1998 Ford Contour

I WAS LEAVING WORK AND DISCOVERED THAT MY CAR NOW ONLY GOES IN REVERSE-I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION UP TO THIS POINT WHEN FROM OUT OF NO WHERE IT JUST STOPPED WORKING. THE AUTOMOTIVE SHOP TELLS ME I HAVE TO GO TO A DEALER TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION PUT IN ALL COSTING MORE THAN THE CAR IS PROBABLY WORTH. FORD NEEDS TO RECALL THIS PART-THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT THAT ARE NOT "RARE" OR "UNUSUAL" FOR THIS TRANSMISSION. *JB

WE HAVE A 1998 FORD CONTOUR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON. IT FIRST CAME ON IN OCT 01 WE TOOK IT TO THE FORD GARAGE IN DELHI. THEY SAID IT NEEDED A CAM SENSOR/ SOLENOID SPROCKETS ETC. SINCE THAT WAS A LOT OF MONEY WE DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO CANADIAN TIRE TO SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A CAM SENSOR. WE HAD THEM PUT THAT IN. $58. MILEAGE 111346. IT WORKED FINE FOR A COUPLE WEEKS. WE COMPLAINED TO FORD AND FOUND OUT ABOUT THE AWA.. AFTER WARRANTY ADJUSTMENT. THIS HAD NOT BEEN MENTIONED EARLIER. SO WE A NEW SOLENOID SPROCKET ETC. PUT IN BY FORD,, (JAN /02) . HOW IT CAME TO THAT MILEAGE WHEN CTC HAD IT BACK IN NOV/ 01 AND THEN IT WAS* 11134*???? THEY ALSO HAD IT IN DEC AND THE MILEAGE WAS 112279.) THAT BAFFLES ME. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS TO SURFACE AGAIN. MY DAUGHTER HAD THE CAR AT SCHOOL SO SHE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO TAKE IT TO OUR GARAGE IN MAY/28/02 AT THAT TIME THE GARAGE CHECKED #3 CYLINDER CAUSE OF OUR CHECK ENGINE CONCERNS.. COST 39.10. NOTHING WAS DONE AT THAT TIME. THE ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUED TO STAY ON. FINALLY WE TOOK IT IN AGAIN ON OCT 24TH AND ANOTHER CAM SENSOR WAS PUT ON. $144.46. MILEAGE 130776. ON NOV,.5TH /02 TOOK IT IN AGAIN AND THEY SAID IT WOULD REQUIRE AN EXHAUST CAMSHAFT AND SOLENOID GASKETS AND SEALS. WE AGAIN ASKED ABOUT THE AWA AND THEY SAID NO IT WAS NO LONGER COVERED. THEY SAID THAT THE LAST SOLENOID WAS ONLY COVERED FOR 20,000 KM. HAD THEY DETECTED THE PROBLEM BACK IN MAY WHEN WE BROUGHT IT IN AND HAD THEY WRITTEN DOWN THE CORRECT MILEAGE THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. SINCE WE DID NOT REALLY FEEL THAT THE SOLENOID ( AND REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO PAY $1000 FOR FIXING IT AND THEN FINDING OUT THAT THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER PROBLEM) WAS THE PROBLEM, SINCE WE HAD ALREADY HAD THAT REPLACED ONCE WE CONSIDERED TAKING IT TO A GUY THAT USED TO WORK AT FORD. (HIS WIFE DRIVES A CONTOUR) HE CHECKED THE CAR FOR SURGES. SCAN TESTED IT TRIED VARIOUS COMPUTER PARTS RECHECKED VALVE. ETC,, BUT IT ALL PROVED NEGATIVE.

MY 1998 CONTOUR IS AT 128,225 MILES. THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH THE CAR ARE THE FOLLOWING: -THE HEADLIGHTS GO OUT OF AIM AND MOISTURE COLLECTS IN THE HEADLAMP AND WHEN THE MOISTURE DRIES IT LEAVES A FILM ON THE INSIDE OF THE LENS. THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE HEADLIGHTS IS TERRIBLE. I CAN BARELY SEE AT NIGHT EVEN WHEN IT IS A CLEAR NIGHT. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL NEAR MISSES. I ALMOST HIT A MAN ON A BICYCLE THE OTHER NIGHT. HE HAD REFLECTORS ON HIS BIKE BUT I DIDN'T SEE HIM TILL I WAS RIGHT UP BEHIND HIM. I HAVEN'T HAD THIS FIXED BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY TWO FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A NEW PAIR OF HEADLAMPS. I HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY LOOKING IN SALVAGE YARDS. -ANOTHER THING IS THE TRANSMISSION. IT SHIFTS OUT HARD BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS. NOW IT JERKS WHEN I GO UP HILLS OR WHEN I LET OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL. I FIGURE IF I TAKE IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP THEY WILL TELL ME THAT I HAVE TO REPLACE IT. -THE NEXT THING IS THE DRIVERS SEAT. THE SEAT TRACK ITSELF HAS RUST ON SOME OF THE PARTS. THE DRIVER SEAT IS THE ONLY ONE WITH THE RUST PROBLEM. WHEN YOU SIT IN THE SEAT IT ROCKS SIDE TO SIDE (FROM DOOR TO CENTER CONSOLE). THIS SCARES ME BECAUSE I READ SOMEONE ELSE'S COMPLAINT AND HE SAID HE WAS HIT FROM BEHIND AND THE SEAT AND THE TRACK ITSELF BROKE ON HIM.

MY 1998 FORD CONTOUR SE 2.0 (AUTOMATIC TANSMISSION) HAS 80,000+ MILES. IT HAD SUDDEN POWERTRAIN MALFUNCTION. IT SHIFTED IRRADICALLY NEARLY CAUSING ME TO TO REAR-END THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. OF COURSE, MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND I HAVE BEEN FORCED TAKE MY VEHICLE TO COTTMANS TRANSMISSION SHOP WHERE I HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM HAVING WORKED ON FOUR CASES, WITH THE FORD CONTOUR, SIMILAR TO MINE IN THE LAST MONTH. REPAIRS, INVOLVING A COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF THE TRANSMISSIN, HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED BETWEEN $1700-$2300. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW OFF THE LOT IN 1998. CAUSES FOR THIS MALFUNCTION HAVE BEEN EXPLAINED TO ME IN LAYMEN TERMS AS "TRANSMISSION COMPUTER" FAILURE THAT THEN CAUSES A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WITH IN THE POWERTRAIN. IM NOT SURE THAT THIS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. PLEASE ADVISE

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED IN 2001 (SEE ODI # 759046 SUBMITTED 3/02). TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AND REMAINED IN SERVICE UNTIL 2003. IN JUNE 2003, TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING UNDER NORMAL CITY DRIVING CONDITIONS AND WAS TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION AND SERVICE. TRANSMISSION WAS DEEMED "UNREBUILDABLE" AND REPLACED WITH NEW FORD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.*AK

I WENT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP HERE IN LOUISIANA AND SHOWED THEM THE PAPERS THAT WAS SENT TO ME CONCERNING RECALLS FOR MY YEAR & MAKE OF CAR. I TOLD THEM THAT SOME OF THE RECALLS ON THOSE PAPERS WAS HAPPENING TO MY CAR AND WHY HAVEN'T THEY BEEN REPAIRED WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR IN AND THEY STATED TO ME THAT IF THE VIN # FOR MY CAR DIDN'T COME UP AS A RECALL AND AS LONG AS THE PROBLEM DIDN'T EXIST THEN THEY COULD NOT REPAIR IT . AND I STATED THAT EVEN THOUGH MY VIN DIDN'T COME UP AND EVEN THOUGH MY CAR IS HAVING SOME THESE RECALLS PROBLEMS YALL ARE NOT GOING TO REPAIR THEM BECAUSE MY VIN # DIDN'T COME UP AND THE PROBLEM IS NOT EXISTING RIGHT NOW ALL ARE NOT GOING TO REPAIR OR FIX THESE RECALLS, AND I WAS TOLD YES. WELL, SOME OF THESE RECALLS ARE EXISTING ON MY CAR AND I CAN'T GET THE FORD PLACE TO REPAIR OR FIX THEM WHY IS THAT? I THINK THAT'S VERY UNFAIR TO THE CUSTOMER.*AK

1998 FORD CONTOUR SE 4CYL VIN [XXX] - 4SPEED TRANSMISSION. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN THE TRANSMISSION MADE SUDDEN, ERRATIC, JERKY SHIFTS ON ITS OWN CAUSING THE CAR TO PULL FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND LOSING CONTROL AND LEAVING THE ROAD AND FINALLY STOPPING IN A FIELD. I HAD TO TOW HER OUT. THE CAR NOW DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD, BUT DOES HAS REVERSE. FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE NET HAS REVEALED OTHER FORD/MAZDA OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME TRANSMISSION FAILURES. I AM SURPRISED THE NHTSA HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THESE TRANSMISSIONS. *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY JERKS WHEN SHIFTING, SOMETIME VERY VIOLENTLY. VEHICLE HAS ALSO STALLED WHEN NEGOTIATING A TURN IN AN INTERSECTION. VIBRATES OFTEN AT LOW SPEEDS (30 MPH), AS THOUGH IT'S IN TOO HIGH OF A GEAR FOR THE TERRAIN. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON INTERMITTENTLY, USUALLY FOR SEVERAL DAYS THEN GOES OFF FOR A FEW DAYS BEFORE COMING BACK ON AGAIN. I'VE GOTTEN TWO ESTIMATES FOR THE REPAIR, BOTH IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $2,500 FOR A REBUILD OF MY TRANSMISSION OR INSTALLATION OF A RE-MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION. RECENTLY HAD TO HAVE COOLANT SENSOR AND FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR REPLACED AS A RESULT OF REGULARLY OCCURRING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. *NLM