1999 Ford Contour problems
Owners have filed 616 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 Ford Contour. Body & structure is the most reported problem area, at 15% of complaints. After that come electrical system (12%) and engine (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 616 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 39 and 19
- Injuries and deaths
- 65 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 201 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 14 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 38 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 44 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 53 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 27 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 16 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 201 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 60,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 50,000 miles (36 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 39 complaints mention a crash; 19 complaints mention a fire; 65 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1999 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Ford Contour with enough data (392 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Both passenger front and rear tires blew out at the sidewall, the vehicle left the road way and flipped over. One tire blew while the vehicle was sitting and the other while pulling into a parking lot. The consumer had the second failed tire in their possession.
I was never notified of any recalls. I have had to pay out of pocket expenses lost control of vehicle replaced starter and brakes several times feels like suspension is falling apart and never notified I have small and older children shameful. These events starting taking place when I purchased the vehicle in 1999 arm control 3 times replaced I was lied to by ford and said I must of hit a bump bump my bump 3 times almost dead.
In july 2002, I purchased a 1999 ford contour from a ford dealer. The vehicle was a ford certified pre-owned vehicle. Within six months of the purchase, the dash began to warp causing the defrost vent cover to pop out and not fit correctly. The ford dealer never made me aware of a ford customer satisfaction program (#01b78). Also, I never received any notification from ford. Over the past four years the dash has continued to warp badly.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford contour. The vehicle stalls and makes a lot of noise during acceleration. The overhead lights and other interior lighting will not dim when the vehicle is turned off. The contact must remove the bulbs to dim the lights. When the key is inserted in the ignition, the ignition switch locks up. A mechanic stated that the front sway bar was leaking and the brakes, rotors, and struts were corroded and needed to be replaced. The purchase date and powertrain were unknown.