1995 Ford Contour

THIS PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED. THE TRANSMISSION GOES OUT OF GEAR AT ABOUT 60 MILES AN HOUR (OD TRANSMISSION) AND THE VEHICLE "BANGS AND SPUDDERS". ADDITIONAL, THE TEMPERTURE GAUGE HAS ALWAYS RUN HOT AND YET THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO BE FIND- MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KNOW IF THE VEHICLE IS OVERHEATING. THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IS GOING TO BECOME MORE COSTLY. CONCERNING THE TRANSMISSION- I DO LIVE IN MARYLAND AND AM REQUIRED TO HAVE A VEHICLE EMISSIONS INSPECTION THAT HAS THE VEHICLE PUT ON A DEVICE THAT TAKES THE VEHICLE TO HIGH SPEEDS!

I WAS REAR-ENDED EARLIER THIS YEAR AND TOOK MY CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR BUMPER REPLACEMENT. DEALERSHIP DID NOT INFORM ME THAT FORD DISCONTINUED MY BUMPER MODEL, SO THEY REPAIRED IT INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT -- WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! SILVER PLASTIC STRIP THAT RUNS THROUGH CENTER OF BUMPER WAS RE-INSTALLED AS-IS - CRACKED - SINCE BUMPER WAS NOT BEING MADE ANYMORE AND NEW PART WASN'T AVAILABLE. BOTH HORNS WERE REPLACED, IN SPITE OF RARELY BEING USED. RUBBER WINDOW STRIPS LOOSEN, POP UP EASILY. ONE POWER WINDOW IN REAR CAN ONLY GO DOWN ABOUT 6 INCHES, SQUEAKING TERRIBLY AS IT MOVES DOWN; TOO EXPENSIVE TO FIX. OUTER GAS DOOR RELEASE STICKS. BOTH METHODS OF OPENING THE DOOR (FLOOR LEVER AND TRUNK STRAP) STOPPED WORKING THIS YEAR. PAID FOR REPAIR AT DEALERSHIP, BUT BOTH METHODS STOPPED WORKING AGAIN AFTER A FEW DAYS. I NOW HAVE TO OPEN UP MY TRUNK EVERY TIME I GO TO THE GAS STATION, PULL THE RELEASE STRAP AND RAP LIGHTLY ON THE OUTER DOOR IN ORDER FOR IT TO POP OPEN. I AM SCHEDULED FOR A NEW REPAIR IN A FEW DAYS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR ROUGH IDLE AND STALLING. PROBLEM INVOLVES MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR AND/OR PCM, AND IS DETAILED IN TSB ARTICLE NO. 98-20-7. HAD CONTACTS CLEANED ON RADIATOR TANK AND DRIVER'S DOOR PANEL (BEEPING SIGNAL FOR WHEN DOOR OPENS AND KEY IS LEFT IN IGNITION STOPPED WORKING). HAD COMPLETE TUNE-UP AT DEALERSHIP THIS SUMMER, WITH MILEAGE AT ONLY 40,000. DRIVER'S SIDE SPEAKER WIRE HAS LOOSENED, WITH SOUND DRIFTING IN AND OUT DEPENDING ON BUMPS HIT ON THE ROAD. DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK COLLAPSED INSIDE KEYHOLE. LOCK CYLINDERS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE IN SETS OF FIVE, SO ALL FIVE OF MY LOCK CYLINDERS HAD TO BE REPLACED BY DEALERSHIP. REPLACEMENT CYLINDER ON MY GLOVE COMPARTMENT VIBRATES TOO MUCH WHILE DRIVING. REVERSE LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. WIRING HAD TO BE REPAIRED. PAINT IS THIN AND SCRATCHES EASILY, EVEN FROM NON-ABRASIVE CONTACT. DRIVER'S WINDOW OPENS ALL THE WAY, SLIDING DOWN AT A QUICK SPEED. VERY INDIFFERENT TREATMENT BY DEALERSHIP.

I'M A HEARING IMPAIRED DRIVER/OWNER OF FORD '95 CONTOUR GL (LOW-INCOMER, AVERAGE $21,000 A YEAR). I'VE BOUGHT THIS CAR IN 1997 FROM A MINNEAPOLIS-AREA FORD DEALERSHIP (QUALITY AUTO DEALERSHIP IN BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA). AT THE TIME, I HAD LESS THAN $10,000 TO PAY FOR A RECENT USED CAR(ONE THAT IS WITHIN 2-3 YEARS AFTER IT CAME ON THE MARKET). I TRIED OUT FEW CARS AND THE WHITE 1995 FORD CONTOUR GL. THE DEALER INSISTED THAT '95 FORD CONTOUR GL WAS A GOOD BUY AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE. I WAS WILLING TO TRADE UP MY OLD CAR TO REDUCE THE PRICE BUT IT WAS STILL TOO HIGH FOR ME SINCE IT DIDN'T INCLUDED OTHER FEES LIKE THE TITLE AND REGISTRATION LICENSE. AFTER A SHORT, PERSUASIVE NEGOTIATION, I GOT THE DEALER TO AGREE TO MARK DOWN TO $9995 AND I ACCEPTED THAT. SO I BOUGHT THE CAR. AFTER A FEW DAYS, I WAS EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WITH IT, SO I HAD IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND LATER TOLD ME THAT THE WHOLE ENGINE WAS BAD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS STUNNED BUT THEY WERE WILLING TO DO THE REPAIR FOR FREE. IT TOOK ME A WEEK TO GET MY CAR BACK. EVERYTHING WENT FAIRLY FINE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS. IN 1999, THE AIR-CONDITIONER IN MY CAR STOPPED WORKING AND IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR AT THE TIME. I MOVED TO COLUMBUS, OH IN JAN. 2000. FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS, THAT CAR HAS BECOME A TROUBLE FOR ME. ONE REPAIR AFTER THE NEXT. THE BIGGEST REPAIR COST I'VE PAID OUT WAS $2060.43 TO REPLACE A FLYWHEEL. I HAVE TRIED TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY CAR BY TAKING IT TO JIFFY LUBE FOR OIL/CHECK-UPS EVERY 3-6 MONTHS FAITHFULLY AND I'M STILL HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY CAR. RIGHT NOW, IT IS AT ANOTHER FORD SERVICE BECAUSE THERE MAY BE DEFECTED WIRING COILS IN MY CAR (A DEALER RECALL THAT I'M NOT AWARE OF). I HAVE KEPT ALL THE SERVICE MAINTENANCE PAPERS IN FILE FOR ALL THE REPAIRS AND SERVICES ON MY CAR. I WANTED A NEW CAR AND I'M NOT VERY HAPPY. I'M TIRED OF PAYING FOR THE REPAIRS. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE CAR HAS ALWAYS RUN HOT AND I HAVE HAD THE COMPRESSOR FIXED AND A MONTH LATER I KNOW HAVE A BURNT OUT BLOWER MOTOR THAT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. I NEVER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE RECALL AND THAN WAS TOLD I MISSED THE CUT OFF DATE TO FILE FOR A REPAIR, BOTTOM LINE I WASNT COVERED. I ALSO BROUGHT MY CAR IN A DAY BEFORE MY WARRANTY WAS UP AND THEY DIDNT HONOR IT, I WAS TOLD IT WAS TOO LATE.

DEFECTIVE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESS IN MY 1995 FORD INSULATION EVIDENTLY DOES NOT MEETS THE PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS NEEDED TO SURVIVE THE ENVIRONMANTAL CONDITIONS PRESENT IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. ALL WIRES ARE SHOWING EVIDENCE OF CRACKING AND BARE WIRES ARE ACTUALLY SHOWING THROUGH. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS POSES A SAFETY HAZARD FOR DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS. FORD WILL NOT HONOR RECALL AS THEY SAY ONE OF THEIR DEALERS DID THE INSPECTION; HOWEVER, THEY MUST HAVE BEEN BLIND NOT TO SEE THIS CRACKING. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I'VE SEEN ON YOUR SITE, SUGGEST YOU INSTITUTE A MANDATORY SAFETY RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.*AK

CONSUMER HEARD ABOUT THE NOTIFICATION ON THE WIRE HARNESS. DEALER REFUSED TO REPAIR VEHICLE BECAUSE OVER THE MILEAGE REQUIREMENT. TOOK VEHICLE TO PRIVATE MECHANIC, AND MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT WIRING HARNESS WAS EFFECTING ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND MELTING WIRE INSULATION. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THIS VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED IN NOTIFICATION 99M03 BECAUSE OF OVER MILEAGE AND NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK