1995 Ford Contour

I HVAE HAD PROBLEMS EVER SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR 8 MONTHS AGO, STARTING WITH ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO A MISSING VACUUM CAP. NEXT, I ENCOUNTERED A DRIVE BELT THAT WAS ON THE VERGE OF BREAKING, IT WAS SEVERLY CRACKED. THE BRAKE CALIPERS WERE STICKING CAUSING MAJOR VEERING WHEN STOPPING AT SPEEDS OVER 40, AND THIS ALSO RESULTED IN WARPING MY ROTORS. ALSO, FOR THE FIRST 7 MONTHS, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON PERIODICALLY, BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF FUEL INJECTOR CLEANERS, IT WAS MUCH BETTER. THEN, ON A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP, THE CAR'S IDLE WORSENED, ITS POWER DECREASED,AT A STOP, THE CAR WOULD START HAVING A CONVULSION LIKE FEEL AND SOUND, FROM A STOP, IT WOULDN'T ACCELERATE UNTIL A CLICK IN THE ENGINE COULD BE HEARD. THEN THE ACCELERATION WAS VERY LURCHING AND SPUTTERY. AFTER A DIAGNOSTIC, I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL ENGINE. THE MECHANICS SENT ME TO THE DEALER WHO FOUND THE SUPPOSED CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. $400 LATER, MY AIR MASS SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND THE CAR SEEMED TO DO MUCH BETTER. HOWEVER, IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON THE ENTIRE DURATION OF DRIVING, AND THE CAR HAS CONTINUED ITS LURCHING ACCELERATION AND CONVULSION LIKE PROBLEM. THE UNPREDICTABLENESS IN MY CAR HAS MADE ME SOMEWHAT FEARFUL TO DRIVE BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT, AND IF I CAN AFFORD TO FIX IT. I'D LIKE TO KNOW MY BUYER'S RIGHTS AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY RESOLUTION TO BE HAD..

TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK TO DEALER. THEY SAID CONSUMER NEEDED A NEW COMPUTER , TOTALLING $1200. CONSUMER PAID TO HAVE IT FIXED, AND THERE IS STILL NO TRACTION CONTROL OR ABS BRAKES. CURRENTLY, DEALER INDICATED THAT CONSUMER NEEDED WIRING HARNESS THAT CONNECTS TO COMPUTER. A MECHANIC SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THESE PARTICULAR CARS THAT WATER GETS IN THE WIRING HARNESS AND SHORTS OUT THE COMPUTER. ALSO,CONSUMER SAID IF BRAKING IN SKID CAR WOULD KEEP GOING. *AK

HAD TO REPLACED BRAKES. HEADLIGHTS DIM WHEN BRAKE IS PRESSED,INTERIOR LIGHTS STAY ON WHEN LEFT TAIL LIGHT GOES OUT (REPLACED 4 TIMES SINCE 1996) STEERING WHEEL BOUNCES UP AND DOWN WHEN SITTING WITH CAR RUNNING AND IN GEAR MUST PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AT STOP LIGHTS OR SITTING IN GEAR, SO AS TO NOT GET VIBRATED TO DEATH, MECH-NOT ABLE TO FIX PROBLEM, JUST THE WAY CAR IS BUILT.

FAILURE OF DEFECTIVE MANIFOLD GASKET CAUSED POWER ASSIST FAILURE IN ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE SITUATION. HAD I NOT BEEN ABLE TO SWERVE AROUND STOPPED CAR, VEHICLE WOULD NOT HAVE STOPPED IN TIME TO AVOID COLLISION DUE TO DRASTIC REDUCTION IN BRAKING. DEALER REPORTS THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MODEL YEARS RECENTLY. GASKET IS UNAVAILABLE FOR REPLACEMENT FOR OVER 2 WEEKS BECAUSE IT IS BEING REDESIGNED. CUSTOMER SERVICE STATED NOT TO TAKE IN PERSONAL THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THIS SAFETY DEFECT. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS DEFECT IS THAT IT IS SUDDEN AND WITHOUT NOTICE. CAR RAN ROUGH FOR A FEW DAYS, BUT GAVE NO INDICATION OF POTENTIAL BRAKE FAILURE UNTIL IT WAS ALMOST TOO LATE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *AK

THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SHIFT REALLY HARD, AND I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LOW. I ADDED FLUID AND THE PROBLEM LESSENED, BUT WAS STILL THERE. ALSO THERE WAS A STRANGE HIGH PITCHED SOUND COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. AS IT TURNED OUT, WE HAD A BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE AS WELL. SO I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER FIXING THE BRAKES (APX $600) THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WANTED A SECOND OPINION, SO I PAID FOR THE BRAKES AND LEFT. A FEW DAYS LATER WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED AND DESTROYED ITSELF. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE CLOSEST PLACE WHICH WAS AAMCO RESULTING IN A $2,500 BILL AND A CAR THAT IS STILL IN THE SHOP. *AK