1995 Ford Contour Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 126about this part
- Share
- 14%of 891 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 89,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 126 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 1995 Ford Contour, 14% of the 891 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 89,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have experienced several incidents with the transmission in my vehicle. After you drive the vehicle long enough for it to warm up good, the transmission will quit pulling. You can be driving down the road and it acts as if it just kicks into neutral. You can pull over and put the car into park and then into drive again and it will go a little farther before it will do it again. The car has only a little over 70,000 miles on it and is now basically junk. …”
NHTSA complaint #10199887, filed 2007-08, 71,000 miles“Experienced transmission issues, with intermittent rough shifting and intermittent failures to engage in drive or reverse. It mysteriously started to run fine for several days. One morning I drove a short distance for an appointment. Upon returning and starting the car I noticed smoke exiting the left side of the engine compartment. I turned of the vehicle and inspected the engine compartment, and I could still see some smoke coming from the left-rear part of the engine compartment. …”
NHTSA complaint #10195519, filed 2007-07, 141,720 miles“Advised by dealer this componet, though subject to manufacturer's recall for identical failure was not on my VIN. I maintain it was a design defect that should be repaired/replaced by the manufacturer. Without the indicator it is impossible to know which position you are in. In addition, there is a hazard in the mode of the failure causing binding in the shift lever, preventing some positions from being engaged. *dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis*765858”
NHTSA complaint #10006948, filed 2002-08, 55,800 miles“The transmission on my 1995 Ford Contour locked up suddenly one evening recently. Trans shop rebuilt the trans for me. I received a call from them with bad news. The bad news was that the mechanic realized that the failure was due to the transmission wiring harness being damaged. It was damaged in a way that the owner of the shop said it could very well have caught the vehicle on fire, and apparently LED to the failure of the trans (I am not mecahnic, so I can only go with what I gathered from them). Ford had issued program 99m03 which covered engine compartment wiring harness failures. …”
NHTSA complaint #10116722, filed 2005-04, 130,000 miles“Transmission floor shifter control was damaged, and did correspond with the gear that vehicle was in. Recall 98v233000 was issued for this make, model, and year. But, this vehicle was not included due to VIN.”
NHTSA complaint #10063015, filed 2004-03, 91,000 milesRelated recalls
- 98V233000Sep 18, 1998Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The floor shift automatic transmission control can be damaged if subjected to certain interior cleaning products. The…Covers: Ford Contour 1995–1998, Mercury Mystique 1995–1998
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 1995 Ford Contour
224 complaintsElectrical system
180 complaintsBrakes
85 complaintsFuel system
85 complaintsSuspension
83 complaintsSteering
76 complaintsAir bags
44 complaintsSeat belts
43 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
43 complaintsVehicle speed control
42 complaintsExterior lighting
25 complaintsEquipment
22 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1995 Ford Contour
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology