By the time the car had 50,000 miles, I had to replace the timing belt twice.
Wire harness from the blower to the fuse box melted almost lit the whole car on fire. Probably would have been better off.
Car constantly jerks or misfires. Had it at Ford a dealer and two different mechanics, and nobody can figure out why it is doing it. Must be possessed.
New water pump.
Oil keeps getting in by the spark plugs.
Struts went bad very early.
This Ford Contour is a piece of junk. I will never purchase Ford again, and good for the guy who said his kids won't either. I learned the hard way; my kid shouldn't have to.
This car has been jerking and misfiring for years now, and it's hard to believe you take it to the place that should be able to tell you what it is, and they have no idea either.
It says a lot about Ford when they quit making this car after only a few years. They knew they were building a piece of crap, and then had the nerve to sell it to hard working people.
Sorry you feel that way. I have a 1996 Ford Contour 16v zetec DOHC, 163,000 miles. Only had normal maintenance done on it and still going.
Also have Ford Bronco 1990. Lots of fun 4 wheeling.
I own a 1997 Ford Contour GL. I would have to agree that the car has very poor design and is not built to last. I'm glad they have discontinued the car. Here is what I have had to deal with:
-It idles very rough, so rough at times it feels like the engine is going to fail. One time it did.
-Timing system broke around 90,000 miles and had to be rebuilt.
-Serpentine belt has been replaced numerous times.
-Timing belt has been replaced numerous times.
-Oil has been found in the spark plug area.
-Unknown leaks are common.
-Cup holder broke with regular use.
-Motors in the doors that control windows and door locks broke with regular use. Very expensive to fix ($650 per side)
-Electrical problems (several recalls about this) that lead to melting wires and loss of exterior lights.
-Using the heater for long periods of time leads to a hot plastic smell in cabin.
-Car reads at running very hot, temperature gauge seems unreliable and inaccurate even after replacing several times.
-Car jerks and misfires.
-Water pump broke at 130,000 miles.
-Transmission has become sticky at 133,000 miles.
-At 133,500 miles I have deemed the car unsafe to drive.
I have a 98 Ford Contour and anything that could go wrong with this car - has. It has 125,000 miles on it and I can't even get the thing to drive anymore.
I have had to replace the timing belt twice. None of the gadgets work (windows, washer fluid, radio) The car constantly needs work. I've had to replace my spark plugs 7 times because my car kept jerking. I just put 1,000 dollars into it in the past 6 months, and the other day the transmission went out. Lucky me - I have to now buy another car.
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