Needed replacement of entire A/c system at 65K.
Rear doors creak badly when opened and shut. I don't even use the left rear one anymore.
Gas cap release broken at 50K. I have to open the trunk and use the auxiluary release for fillups.
Harsh 1-2 upshift especially when cold. Have resorted to starting in 2 during warm-up.
Very smooth idle when cold. Very rough idle once warmed up. I Sometimes put it in neutral at stoplights.
At highway speeds this car has Noise, Vibration, Harshness problem that could be a worn motor mount.
Temp gauge reads zero all the time.
Broken backlight on clock.
All the wheelcovers have fallen off.
Noisy timing belt when cold.
Belt tensioner failed at 56K.
Transmission has small leak.
Car has nice styling.
The car handles well.
This car has shabby construction in many places.
Glad I don't have a family that depends on this car or I'd have to replace it.
The interior is modern and stylish.
I know I didn't buy it new... but as clean and well cared for as it was by its first owner, it is still falling apart prematurely. Especially considering the very low yearly mileage. (8,000/yr.)
Typical Contour. Every problem you listed is exactly on mine, right down to the left rear doors loud agonizing squeek.
You can at least remove one annoyance. Get some Liquid Wrench or silicone spray and lubricate the door locks, hinges, and latching mechanism. That will at least eliminate the door noises.
I have that same problem too. This is not a liquid wrench fix, or a lube fix. It is metal to metal grinding. I've used everything from silicone, to WD40, to lithium, to ball bearing grease. No way to fix!
I have to agree with everything said. My air stopped at about 65k, the interior dash lights stopped, the gas cap cannot be opened unless I open the trunk first, the back doors creak and are hard to open, (Vaseline will fix that noise), the interior roof material is falling down, the dome light is falling out, the carpeting and upholstery is coming apart. I bought this car one year used, it looked great, ran great for the first month!!! The vents are cracked and falling out, I have 'check engine' light on now for 4 years, have had it to the shop so many times I cannot count, but no one knows why the light is on, plus if the light goes off the engine runs bad! The air bag light keeps coming on, the dash board is falling off.. This car was my biggest nightmare!!!
Note: A Comments RSS Feed is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site