1996 Ford Contour GL review from North America
"The worst car ever made!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
This car is the biggest heap of junk ever made, everything has failed.
Lets see here-
Thermostats several times.
Radiator leaked at only 53000 miles.
The shifter broke, so you had no clue what gear you were in 48000miles.
I had the Check Engine light on all the time for something, O2 sensors went several times, other sensors.
The tie rods wore out at only 68000 miles.
The power window switch broke.
The water pump developed a small leak, it needed a new water pump, timing belt, tensioned kit, drivebelt all for $825, 71000miles.
The rear wheel cylinder leaked twice actually cost over $300 total.
Few problem it always had and one ever the dealer couldn't fix, the idle was terrible it always idled rough all the time.
It had a brake pulsation ever after rotors replaced twice.
The Check Engine light always said it was running to lean.
The transmission developed a small leak.
Wheel bearing at 74000 miles.
I finally sold the thing. Right before I sold though I believe the trans was beginning to go with 76000 miles only it would shift very hard from 1-2.
It also had a problem right before I sold it. It would start when it wanted to, sometimes it would sometimes it wouldn't. I had it towed twice to a shop, both times it started right up for them though.
The thing has tons of recalls on it.
I always did maintenance to this car, all the time, never abused it or anything and it just gave me trouble all the time.
Ford has some serious quality problem, I will never again buy a Ford, this car was nothing but a piece of junk.
General comments?
The seats in this car were nice I always liked them.
The car normally handled well even in snow.
I would tell anyone who wants to buy a car, don't buy a Ford.
Recommended reviews
| 1996 - Contour GL 4 - Cylinder Zetec A car worth buying |
|
| Nice Interior, Horrible Performance, Reliability Stinks |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1996 |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 45000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 76000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 13th July, 2005 |