Dt*: the contact stated while driving 15 MPH, all power failed causing the engine to stall, along with steering and brake failures. The service dealer attempted to diagnose the problem on several occasions without success. The power failure had happened 6 times since 2001. An independent service dealer expressed the wiring harness was beyond repair and should have been replaced. The manufacturer was notified.
1998 Ford Contour: brake failure
8 of the 844 complaints about the 1998 Ford Contour describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 1
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
Dt: vehicle started making loud noises and the brakes failed. Caller was driving on a highway and had to pull off the road. Caller said brakes did not work very well when she tried to get the car home. Dealer said the front left rotor broke ,and rear wheel bearing wore out . Manufacturer will not offer any help.
Brake failure. On a 1998 ford contour svt (~118,440 miles), the bolt attaching the rear brake caliper resulted in a single point failure to the braking system. *jb while driving north on us 301, just south of laplata, md, I heard a pop and the car felt as if I had run over something, but nothing apeared in the road (from the mirrors). Later when slowing while approaching aa traffic signal, I had no brakes. Thankfully I was on a slight incline and able to gear down and use what little brakes remained to stop the car and crawl it to a parking lot. After having the car towed in, my mechanic told me that one bolt attaching one of the rear calipers had sheared off causing the loss of braking power on the car. The car did not lose any brake fluid during all of this.
Had to slam on brakes suddenly/ABS light came on, and fuse between blower and heater popped out. This happened every time brakes were applied suddenly. Would have no codes. Would put 80 amps fuse in & same thing happened. Heater motor wold still be running & ABS light on. Front end brakes would lock up. Back brakes did not work.
Brakes failed and made noise while in use. Yh
Abs brake failure.
Front brakes failed.
Parking brake failed, causing accident.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Safety recall pertaining to brake pressure control reducing valve replacement
- Engineering is investigating some vehicles that may exhibit vibration while braking
- Information for servicing and diagnosing brake vibration, brake inspection, and brake friction material...
- Some vehicles may exhibit a groaning noise from the front brakes during city driving
- Experiencing a front brake groan during city driving
- Some vehicles may exhibit a front brake groan
- Some vehicles may not allow a shift from park when brake pedal is depressed or the shift lever may exhibit...
- Hub-mount brake rotor machining equipment from rotunda is now approved for warranty and service use
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (ABS). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
- Risk
- If both pcrv's malfunction, vehicle handling could be adversely affected during braking as a result of the rear wheels locking, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install improved pcrv's in the rear brake system. This recall was expanded in september 2000 to include 1999 and 2000 ford contour, mercury mystique and cougar vehicles.
Recall number 00V075000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1998 Ford Contour brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 1998 Ford Contour?
8 of 844 owner complaints about the 1998 Ford Contour (1%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 1995.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Ford Contour?
There is 1 recall and 14 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Ford Contour
Coil spring 68Airbag light 43Stalling 43Check engine light 33Headlights 31Fire or smoke 21Grinding brakes 20Transmission failure 17No deployment 16Overheating 15ABS 14Won't start 14Engine failure 13Jerking 13Slipping 13Loss of power 10Fuel leak 8Power steering loss 8Sudden acceleration 8Fuel pump 7Seat belt 7Tire blowout 7Knocking 6Fuel gauge 6Adaptive cruise 5Pulling 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1998 Ford Contour?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history