Comments: 1-15, 16-18
Transmission has failed twice and is failing again. First failure occurred at about 25,000 miles under warranty, and it was "fixed" three times by the dealer before it was replaced.
Second failure occurred at about 50,000 miles. I called Ford Customer Relations Center (CRC) to complain, and they offered to sell me an extended powertrain warranty good for six years and 100,000 miles for $495 with a $100 deductible. I accepted the offer, but the dealer charged (in VA) $697.05. The car had a burning smell when I drove it, so I brought it back to the dealer and was charged $266.60 to fix that. Total cost should have been $495, so I called CRC again. They were not responsive. Tried to get my additional dollars back through my credit card, the better business bureau, the Fairfax County (VA) consumer protection agency, and the Washington Area NADA. Although each of these parties agreed that I had been overcharged, the dealer would not even talk to them. The NADA guys did get them to offer $266.60 (the cost of the second repair) if I signed something agreeing to never sue either the Dealer or Ford. I respectfully declined.
Transmission failed within a few hundred miles. I was in NJ, which was fortunate because I had the car towed to the dealer where I originally bought it. They replaced the transmission for free.
Transmission is failing again. Just found out that my warranty was only good for six years from the original date of purchase, so I'm out of luck.
CD4E Transmission is clearly not suitable for a 170 horsepower engine. I've heard that Mazda has a "hidden warranty" for the CD4E in their models that have it. Mazda may actually want to keep their customers.
Front brake rotors have been (expensively) replaced twice, and may be going again. Rotors don't even last as long as the pads!
The connections to the stereo speakers rattle loose and become disconnected. Right now one of the four speakers actually works, and it's not the radio - I can switch the outputs and still only the one speaker works. Sometimes, if I hit a bump just right, one of the other speakers will start working again for a while!
Other than the speakers, I haven't had the electrical problems that others have mentioned. I recently replaced the alternator and the battery, which was still original.
First set of tires lasted about 30,000 miles, which is about what I would have expected because they were performance tires. I'm still running the second set.
My family has bought over 10 new Fords in the last 20 years, but that is about to end. I had a heart to heart discussion with a (GM) assembly line worker that I'm friends with, and he's so disgusted with the reduction in quality he's seen as a result of cost cutting that he doesn't even get agitated when I tell him I'll be buying a Hyundai!
I found this review while researching my own 1998 Ford Contour transmission failure. It had some sort of catastrophic internal failure two days ago at 102,000 miles. It had been shifting hard recently, but the local transmission specialist tested it and claimed it was fine. It's a darned good thing it didn't fail like this on the freeway or on a curvy road, as the front wheels locked.
I would have liked to find out exactly what your transmission problems were, so I can decide whether I should fix this car or junk it.
Scrap it. Replaced the transmission at $3000, Catalytic converter went not too long after (check engine light on all the time) - $1200 to fix because the labour. Sold it to a buddy for $300, he replaced the Cat, still won't pass emissions. Also experienced the same brake problems. Now I drive a problem-free Civic.
I'm the person that wrote the original review. I'd recommend getting rid of it if it has any sort of tranny problem. Might want to wait until whatever warranty you might have received on the repair runs out.
A nice car on paper - sporty and MPH not terrible. But if you get a bad one, you get a really bad one. Lots of them out there with fried engines from oil starvation (poor pan design). And Auto trans. is a big problem. Almost everyone complains about that HARD 1st to 2nd shift. I had to replace a shot trans. in a 98 SE at 70K miles for about $3,000. It lasted just past the warrantly before the check engine light came on. Dealer charged $95 to read the codes, still had to tear down the trans, but doesn't know whats wrong in the trans now. He suggested a bell housing at $600 just for the parts. All in all, an easy car to sink a boatload of money into - LOTS more than the trade-in or sale price.
With my Contour SE the tranny died in a major intersection in rush hour... Luckily I had Reverse and was able to turn the car around and make a left turn (in reverse) through the light (thank god for advanced green lights) onto a smaller street and go about 2 kms, and a couple of stop signs to the tranny shop (it was pouring rain too)... Got some pretty strange looks... Overall the car was great as far as comfort, features, power... but bearings, alternators, water pump (way to go on the plastic impeller, Ford!), brakes, catalytic and a host of other issues. But as someone said they're either perfect or garbage... And most of the perfect ones are the manual trans, 4cyl from what I see...
DEFECTIVE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS.
Have a 1998 Contour SE. All the engine wiring insulation falling off them. Needs new entire engine wiring harness. am told they are obsolete and there was a recall and replace of the engine wiring harness up until 1997. 1998 seems to be an obsolete orphan. all this happen at approximately 120,000. If you have one still running I highly recommend you get rid of ASAP.
Loved the car until this happened and am still searching for wiring harness.
I also had transmission failure on my 99 Ford Contour and put enough money in to buy two new cars off the lot. Its not worth the money to have a Contour.
Hi I am looking for some advice. My brother gave me his ford contour this past June (2007). I brought it to the mechanic because it was in need of work. I dropped 900 to get it on the road this was oil change something with the axle ect I think a few others can't recall at this time. Then the car decided it was in need of a starter and soon an alternator. To bring my free car up to a total of $1600. The car has 146,000 miles on it and decided the transmission would go. I have been quoted at 1800-2200 for the transmission and a 12000 mile warranty. So the car is pretty much worthless for a trade in or private sale since it had to be towed ($60) to the garage, another $70 for the diagnosis if I choose not to get the work, and another $60 can be added back on for the tow home if it is not fixed.
Or do I take the 2200 and put it on a lease for the next three years. So I will have a car payment for $200, plus insurance, cost of registering the vehicle. I do not want to buy used because all they will quote me at is a 12% interest rate and cars with high miles. I just bought a house last feb and debt ratio is not so hot, but, and I won't have much money if I get a lease. It's a gamble, Please let me know your opinions this would help me... Oh and my birthday is in September so my other concern is the state emissions and if the contour will pass next year. Thanks!
I purchased a Ford Contour GL Sport edition in March. I took it to a franchise mechanic and only a few things were wrong that I was able to get fixed. However I do notice that in winter it seems like its shaking a little; does anyone know what this could be?
Also the drivers side visor is broken, and both the seller and myself are having a hard time to find a replacement visor, and on days that it's sunny I don't like to drive because of the sun. Does anyone know where I can get this part?
And you guys are so right, the car is comfortable, but I would feel much better if I had my visor replaced. Please help me find one.
You need a visor! Your best bet is to call a junk yard. Have make, model and interior color information when you call. The "automotive recycler" in our town will find the part and call back. Then they have it on the shelf for me. That saves time and money.
To 8:50.
I personally would not get the contour fixed again. Talk to your bank or credit union and see if you can buy a decent used car for about $5000. Your 2000 and the bank's $3000. If that doesn't seem reasonable look for a "sleeper". Crown Victoria's and Chevy Impala's are very reliable as long as they have been serviced. You should be able to find an older one with your $2000 and they can last for extremely high mileage. Read the reviews. Law enforcement and taxi companies use them because of their durability. Have the used car inspected by an independent mechanic prior to purchase. A few years down the road you can have a home equity loan and buy a fresher vehicle.
Don't get me wrong I like my wife's Contour. But it has only 80000 miles on it.
To 8:50, 21st November:
I would say that you should shop around for a better price on a rebuilt transmission. I would guess that you went to a certain nationally known brand of transmission shop, with their "$70 diagnostic fee that will be waived if you decide to rebuild"? It's a scam. They are notorious for saying you need to have the transmission rebuilt whether you need it or not, and the waived diagnostic fee is just a come-on. If you look around, you can find an honest, independent shop that will rebuild your transmission for less than $1,000. At that point, I would say it's worth it to keep the car. Pay the $70 fee as a good lesson learned, and find a cheaper place.
The rest of your repairs don't sound that unreasonable for such a high mileage car. Starter, alternator, oil change -- this is all to be expected on a high mileage, older car. You could have saved yourself money by changing the starter and alternator yourself. Invest in a Hayne's Manual and learn how to do some of this on your own, and it will save a lot of money.
If your credit is not too hot, the last thing you need is another loan for another used car that will like as not also need repairs before long. Nurse this one along and save money, and take control of learning how to do some repairs yourself.
If it were me, I'd sell the Contour for whatever I could get out of it and buy myself a dependable used car. No offense, but Contour was probably the worst car Ford ever churned out, so getting it fixed will only mean the likelihood of more repairs down the road. You've already personally experienced this yourself with the fact that it has needed a lot of repairs to start with.
A few good used cars come to mind, if you simply want to get from point A to point B reliably. Get a used Geo or Chevrolet Prism; they're good cars because even though they say Geo or Chevrolet, they're basically Toyota Corollas with different badges. But because they say Chevrolet, they have crappy resale value.
Either that, or get a mid-'90s Honda Civic or Toyota Tercel. Both are good econo-cars that seem to be indestructible. My wife has a '91 Civic and it just keeps on going and going. Bottom line: stay away from domestics because more likely than not, they're going to have problems and hence cost you more money down the line.
Lastly, if you do go with one of the cars above, buy it third party. That way you won't be paying extra dealership fees and so on. You can get used Prizms for $1,500-$2,000 easy.
Judging from most comments, it appears the tranny has a design flaw.
Normally the tranny should hold up for the life of the vehicle. I never have had an automatic go bad on me, even in cars at 150k miles. (GM cars)
There are so many cars you can find that are in good shape for around 2-3k, BUT don't go to a dealer if you can avoid it. Just shop around on craigslist.
Oh, and send the Contour to the junkyard; you should get 300-500 out of it.
"Bottom line- stay away from domestics because more likely than not, they're going to have problems and hence cost you more money down the line."
I disagree with this statement. I've owned over a dozen used domestics in the range of 5-15 years old, and they have been good cars. My '97 Mercury Sable was four years old when I got it with 30,000 miles, and it now has nearly 180,000 miles on it with no repairs needed. The story is similar for my '84 Plymouth Reliant, '83 Chevy Cavalier, '94 Cadillac Seville, and '02 Ford Explorer. All of these vehicles were less than $5,000, and several were less than $1,500.
On the other hand, with people clamoring about used Toyotas, you can get great deals on used domestics, and if you do your own maintenance, you can save all the more money.