1995 Ford Contour

ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS BY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC: FAILURE TO START VEHICLE DUE TO THREE THINGS: PROBLEMS IN FUSE BOX BY BATTERY, BURNED WIRES IN SAME AREA, CORROSION OF CONNECTORS TO BATTERY -- FORD STORE DIAGNOSIS: NEED NEW WRAP AROUND BATTERY CABLE CONNECTORS -- DANGER OF FIRE -- WHEN VEHICLE STARTED TWICE BY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THERE WAS SMOKE -- AND ONE OF THE WIRES BURNED THROUGH COMPLETELY> FIRE DANGER TO ENGINE

MY CAR WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE SAFETY RECALL NOTICE FOR THE ENGINE COOLING FANS. THIS DEFECT WAS NOT DISCOVERED AND CORRECTED UNTIL AFTER IT HAD ALSO CAUSED $1900 OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE TO THE WATER PUMP AND THE A/C CONDENSER AND SYSTEM. FORD CONTENDS THESE OTHER ITEMS ARE MY RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR ($1900). I CONTEND THEY WOULD NOT NEED REPAIR HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE DEFECTIVE FAN ASSEMBLY THAT FAILED.*AK

I OWN A 1995 FORD CONTOUR SE, 2.5L V6, WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISION. I AM A MEMEBER OF A CAR ENTHUSIASTS CLUB CALLED THE CONTOUR ENTHUSIASTS GROUP. AFTER READING A POST IN THE WEB SITE ABOUT BOKEN REAR SPRINGS I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THE NOISE I HAD BEEN HEARING COMING FROM THE REAR OF MY CAR MIGHT BE THAT MY SPRINGS WERE BROKE. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT REAR SPRINGS TO BE BROKEN IN ALMOST THE SAME EXACT SPOT. I HAVE YET TO REMOVE THEM BUT THEY LOOK TO BE BROKEN ATLEAST A FULL REVALUTION UP THE SPRING. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR THAT THE SPRINGS BROKE ON. AND FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING ON THE CEG WEBSITE IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. I FEEL THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF THESE WERE TO FAIL WHILE DRIVING AND CUT DOWN A TIRE. HERE IS THE WEB ADDRESS FOR THE THREAD ABOUT BROAKEN SPRINGS HTTP://CONTOUR.ORG/FORUMS/FORUM3/HTML/002627.HTML AND THE ADDRESS FOR THE CONTOUR ENTHUSIASTS GROUP WEB PAGE HTTP://WWW.CONTOUR.ORG/ THERE ARE OTHER POSTS ABOUT BROKEN SPRINGS IN THE "PROBLEMS" FORUM.*AK

DURING AUGUST, 2000, I WAS DRIVING FROM MARIETTA, GA TOWARD STONE MOUNTAIN, GA AND HAD GONE FROM I-285 TO 85 NORTH. THE TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 7:00 AS I HAD NOT LONG GOTTEN OFF OF WORK WITH THE INTENTION OF DRIVING SAID VEHICLE TO STONE MOUNTAIN. TRAFFIC WAS MOVING PRETTY SLOWLY--SOMETIMES COMING TO A COMPLETE HALT. AFTER DRIVING AWHILE I NOTICED SOME WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM MY ENGINE. IT SCARED ME PRETTY BADLY AND I ATTEMPTED TO GET OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I DID FINALLY SOME TO A STOP ON THE LEFT SIDE OF I-85. I WAS STRANDED WITH NO MOBILE PHONE. I HAD TO WAIT ON THE HIGHWAY BY MYSELF FOR SOMETIME BEFORE GETTING INTO SAFETY. WHAT I LEARNED AFTER HAVING MY VEHICLE TOWED TO BOTH A DEALERSHIP, THEN AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP THAT MY VEHICLE HAD OVERHEATED AND BLOWN A "HEAD." I RECEIVE AN ESTIMATE FROM COBB GALLERIA AUTOMOTIVE IN SEPTEMBER, 2000 FOR A MINIMUM OF $2,400 NEEDED IN ORDER TO FIX THE ENGINE. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE LEARNED THERE WAS A RECALL ISSUED REGARDING NHTSA CAMPAIGN NO 00V367000 , WITH OWNER NOTIFICATION DATE BEING JANUARY 2000. I NEVER RECEIVED THIS RECALL; HOWEVER, I BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE. FURTHER, I BELIEVE THE OVERHEATING WHICH OCCURRED IN AUGUST OF 2000 IS A RESULT OF TIGHTENING OF THE ENGINE COOLING FAN MOTOR BEARINGS, AND THE RESULTING OVERHEATING. I AM ATTEMPTING TO FIND OUT ANY AND ALL INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ANY DEFECTS FROM 95 FORD CONTOURS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN A CAUSE FOR MY OVERHEATING. I AM INTERESTED IN BEING COMPENSATED FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY FOR COVER COST OF REPAIR, AND TO MITIGATE THE DANGER I WAS PUT IN WHILE STRANDED ON THE HIGHWAY, AS WELL AS HARDSHIP WHICH I HAVE ENDURED BECAUSE I WAS NOT FINANCIALLY ABLE TO PAY FOR THE EXPENSIVE COST OF REPAIRS. PLEASE REPLY BACK OR WRITE TO JOYCE GOURDINE, 2101-A POWERS FERRY ROAD, MARIETTA, GA 30067. THANK YOU. *AK