Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Ford Contour submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 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
I HAVE NOTICED THAT ON EVERY 1999 FORD CONTOUR THE HEADLIGHT COVERS TURN YELLOW AND START TO CRACK. I HAVE CHECKED A LOT OF PLACES AND LOOK AT THE LIGHTS AND EVERYONE I HAVE SEEN ARE THE SAME. I CAN'T DRIVE WITH MY LIGHTS ON LOW BEAM AT ALL. I KEEP THEM ON HIGH BEAM SO THAT I CAN SEE. LOW BEAM LOOKS AS IF THEY AREN'T ON. *TR
HEADLIGHTS ARE CLOUDING OVER, MAKING IT DIMMER AT NIGHT AND HARDER TO SEE THE ROAD AHEAD. I HAVE TRIED TO CLEAN THE PLASTIC LENS BUT NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK. I THINK THIS IS A POOR ENGINEERING SOLUTION WHEN THE CAR IS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD. *JB
DT: LENSES OF THE HEADLIGHTS GET WATER IN THEM WHEN IT RAINS. WHEN THE MECHANIC OPENED FOUND A LOT WATER INSIDE ABOUT A QUART OR MORE. CONDENSATION HAS COLLECTED INSIDE SINCE SHE BOUGHT IT. INTERNALLY, THE TAIL LIGHT ALSO BLEW. *AK *TT *NM
WELL I HAD THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER IN MY LIFE SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR. I HAD THIS CAR REPAIRED SO MANY TIME I CANT START TO NAME OFF DATES. I DO KNOW LESS THAN 6 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT THIS CAR I DROVE TO THE BEACH LESS THAN 30 MINUTES ALWAYS AND IT CUT OFF. IT STARTED BACK UP, BUT CUT OFF 4 TIME BEFORE I GOT HOME. NEXT DAY I HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO REPAIR IT. SINCE I HAD THIS CAR IT HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A BURDEN. I HAD TO REPLACE THE BALL JOINT ONCE BEFORE, AND AS I WRITE THIS LETTER IT IS BEING DONE AGAIN FOR A 2ND TIME. MY HEAT AND AIR STOP WORKING. HEAT ONLY WORKS ON HIGH, AND MY DEFROST TAKE FOR EVER TO CLEAR MY WINDOWS. MY DOOR JUST WONT STAY CLOSED IT POPS OPEN WHILE DRIVING. ON MY PASSENGERS SIDE ON THE FLOOR. IT GETS SOAKED WITH RAIN EVERYTHING. IF ITS RAINY AND IM DRIVING MY CAR MAKES A LOUD SCRATCHING NOISE. MY BRAKES HAVE TO BE CHANGED EVERY 3-4 MONTHS. SHOCKS GAVE OUT LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER BUYING MY CAR. MY ENGINE LIGHT WONT GO OFF. I TOOK MY CAR TO OVER 3 FORD DEALERS AND MANY SHOPS, AND NO CAN SAY WHY THE LIGHT KEEP POPPING ON. SO TODAY I DROPPED MY CAR OFF TO THE SHOP TO HAVE BRAKES,DOOR,ENGINE LIGHT, BALL JOINTS AND TO SEE WHY THE OVER DRIVE OFF LIGHT KEEP BLINKING WHILE IM DRIVING. THIS IS THE WORST CAR EVER MADE BY FORD. I KNOW ITS NOTHING ON MY BEHALF WHY THIS CAR IS SO HORRIBLE BECAUSE IS KNOW 4 OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE OR HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AS ME. THEY WERE SMART ENOUGH TO GET RID OF THIS PIECE OF '!@#$%, I JUST CANT AFFORD IT. WELL I KNOW THIS SUMMER IF I DO HAVE THE PLEASURE AND JUNGIAN THIS CAR, IM GOING TO PUSH IT OFF A BRIDGE MYSELF, AND NEVER EVER BY A FORD AGAIN. I THINK FORD SHOULD BE ASSUMED FOR PUTTING OUT SUCH A BAD MODEL. HOW DARE U TRY AND MAKE A QUICK BUCK INSTEAD OF BUILDING A RELIABLE CAR FOR FAMILIES. *AK
MY 1999 FORD CONTOUR HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT. THE DASHBOARD IS COMING UNGLUED AND HAS WARPED SIGNIFICANTLY. I AM CONCERNED THAT MY SAFETY IS JEOPARDIZED. IN ADDITION, THE HEADLIGHTS ARE LITERALLY FALLING OUT, DUE TO WHAT I PERCEIVE TO BE STRUCTURAL FAILURE. THERE IS NO SIGN OF VISIBLE RUST OR DECAY. AGAIN, MY SAFETY IS AT RISK, AS MY VISIBILITY IS MINIMIZED BY THE INACCURACY OF THE AIMING OF THE HEADLIGHTS. *AK
THE TAIL LIGHTS BECAME INOPERABLE AFTER FOUR REPLACEMENTS. ALSO, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DID NOT WORK IN LOW GEAR, AND THE RUNNING LIGHTS MALFUNCTIONED. *AK THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SPLICE FROM THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH OPENED. (THE RIGHT SIDE TAIL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE) THE TAIL LIGHTS, FRONT RUNNING LAMPS WERE OUT AGAIN, A FUSE WAS BAD AND FOUND SOME MORE WIRES IN THE TRUNK WIRED INCORRECTLY, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND THE LICENSE PLATE TAIL LIGHTS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY, THERE WAS A WIRING SHORT IN THE HARNESS IN THE COWL AREA, THERE WAS A BLOWN FUSE IN THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE #33 FUSE WAS FOUND OPEN, THE SUNROOF WAS INOPERATIVE DUE TO A SHORTED MOTOR, BAD DRIVE GEAR AND TWO CABLES. *SC *JB
WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE THE ROAD DUE TO POOR HEADLIGHTS. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP. *AK THE CONDENSATION INSIDE THE HEAD LIGHTS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR THE HEAD LAMPS TO PROPERLY ILLUMINATE THE ROADS SURFACE. *NM
SINCE I TOOK THE OWNERSHIP OF MY 99 FORD CONTOUR SVT, IT HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. I WANT TO KEEP THIS SHORT, SO I WILL BREIFLY TELL YOU OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED. IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS THIS HAS ALL HAPPENED. FOG LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT, TWICE. CV AXIS BOOT HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO FLAWED MANUFACTURING. ABS SYSTEM FAILURE, REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER WENT OUT. ITS ON ITS 3RD FUEL PUMP. VERY TOUGH STARTS WHEN ITS COLD, STOCK ALARM MALUFUCTION, RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHT WENT OUT, LEFT FRONT SPEAKER WENT OUT, DRIVERS DOOR HANDLE MALUFUCTION, THE DASH CAME UP FROM THE WINDSHIELD BACK ABOUT 6". HONESTLY THERE IS MORE, I AM TRYING TO PULL ALL THIS FROM MEMORY. TO CONCLUDE I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I WILL NEVER OWN A FORD AGAIN. EVER.
PRODUCT DEFECT, LOSS OF REAR BRAKE LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS DUE TO WATER LEAK FROM LENSES WHICH CAUSED A SHORT CIRCUIT.*MR (NAR) *CB *JB
VEHICLE IS MAKING CLUNKING NOISE THAT WAS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH HOOD. BACK LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. O DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
PROBLEMS STARTED AT 119MILES, DEALERS EITHER DON'T CONFIRM PROBLEM OR SAY IT'S NORMAL FOR THIS CAR. MULTIPLE REPAIR ATTEMPTS AT 4 DEALERS. SEVERE VIBRATION AND PULL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ARE THE TIRES (CONFIRED WITH MY WINTER TIRES-NO PROBLEM), KLUNKING FROM FRONT END WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS, ALL DASH WARNING LIGHTS COME ON DURING WINTER AT IDLE-GO OUT AFTER RESTART OR ENGINE ACCELERATION, FRONT SEATS WOBBLE SIDE TO SIDE-DEALER SAYS NORMAL FOR CAR-WAN'T PRESENT WHEN NEW, PULSING FRONT END SHIMMY ON HIGHWAY-NOT TIRE RELATED-POSSIBLE CV SHAFT ISSUE-DEALERS STATED NPF, ENGINE SPARK KNOCKS UNDER LIGHT LOADS-NO CHANGE WITH DIFFERENT GAS GRADES OR BRANDS-DEALERS SAYS NPF, HEADLAMPS GO DIM AT IDLE-DEALERS SAYS NORMAL-NOT PRESENT WHEN NEW, POOR LOW BEAM VISIBILITY FROM HEADLAMPS, ALUMINUM WHEELS ARE TOO POROUS-LOSE ABNORMAL AIR AMOUNTS-DEALER SAYS NPF. MOST OF THESE HAVE BEEN SINCE NEW OR STARTED WITHIN 1ST YEAR OF NEW- NO DEALERS HAS YET "CONFIRMED" PROBLEMS WHEN THEY ARE READILY APPARENT TO OTHERS. IN SHOP FOR OVER 3 MONTHS TOTAL SINCE NEW. *AK (TIRESIZE: P205/60R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P205/60R15 )
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT HAS POOR AND INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. *AK
HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATE DRIVING SURFACE POORLY CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY.
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
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