1996 Ford Contour Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1996 Ford Contour most often write in about the underhood wiring harness, which complaints describe as brittle, cracked or melted insulation that can produce burning smells, smoke and non-starting, often discovered at higher mileage. Heater blower and lighting failures are closely related, and the sample also shows stalls, automatic-transmission trouble and cracked suspension springs, typically appearing at 80,000 miles or more.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Underhood wiring harness insulation cracking, melting

   • 69 complaints (12%)
   • median 107,880 mi at 11.2 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,700 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 1998–2018

   Complaints describe the wiring harness under the hood as having cracked, rotted or melted insulation, with exposed wires that give off a burning smell or let smoke into the cabin; several owners mention electrical fires or melted fuse boxes and connector plugs. Some report the check engine light alongside the wiring trouble, and others say the car lost power or would not start until the harness was addressed. Owners repeatedly say dealers and the manufacturer told them their vehicle was outside the recall based on VIN, or that the coverage period had expired, leaving the cost with the owner. Reported from roughly 86,000 to 180,000 miles, usually as a gradual deterioration found on inspection rather than a single event.

   Recall 01V2300001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Inspect the harness and connectors under the hood for cracked or brittle insulation and melted plugs, and ask whether the heater blower resistor and harness coverage (campaign 01V230000, extended by bulletin) was ever applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The problem started on the incident date, wire problem cause the entire fan/AC/heater panel so no longer work, the wire got so hot hot it melted our under-dash fuse box, we went for 9 months and a baby with no A/C in hot and no heat in the cold, husband(josh murphy) went to junk yard after being turned away by dealership and got replacement parts off an identical car. That was in june of 2005. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10129297, filed 2005-07, 135,000 miles

   “I purchased a used 1996 Ford Contour for my granddaughter and after a few days the check engine light came on. My mechanic diagnosed the problem and fixed it. A few miles down the road it came back on. After further diagnostics it was found that the engine wiring harness was bad. The insulation on the wires was flaking off and in one spot the wire bundle covering had melted. Research on line showed that Ford had a recall on this problem (99m03) and extended the recall for 10 years. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10519497, filed 2013-06, 80,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Automatic transmission shift and PRNDL indicator problems

   • 73 complaints (13%)
   • median 74,617 mi at 8.9 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,300 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 1997–2013

   Owners describe the automatic shift lever hanging up between positions, the gear indicator showing the wrong gear or none at all, and in some cases a loss of reverse or wholesale transmission failure despite low mileage. Complaints attribute some shifting faults to wiring, and owners note the dealer or manufacturer declining the shifter recall by VIN. Reported from about 65,000 to 100,000 miles, including a loss of reverse on a low-mileage used purchase.

   Recall 98V233000

   What to check: Cycle the shifter through every gear and confirm the PRNDL indicator matches, check for delayed or harsh engagement, and ask whether the shifter indicator campaign (98V233000) was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I just got the car from used car dealer on 02/07/08 drove fine went home and in the morning I went out got kids in car and went to back up and had no reverse..the shop I took it to said the transmission is out. The car only has 81000 miles on it....and there has been alot of complaints made about this transmission in 1996 Ford contours... I think some thing needs to be done ...”

   NHTSA complaint #10217555, filed 2008-02, 81,124 miles

   “At first vehicle would indicate wrong gear and then it binded up the gear shift so eventually had to remove some plastic from gear shift just to shift the gear then the automatic gear shift indication will not indicate what gear the car is in at all. Possibly causing wrong gear selection could cause collision in parking lot.”

   NHTSA complaint #10154464, filed 2006-04, 130,315 miles
3. 3
   Exterior lighting

   Instrument panel, tail and headlight failure

   • 63 complaints (11%)
   • median 105,900 mi at 9.4 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2015

   Complaints describe the headlight switch and its harness connector overheating, which takes out the instrument panel, tail and parking lights, sometimes without warning while driving. Some owners report the switch plug and wiring melting and having to disconnect the battery to stop the lights from staying on. Several say a headlight-switch recall applied to similar cars but not to theirs by VIN, or that a prior recall repair did not hold. Mostly reported between about 68,000 and 180,000 miles, often found when lights or the dash fail to come on.

   Recall 99V103000

   What to check: Check the headlight switch and connector for discoloration or heat damage, test all exterior and dash lights, and ask whether the headlight switch campaign (99V103000) was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The headlight switch malfunctioned and caused the tail lights and instrument panel light to go out without warning. The vehicle was recall once for this problem and repaired but the problem has reocurred. Manufacturer stated since the recall was repaired once, they will not repair it again free of charge.”

   NHTSA complaint #10004296, filed 2003-01, 92,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. As he started his vehicle, the tail lights or the dashboard did not light up. His mechanic gave him a copy of NHTSA campaign# 01v230000. The dealer and the manufacturer stated that his vehicle was not a part of the recall. The related NHTSA action# is ea01001. The failure mileage was 186,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10234322, filed 2008-07, 186,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalling and no-start

   • 27 complaints (5%)
   • median 95,000 mi at 8.8 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1996–2008

   Owners report the engine quitting while idling, while starting up from a stop, during low-speed parking maneuvers, or after being driven and restarted, sometimes with the check engine light on. Several describe repeated sensor replacements, a replaced catalytic converter, or loss of oil and coolant with no warning. Dealers in the complaints are described as unable to find a consistent cause or repairing only one symptom at a time. Reported from very low mileage up to about 130,000 miles, including at stops and slow-speed maneuvers in traffic.

   Recall 00V367000

   What to check: Test-drive with several stops and restart warm, watch for a check engine light, and ask about the service history for sensors, the cooling fan and the catalytic converter.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I bought it on 07/01/04. On 07/02/04 my on was driving it, and couple of times, whem he stopped on stop signed, the car wouldn't start. Eventually, in the evening, there was white thick smoke coming from under the hood and car was stopped. I called the dealership and they towed it to the mechanic shop. It happened that there was no oil and coolant and endine has gone bad. The dealer refused to pay completely for the repair, and we split it 20/80% where I'm to pay 80%. It's been 2 weeks and car is still in shop. I didn't buy it to sit in shop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10081196, filed 2004-07, 106,035 miles

   “Car stalls out when idle.car stalls out when starting or driving slowly. Car has had many sensors replaced including the oxygen sensor and it continues to stall out. Ford has not satisfactorilly repaired car after several costly visits.”

   NHTSA complaint #10063962, filed 2004-03, 56,098 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Heater blower and dash controls failing

   • 24 complaints (4%)
   • median 130,000 mi at 11.5 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2009

   Owners describe the heater and A/C blower stopping or the blower switch and its wiring melting, which can leave the windshield defroster and heater inoperative. Some report the entire fan/heater switch panel going dead, with heat and air conditioning unavailable for months. Complaints note dealers changing the diagnosis several times or declining work once the coverage period had passed. Usually reported between about 65,000 and 135,000 miles, with failures noticed in everyday use rather than under any particular weather condition.

   Recall 01V2300001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Run the blower at every fan speed, confirm the defroster and heater work, and check the blower switch and connector for melting or a burning smell.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Blower motor failure. The blower controls the defroster and heater. The failure results in fog, frost etc so visibility is greatly limited. If one can see well an accident is possible.”

   NHTSA complaint #10279197, filed 2009-08, 130,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. While driving 55 MPH, the contact smelled a burning odor and noticed smoke emanating from the instrument panel. After close inspection, he noticed that the blower switch and all associated wiring were melted. The dealer would not assume responsibility because the VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 01v230000 (electrical system). The manufacturer would not assist and the vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 109,688. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10260197, filed 2009-02, 109,688 miles

Buying note. A 1996 Contour is an old enough car that wiring condition matters more than mileage, so have the harness, blower switch and headlight switch inspected before purchase and confirm in writing which factory campaigns were completed. Records for the transmission and cooling system are worth asking for, since the sample shows most reports arriving past 80,000 miles.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.