2000 Ford Contour

I HAVE A 2000 FORD CONTOUR SVT WITH DASHBOARD CURL. THE DASHBOARD IS DEFORMED ABOVE THE GAUGE POD IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER. IF IT CONTINUES, IT COULD BEGIN TO SOMEWHAT BLOCK THE DRIVER'S VIEW. I PUT IN TODAY'S DATE FOR THE INCIDENT SIMPLY BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THE CURL STARTED. IT WAS LIKE THAT WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND HAS PROGRESSED TO WHERE IT IS TODAY. *JB

THE DASHBOARD, WHICH WAS ONCE RECALLED, THE RECALL HAS SINCE EXPIRED. IS DELAMINATING OFF THE FOAM , PREVENTING PROPER DEFROSTING OF WINDSHIELD AND HINDERING VIEW OUT OF FRONT WINDOW. THE FUEL PUMP WHICH WAS RECALLED ON OTHER FORD MODELS FOR EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM, FAILS, PREVENTING ACCELERATION ONTO HIGHWAYS. THE WATER PUMP, WHICH IS PLASTIC, DISINTERGRATES IN THE MOTOR.*JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE PLASTIC DASHBOARD DELAMINATED FROM THE FOAM. THE DASHBOARD LAMINATE WAS PUSHING UPWARD, THUS HINDERING THE CONTACT'S VISION THROUGH THE FRONT WINDOW. HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY SAID IT WAS UNDER REVIEW, AND THAT IT WAS COSMETIC. ALSO, HE IS ALSO EXPERIENCED FUEL PUMP AND WATER PUMP PROBLEMS. UNDER HARD ACCELERATION THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW FUEL PUMP. THE BEARINGS ON THE WATER PUMP FAILED AND THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. *AK.

1) NO EVENT YET. 2) THE DASH IS CURLED AND PULLED AWAY FROM WINDSHIELD TO THE POINT THE DEFROSTERS CAN'T WORK. THE ENTIRE FRONT DASH ASSEMBLY HAS TWISTED UNTIL THERE IS TENSION ON THE AIRBAGS, STEERING WHEEL, STEREO HAS FALLEN OUT, NO VENTING WORKS. SO MUCH DISTORTION THAT WE ARE FEARFUL OF THE AIR BAGS RELEASING ANY TIME THE VEHICLE HITS A BUMP. 3) I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR OTHER MAINTENANCE ISSUES THE FIRST YEAR AND ASKED HIM ABOUT THE DASH, WHY IT WAS PULLING AWAY FROM THE CAR. HE COULDN'T EXPLAIN IT. THREE TIMES THE FIRST YEAR WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION. THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE MENTIONED A RECALL ON MY VEHICLE FOR THE DASHBOARD, BUT STATED "IT'S TOO LATE NOW, IT ENDED IN OCTOBER". I WENT TO THE OWNER OF THE COMMUNITY FORD WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND HE TOLD ME I HAD TO "GO TO THE MANUFACTURER, FORD" AND GET THE DASH REPLACED." I'VE CONTACTED FORD MOTORS VIA-E-MAIL, AND GET NO RESPONSE. 4) THE DEFROSTERS CAN'T OPERATE BECAUSE THE DASH HAS CURLED AND BLOCKS AIR FROM REACHING THE GLASS. VISIBILITY IS OBSTRUCTED. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THE MOVEMENT AND DISTORTION OF THE ENTIRE FRONT DASH IS DANGEROUS FOR MY FAMILY FOR FEAR OF THE AIR BAGS RELEASING OR THE DASH JUST SIMPLY FALLING INTO OUR LAPS WHILE WE ARE TRAVELING. 5) I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW AND THESE PROBLEMS STARTED WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF OWNING THE VEHICLE. I'VE HEARD OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL OF VEHICLE. 6) I LIKE THE CAR, HAS GOOD GAS MILEAGE, ETC., AND CAN'T AFFORD A NEW ONE. THE SAFETY ISSUES NEED TO BE DEALT WITH. 7) SOMEONE WILL BE KILLED DRIVING THIS CAR. *NM

THE CAR HESITATES, STALLS, LOSES POWER, SURGES, ETC. WHILE ACCELERATING ONTO THE FREEWAY, GOING UP HILLS, TURNING ONTO A HIGHWAY ETC. WE'VE BEEN LUCKY THAT IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED WHEN WE HAD A SHOULDER TO COAST ON TO. WE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN REAR-ENDED BY OTHER VEHICHLES IN TRAFFIC. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES : AT FIRST IT ONLY HAPPENED WHEN THE GAS TANK WAS LESS THAN 1/4 FULL, THEN AT 1/2 TANK, NOW 3/4 FULL. WE TRY TO KEEP THE TANK FULL. NHTSA HAS A RECALL ID # 04V421000 FOR THE 1999 AND LATER MERCURY COUGAR THAT HAS THE IDENTICAL FUEL DELIVERY MODULE AS THE 2000 FORD CONTOUR (V-6). THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE FORD CONTOUR AND MERCURY MYSTIQUE V-6 MODELS AT THE VERY LEAST. NHTSA HAS ALSO RECALLED THE 2000 FORD FOCUS WITH SIMILAR FDM DESIGN DEFECTS AND PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS