1995 Ford Contour

WHILE DRIVING TO THE STORE ONE EVENING AS IT WAS GETTING DARK I NOTICED THAT MY INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS DARK. I ASKED MY BOYFRIEND TO GET OUT AND CHECK IF I HAD TAIL LIGHTS (REMEMBERING MY SISTER HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WHEN I WAS LITTLE) INDEED I DIDN'T HAVE TAIL LIGHTS OR DASH LIGHTS AND WHEN THE SWITCH WAS TURNED TO JUST HAVE PARKING LIGHTS ON THEY DIDN'T WORK EITHER. HOWEVER I STILL HAD TURN SIGNALS, HEADLIGHTS, HAZARD LIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS. WE TESTED FUSES AND CONSULTED A PARTS STORE WITH THE PROBLEM, FINALLY MY BOYFRIEND TOOK APART THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WHERE HE FOUND THE WIRING HARNESS WAS PARTIALLY MELTED.....HE TRIED TO BEND THE LITTLE PRONGS BACK SO THEY WOULD MAKE CONNECTION WITH THE SWITCH AGAIN AND PUT EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER AND NOW MY LIGHTS WORK. I AM HOWEVER ORDERING NEW PARTS FOR MY CAR AND THE SALES MAN SAID THAT IT WAS ODD TO HAVE A PROBLEM THERE SINCE IT WAS A LOW HEAT AREA AND SUGGESTED LOOKING ON NHTSA FOR RECALLS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

MY 1995 FORD CONTOUR WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL WHEN THE ENGINE COOLING FAN AND WIRING HARNESS BURNED UP. HOWEVER THEY REPLACED ONLY THAT PART OF THE WIRING HARNESS THAT IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH ENGINE COOLING FANS, THE REST OF THE UNDERHOOD WIRING IS FAILING DUE TO OVERHEATING CAUSING THE INSULATION TO BREAK DOWN. I HAD TO REPLACE THE CONNECTOR TO THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE SENSOR BECAUSE IT HAS TURNED INTO A SOFT GELATIN LIKE SUBSTANCE CAUSING SHORTS. I BELIEVE THE ENTIRE UNDERHOOD WIRING HARNESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED WHEN THE FANS CAUGHT ON FIRE. CURRENTLY THERE IS A SHORTER MAYBE AN OPEN CIRCUIT IN THE ENGINE WIRING CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON AND STAY ON AT TIMES BUT IT SETS NO TROUBLE CODES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 FORD CONTOUR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE CONTACT COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD UNTIL COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC INFORMED HIM THAT THERE WAS AN ELECTRIC FUEL INJECTION FAILURE, RESULTING FROM INSTALLATION PARTICLES BECOMING DETACHED FROM THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED RECALLS ON HIS VEHICLE AND REALIZED THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURES DESCRIBED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 00V367000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). FORD STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 150,000.

FORD'S CONTOUR AND ITS SISTER CAR THE MERCURY MYSTIQUE HAVE DEFECTIVE WIRE HARNESSES. THE WIRE SHIELDS CRACK CAUSING SHORTS, WHICH LEAD TO MECHANICAL BREAK DOWNS AND CAN LEAD TO ENGINE FIRES. FORD ISSUED AN OWNER NOTIFICATION PROGRAM #99M03, WHICH ADMITS TO THIS PROBLEM AND EXTENDS COVERAGE TO NOTIFIED INDIVIDUALS BUT LIMITS THE TERM OF COVERAGE. WIRE HARNESSES ARE NOT A NORMAL WEAR COMPONENT AND SHOULD NOT FALL APART FOR NO REASON. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE VEHICLES ARE ON THE ROAD AND HAVE NOT BEEN REPAIRED. FORD HAS EXPRESSED NO INTEREST IN HELPING NOTIFY CONSUMERS. FURTHER, FORD'S DEALERS ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE REPLACEMENT HARNESSES. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 FORD CONTOUR. THE SPEEDOMETER WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. SHE STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS CONTATANTLY SKIPPING GEARS, AND DOWNSHIFTS WHEN IT SHOULD CHANGE GEARS. THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL ON BOTH OF THE COMPONENTS THAT ARE FAILING ON HER VEHICLE. POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRASMISSION: LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT-98V233000, AND VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL CABLES-97V225000. THE CONTACT DID NOT KNOW THE CURRENT OR FAILURE MILEAGE BECAUSE THE ODOMETER IS BROKEN.

EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION ISSUES, WITH INTERMITTENT ROUGH SHIFTING AND INTERMITTENT FAILURES TO ENGAGE IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. IT MYSTERIOUSLY STARTED TO RUN FINE FOR SEVERAL DAYS. ONE MORNING I DROVE A SHORT DISTANCE FOR AN APPOINTMENT. UPON RETURNING AND STARTING THE CAR I NOTICED SMOKE EXITING THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I TURNED OF THE VEHICLE AND INSPECTED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, AND I COULD STILL SEE SOME SMOKE COMING FROM THE LEFT-REAR PART OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, SEVERAL OF THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS FAILED, INCLUDING PARK/BRAKE SHIFT INTERLOCK, HEATER FAN, BACKUP LIGHTS, DIRECTIONAL FLASHERS. FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, THE TRANSMISSION ISSUES HAVE RESUMED. UPON INSPECTION, I NOTICED SEVERAL WIRES HAD CRACKING INSULATION, AND SOME EVEN HAD BARE WIRE EXPOSED. *TR

I HAVE A 1995 FORD CONTOUR AND I PAID OVER $16,000.00 FOR IT. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE SINCE I GOT THIS CAR. I HAVE 50,888 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES AND WORKED ON 4 TIMES. WATER PUMP WENT OUT, AIR WENT OUT ALL WIRING COVERS HAS CRUMBLED OFF LEAVING EXPOSED WIRES TO START A FIRE AND MUCH MORE. I HAVE BEEN TREATED LIKE I WAS A CHILD AND DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY. I NOW HAVE A CAR THAT I CAN'T DRIVE BECAUSE IT IS A FIRE HAZARD. I WANT SOMETHING DONE TO MY SATISFACTION. I KNOW THEY QUIT MAKING THE 1995 FORD CONTOUR BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY MANUFACTURER PROBLEMS. I AM NOW TOLD THEY CAN'T GET PARTS TO FIX THE CAR AND I CAN'T TRADE IT IN ON ANOTHER ONE. I AM A FEMALE AND I AM TIRED OF THE TREATMENT I'M RECEIVING FROM FORD. MY CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED AT A FORD DEALERSHIP. I HAVE CONTACTED SEVERAL AGENCYS CONCERNING MY PROBLEMS. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESS INSULATION ON THE 1995 FORD CONTOUR'S ENGINE BECAME BRITTLE AND CRACKED. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS FORD RECALL NUMBER 99M03 WHICH STATED THAT THE REASON FOR THIS WAS DUE TO HEAT AND MOISTURE. THE CONTACT STATED MOST OF THE INSULATION HAS FALLEN OFF. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE, AND HAD NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAD 18,8000 MILES. *AK UPDATE 4/9 *TR

WIRING ON 95 FORD CONTOUR, WE DID A VALVE JOB TO THIS CAR AND AT THIS TIME WE NOTICED THE WIRING HARNESS WAS A MESS THE COATING WAS COMING OFF THE WIRES, WHAT COATING THAT IS THERE IS DRY AND BRITTLE EXPOSING THE WIRES, THE BARE WIRES TOUCHING AT PLACES, WENT AND GOT ONE FROM THE RECYCLE PARTS YARD AND IT WAS THE SAME WAY NOW WE ARE HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING A GOOD ONE TO PUT BACK ON THE CAR A NEW ONE IS SO EXPENSIVE I BELIEVE I WAS QUOTED AROUND $1300.00 . *NM