1998 Ford Contour SE from North America - Comments

Driver's side window will not roll down.

Passenger side window is grinding and will only roll 1/2 way down.

Knock sensor in motor went bad.

Transmission is spewing fluid out through the dipstick tube.

Driver's side seat will barely move on the rails even after Ford serviced it.

Check engine light always comes on (this is because there is always something wrong).

Switch for AC does not work in third position.

There is a short in the fuse box somewhere causing the blower motor to go on and off intermittently.

There has been a recall for the air bag sensors.

This car is a lemon from the word go. I have read multiple comments from other owners and they mirror the experience I have had with this car.

This car reminds me of why Chrysler almost went out of business way back. The quality is below poor. America is the greatest nation on this planet, but you would not know it by the Ford Contour.

I have owned a 98 contour since new. It now has 120,000 miles on it with no major problems at all. Check engine light came on about 2 months ago. Turned out all it needed was a new fuel filter sorry about the problems.

Hi there. I have a 98.5 SE, 4 cyl. auto. The only major problem I had with mine was rebuilding the tranny because the torque converter went out at around 95,000 miles. I think this was due to the fact my car was used as a rental vehicle before we got it. Got the car fixed and have had no major problems since. All these problems you people are listing has never happened to me, thank God. Sorry to hear about your problems.

The tranny oil problem with oil coming out of the dip stick tube was a problem we had when buying a car at a county auction. It was a 98 Ford Contour with 2.0 4 cyl engine. It turned out that the 1/4 inch rubber breathing tube coming from the transmission had the end of it pushed onto a bolt by the battery, and was building up pressure in the tranny which caused the fluid to overflow out the dipstick tube. The rubber breather tube is supposed to be left open to keep the tranny from building pressure.

We replaced the rubber seal at the bottom of the dip stick tube also because it was worn and leaking there also. You can get a seal from NAPA or Carquest.

The problems I have had are too many to mention in this box.

This 1998 Contour was purchased new by my father and was always well taken care of. A short time after inheriting this vehicle, the problems began. Window roll up problems, plastic knobs falling off, timing belt, seat adjustment difficulty, and I could keep going and going.

The point I want to make is that it is so obvious that the quality of this vehicle is simply poor. Ford Motor Company has created another fan of non American vehicles. I used to feel bad for the American car companies that were struggling to keep up with the overseas competition. They have done this to themselves. Congratulations.