1999 Ford Contour Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1999 Ford Contour most often describe a warped or peeling dashboard that rises up at the windshield, blocks the defroster and view of the road, and pops loose the vent trim; many say a courtesy repair program expired before they could get it fixed. A second recurring theme is broken front coil springs, often found during inspections or when a spring punctures a tire. A large share of the sampled complaints are filed between roughly 30,000 and 80,000 miles, with some electrical, fuel and brake issues appearing as the car ages.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Dashboard warping and peeling at the windshield

   • 104 complaints (25%)
   • median 45,997 mi at 5.8 yrs old (44 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,282 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2002–2023

   Owners describe the top of the instrument panel lifting, curling and separating near the base of the windshield, sometimes by several inches, with the defroster grille and vent trim popping loose. Complaints say the raised panel blocks airflow to the windshield, leaves it hard to clear fog or frost, and partly obstructs the forward view, and that it can interfere with the passenger airbag area. Several owners say a dealer or manufacturer courtesy program covered the repair only for a limited time, that replacements later warped again, and that they were told the program had expired. Reported across a wide mileage range, often between about 12,000 and 100,000 miles, with many filed on cars around 50,000 to 80,000 miles.

   What to check: Look along the base of the windshield for lifting, gaps or loose vent and defroster trim, and check that the defroster blows air where it should. Ask whether the panel was ever replaced under the courtesy program and whether that work held up.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1999 Ford Contour se sport dashboard peeling. My dashboard started to peel away at approx 60,000 miles. I now have 80,000 miles on my car. I did not receive notice of a recall on this matter, which was apparently a secret. I have owned 3 fords and will never buy another due to the lax customer service and failure to take responsibility for product failure. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10199517, filed 2007-08, 60,000 miles

   “There was a recall on the 1999 Ford Contour lx , for the dashboard peels back. I never recieved a notice we had moved from pennsylvania to georgia. I contacted Ford and they said they could not honor their recall notice. I would have to come up with 700.00 -850.00 dollars to get it fixed. I would also have to incur payments for a rental, while my car is being worked on. Please help.”

   NHTSA complaint #10124871, filed 2005-06, 106,755 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Electrical faults, wiring shorts and stalling

   • 83 complaints (20%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2013

   Owners describe burnt or shorted wiring, melted harnesses, battery drain and intermittent electrical failures affecting lights, wipers and dash lights, with some cars stalling and needing a tow. Several complaints mention the starter engaging with no key in the ignition, or the key being removable when the car is not in park, and some note that a related ignition-switch recall did not cover their vehicle. Spread fairly evenly from about 35,000 to 100,000 miles, with a few reports at lower mileage.

   Recall 99V060000

   What to check: Check that the key cannot be removed unless the shifter is in park, test all lights, wipers and blower speeds, and look for chafed or repaired wiring under the hood and in the trunk. Ask whether the ignition switch campaign was completed for this car.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Something in my wiring has burnt and shorted out wires in my car from trunk to under hood. Car is being repaired as I write and is going to be very expensive. This is a 1999 Ford Contour se. A new wiring harness is being ordered and all wiring needs replacement. The car just stalled riding down road, had to have it towed. Have been without car for approx. 1 week now.”

   NHTSA complaint #10008244, filed 2003-02, 62,000 miles

   “My car sporadic stalled in traffic because the new fuel pump would shut off. The cause was faulty wiring that shorted out and in turn destroyed the cars computer. No parts are available so dealer was using parts from different make/model parts for repairs. I was told that this is a recurring problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10154842, filed 2006-04, 81,600 miles
3. 3
   Suspension

   Broken front or rear coil springs

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe coil springs cracking or breaking, sometimes while the car is parked or during a state inspection, and in some cases the broken spring cuts into a tire. Owners report the front or rear suspension dropping, a loud noise when a spring lets go, and replacement by a mechanic; several mention road salt as a suspected contributor and note that earlier model years had a related program while their 1999 was not covered. Mostly reported between about 42,000 and 150,000 miles, often on older cars in salt-using regions.

   What to check: Have the springs inspected on a lift for cracks, especially at the lower coils, and check tires for unusual sidewall or tread damage. Ask whether any spring has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife and I own a 1999 Ford countour. In august 2004, I had a broken left-front coil spring replaced by a private mechanic with a used part from the identical make/model vehicle. In may 2005, the vehicle was rejected during a nys vehicle inspection for a broken left-front coil spring. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10122520, filed 2005-05, 149,400 miles

   “I purchased a used 1999 Ford Contour from a private party on 6/21/04. When I had the required state of vermont inspection done on 6/30/04 a broken right front coil spring was discovered. This is a historic problem, and severe safety hazzard on the Ford Contour series, as sudden tire failure is commmon with this breakage. Years 1995 through 1998 have been recalled for this issue. The problem for the 1998 model year was not discovered until 2001, and a recall was issued that same year. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10080519, filed 2004-07, 75,785 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   ABS engaging at low speed or brake corrosion

   • 17 complaints (4%)
   • median 56,744 mi at 7.0 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2016

   Complaints describe the ABS activating when the brake pedal is pressed at low speed, vibration when braking, and rusted brake lines that leak fluid. Some owners report longer stopping distances in emergencies or corrosion in the ABS tone ring, and say dealers either declined to inspect the car or quoted a substantial repair. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 100,000 miles, with brake-line corrosion noted near 96,000 miles.

   Recall 00V075000

   What to check: Inspect the steel brake lines underneath for rust, and test braking at low speed to see whether the ABS pulses unexpectedly. Ask whether the rear pressure valve recall applies to a non-ABS car.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have observed an ongoing problem with my 1999 Ford Contour where the ABS comes on whenever the brake pedal is pressed, especially at lower speeds (under 15 MPH). I do not know what failed to cause this condition and offered to bring the car to a Ford dealer for inspection, but they declined to have me do so.”

   NHTSA complaint #10145604, filed 2005-12, 51,200 miles

   “Vibration when brakes applied. This problem started before I even pulled off the lot when I bought it used. The dealership had supposedly fixed it. Now, this was the second time that I needed to replace the rotors and brake pads. The first time I bought a set of tires, then got an alignment. Was told I needed different tires since the vibration did not stop. Bought more tires ,and was told that it had nothing to do with the alignment. Today, my car would not accelerate. The check engine light came on, and I immediately took it to a repair shop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10187837, filed 2007-04, 99,098 miles

Buying note. These cars are now old enough that condition matters more than mileage: check the dash and defroster carefully, have the springs and brake lines inspected, and confirm any recall or courtesy work was actually completed. Records of prior wiring and fuel-system repairs are worth asking for.

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.