The air only comes out of the defrost.
1996 Ford Contour electrical complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 119, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Right rear light continued to go out. Replace bulb few times. Right wheel bearing had to be replaced. Major fan belt replaced. Alternator replaced. Light on radio goes off when head lights turned on. This happened after they fixed my recall for lights. Gas cap cover is very hard to open. Takes several times to try and open. When air is on smells come through really strong from other cars. Owner notification recalls are not taken care of until they actually happen. These are coil can break and car go down blow out tires. Also electrical harness can break and wires will connect with other parts of the car and cause a fire. I have sent a letter to the president of ford and explained how I felt this car was unsafe and if anything happened to me or my family they would be held responsible. I never received a response from anyone. They should be made to take back all contours and give us a safer car for us and our families to drive. I am a single parent and cannot afford to finance another car. They need to provide a loan and new car for us. I will be contacting ford again in the near future to see if they will help with taking my car back and giving me another car/loan. As I told them in the letter they just wanted to sell and make money they didn't think of the family and or families that this car as it fell apart would effect. I appreciate that you have this web site that I can voice my concerns,problems with the ford and feel someone may pay attention before someone is hurt in these cars as have been many with the tire situation. I will help you in any way I can to clear up all of these problems. I keep the letter I sent ford in my car in case something happens someone will be able to read it and know I did try to get this problem dissolved before it was to late. Thank you so much for your help. Debbie jennings hewitt
My car was in the shop 5 times in one month - all electrical problems. Alternator, battery, starter, wiring harness, speed sensor and oxygen sensor were all changed. The ford dealership does not understand why I am having all these problems. It was also in a garage fire at the dealership in this time and I had smoke damage to my car on top of the engine problems. Needless to say, I loss money on the trade in. This is the worse car I have ever owned and will never own another ford car or truck again.
What exactly are they recalling on the 1996-1998 ford contour? Is it the whole car or just the electric system? Is that considered the wiring harness? The reason we're so interested is because we've had many major problems with our 1996 ford contour. We sent our car to the ford of ocala,fl for the wiring harness recall, and they gave us a very hard time about fixing it. They were trying to get us to replace parts that weren't even bad, at the cost of $400.00 for one part. But then they said there was a whole list of things that were wrong with it, and after they fixed each of these parts, if our car still didn't start, then they'd get to fixing the wiring harness. We had 2 mechanics check these parts and they weren't bad at all. It took them 2 and a half weeks before they gave us our car back.then when we got it back, we had to take it to our regular mechanic who said they wired it wrong, and left the wiring to the air-conditioning and the alternator undone. That was 2 months ago, and we just had to replace our alternator. The mechanic that fixed the alternator said they did a lousy job, because half the wiring wasn't even done right. There is wiring in our car that is bare, and he said it could cause our car to catch on fire. Also, the wiring leading to the alternator is bare, which he said most likely shorted out the alternator. So now we need to have the wiring redone, and all of this has cost us hundreds of dollars. This car is the worst car ever made, we've had nothing but problems with it from the day we gotit! We had the air fixed, and after they did the recall, the air no longer worked anymore. Also, after they worked on the recall, there are many wires that are still cracked and brittle, and left bare. The wiring to the battery is completely bare, also, and we've had to replace the battery 3 times since we've had the car. The seatbelt locks up while driving where it is so tight I can't move at all.we're afraid it will catch fire! Also more problems!
There are too many problems with our car to write down. Please contact us.
I have previously had problems with this vehicle and have taken it more than eight different times to be service and problem still has not been resolved even after having engine replaced I am having some of the same problems. Car has been serviced on a regular basis and still it has problems.e . .
Screw for driver side sunvisor fell off while vehicle was in motion, causing blocked vision totally. *ak the driver side visor fell off twice. The second fall shorted electrical wires causing radio, clock and other components to fail.
Smoke was coming from hazard switch, and consumer could hear noise at same time. There was no signal of warning on this problem.
While driving tail lights and instrument panel lights went out. Dealer was notified about the problem. The problem was corrected at owner's expense. Problem due to water condensation in the fuse box. *ak
About 2-3 months after I had my car I tried to trade it in for another car because of the deffects on it, but the dealer would not help me out then. Is there anything I can do about it now? No safety defect listed in the summary.
It seems like when one thing started to short on my contour everything started to go...first the lights started going on and off then ..the A/C started shorting then it completely froze causing timing to jump and noew ..I'm told the car needs new computer ..it dies in middle of road the sensors are bad ...please help me regarding this matter ..
Consumer bought vehicle in september. She went outside that morning to start it up her vehicle and she noticed a knocking noise comming from underneath the hood. The dealer replaced starter and water pump but problem still exist.
Recalls 99v103000/99s14/99m03/99m04, and 99m07: all of these recalls have not been remedied. Dealer dobbs ford, 2515 mt moriah, memphis, tn 38115 901‑367‑4976, had no parts available. Please provide further information.
Occasionally, when the vehicle rolls through a puddle, the steering will fail and the battery light will appear, with the engine almost stalling. This has happened with the car going as fast as 35 MPH and as slow as 5 MPH. The problem has been reported to the dealer on several occasions, and the dealer has reportedly contacted the manufacturer regarding this particular problem. Additionally, the first time the vehicle was taken back to the dealer to report the problem, the service personnel was aware that the problem existed with the specific model. After repeated returns to the dealer (at least three separate complaints), the dealer informed us that the problem was fixed and that the car was even "driven through several puddles" without any steering failure. The last time the vehicle was taken in was approximately august, 1999. The warranty has since expired, and the dealer says that it is our responsibility to pay to have the problem fixed. Unfortunately, we have taken the car back several times, and the problem still exists. On 02/13/00, the vehicle again experienced steering failure.
Consumer contacted dealer in reference to recall 99v103000/ manufacturer's recall 99s14 concerning headlights. Dealer corrected the problem prior to the recall. Consumer received a refund. Currently, consumer is having the same problem as stated in the recall, dealer refuses to correct the problem. Please provide any further details.
The consumer stated that dealership had car over twenty two days, and vehicle still has electrical problems.
Battery not able to hold the current. Also, headlights and interior lights are not working.
The ignition switch is in an operating condition to enable the ignition key to be pulled from the ignition switch with the engine still running. Spoke to capistrano ford, stated car used and cost of repair: $200.00.
Have had numerous problems: interior/brake lights failed to light. Replaced switch twice. Fuel filler door will not open with latch inside. Never worked. Cigarette lighter failed. Power window on driver's side has failed. Car intermittently will not start due to drained battery. Mechanic could find no cause for this related to alternator/charging system of car. Never able to fix this. Trunk leaks water around seal. Abs light keeps coming on . Mechanic could find no problem with ABS. Air conditioner/heater would only blow out defrost setting. Also bad smell comes from AC when on. Rear seat belts keep jamming; not able to use sometimes because they won't come out. Worst problem so far: transmission has failed. Not yet fixed. I loved this car once, now I hate it! The whole thing should be recalled.
There is a short within the electrical wires which melted, causing truck light wires to hang down, and door light to work intermittently.
The front end of vehicle shakes and rattles when slowing down..the smell of burning wires are present when AC and heaters are utilized.very dangerous if you live in cold climate area. Could cause injury or even death during winter months. Ford should do a safety recall on all engine, internal wiring harness, and fix rotors.
The fuse keeps blowing out. This causes the air conditioner not work. Took to dealer. Vehicle failed to start & needed a jump. Informed battery was needed.
Consumer took this vehicle in to be repaired under the recall 99s14 for an ignition switch, the vehicle was repaired, but now theirs is a problem with front end vibrating very hard. The dealer has been contacted.
Vehicle was experiencing electrical problem which caused the cigarette lighter to malfunction, radio and clock went blank and driver side front window will not roll down. Nlm
There is a defective switc/ panel & wire assembely parts components of the wiring panel. This causes problem with air conditioner, blower, etc. Will be taking vehicle to dealer to have electric component checked out.
On-going / intermittent problem with vehicle shutting off due to loss of electrical powe; whenever vehicle ran over a water puddle it caused loss of power, which shut down everything. This condition could cause an accident. Dealer notifed and refused to repair unless cost goes to consumer. Seeking help or provoide additional information from the federal safety agency in this matter.
Ignition wire under cowl severed by windshield wiper components that caused engine shutdown, loss of power assist to brakes and steering, battery discharge and blown fuses.
Smoke came out of the dashboard .
Tail lights along with the interior lights do not work. Dealer has been contacted.
I have had multiple problems w/ my 96 ford contour since I bought it 2/23/96. I have had it in for service multiple times, and I get told it's covered under warranty why worry about it. The srv.mngr.at my dealer supposedly talked to a "tony" at ford & told him to tell me as long as it's covered under warranty I shouldn't complain it is no money out of my pocket. That is unsatisfactory -I believe my car to be a defect in that years line of contours & I would like something done about these problems. My car runs worse than any used car I have ever owned! All I ever wanted done was to rectify the situation,they could have easily replaced my car with one similiar to that year & model & I would have been happy. I really would like a response to this matter. I am to the point where I will contact a lawyer to seek help dealing with ford & kennedy ford , if I can not get a fair & aggreeable outcome to this situation. Thank you.
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