKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I CONTACTED FORD AT THEIR CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS ON 5-3-00. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAVE NO RECALL NOTICES OUT ON THIS CAR FOR DEFECTIVE WHEELS, AND THEREFORE I AM OBLIGATED TO REPLACE THESE WHEELS AT MY OWN EXPENSE. I HAVE A WARRANTY ON THIS CAR WHICH GOES THROUGH 75,000 MILES AND YET THE DEALER AND FORD CORPORATE REFUSE TO REPLACE THESE WHEELS. I WILL HAVE TO DO SO HOPING TO RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT FROM FORD. THE REPAIR SHOP HAD MY INSURANCE COMPANY LOOK AT THESE WHEELS, AND THE ADJUSTER CONCLUDED THAT THE CONDITION OF THESE WHEELS MAKE THIS VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. PLEASE HELP. THANKS, ROB MOLL. *AK

NHTSA ID

722228

Incident

Jan 19, 2000

THEY DID NOT CHECK WHAT WAS REQUESTED. I GOT CHARGED FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT EVEN ASKED TO BE CHECKED. NOSAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK

NHTSA ID

715118

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL BROKE OFF FROM THE AXLE, CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

827731

Incident

Aug 29, 1998