Vehicle Data Hub

1998 Ford Contour electrical system problems

139 complaints about electrical system have been filed for the 1998 Ford Contour, which is 12% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
139 12% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
85,000 miles 47 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
2 and 13
Injuries and deaths
2 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When electrical system problems show up

Electrical system complaints by mileage, 1998 Ford Contour Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 85,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 2 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 4 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 2 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 11 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 12 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 7 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 3 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 2 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 1 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 2 complaints 200k+ miles: 1 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 85,000 miles
Based on 47 complaints that include mileage. 17% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles2
20k to 40k miles4
40k to 60k miles2
60k to 80k miles11
80k to 100k miles12
100k to 120k miles7
120k to 140k miles3
140k to 160k miles2
160k to 180k miles1
180k to 200k miles2
200k+ miles1

What the data shows

Of the 47 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 85,000 miles, and 17% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 2 crashes, 13 fires, 2 injuries.

What owners wrote

Consumer was traveling about 55 MPH and without warning the heat went off. There was rattling noise coming from underneath the vehicle. Then, vehicle started to lose speed. Consumer was looking out of rearview mirror and noticed black smoke coming from the manifold. Consumer applied emergency lights and veered over to the shoulder lane, and she was struck by a truck on the rear. Car was towed. Consumer suffered internal injuries.

January 2000 CrashFireInjury

I have a 1998 ford contour svt, this is my third one. Every one I purchase has the same problem, the wires in the wire harness for the computer and car crack and the coating just falls right off, which allows the wires to the computer to touch which shorts the computer and makes the car no longer start, it will crank but it will not start cause the computer in shorted and confused so there is no fuel and no spark going to the fuel rail or the coil pack.

Reported at 107,556 miles, November 2006

Other problems reported for the 1998 Ford Contour

Electrical system problems in other years

Electrical system problems across all Ford models