1999 Ford Contour

I OWN A 1999 FORD CONTOUR. AROUND THANKSGIVING 2003 I NOTICED THAT THE DEFROST VENT ON MY DASH CAME LOSE. NEXT THE DASH STARTED TO CURL UP. THEN THE DASH STARTED TO PULL AWAY FROM THE FRAME. I CAN SEE THE GLUE USED TO HOLD IT TO THE FRAME. THE DASH IS NOW CURLED SO HIGH I CAN'T SEE THE WIPERS & PART OF THE HOOD. I AM FEARFUL PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY. I CALLED MY LOCAL FORD COMPANY IN NV & WAS TOLD ABOUT A RECALL BUT IT EXPIRED. I HAD SEVERAL ESTIMATES DONE & HAVE BEEN TOLD PARTS ALONE ARE APPROX $800 & LABOR AT LEAST $1000. AUGUST 9TH 2004 I CALLED THE WORLDWIDE SERVICE LINE AT FORD & WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOT A RECALL BUT A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM #01B78 THAT RAN FROM AUGUST 2001 THRU AUGUST 31 2002. I NEVER GOT ANYTHING. I TOLD THEM I DIDNT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT WHEN THEY KNOW FAULTY EQUIPMENT IS IN THE VEHICLE. THEY TOLD ME THE PROGRAM HAD EXPIRED. WHEN I TOLD THEM IN THEIR EYES NO ONE HAS DIED YET SO IT IS NOT SERIOUS ENOUGH TO ISSUE AN ACTUAL RECALL. THE REP ACKNOWLEDGED THIS STATEMENT SAYING I WAS CORRECT, THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. I TOLD THEM THEY ARE WRONG, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE, THE AIRBAG IS UNDER THAT DASH AND COULD DEPLOY. FORDS ONLY ANSWER TO ME WAS TO TAKE IT TO A CERTIFIED FORD DEALER IN MY AREA & HAVE THEM INSPECT IT. A TECH WILL TELL ME THE COST TO FIX. THEN IT WAS REPEATED THAT THE PROGRAM HAS EXPIRED. FORD IS NOT GOING TO DO A RECALL FOR EQUIPMENT THEY KNOW IS FAULTY & THEY ARE NOT GOING TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. I AM LEFT WITH AN UNSAFE VEHICLE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS THAT I FEEL I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. I DONT KNOW HOW MANY COMPLAINTS NEED TO BE MADE IN ORDER FOR A RECALL TO BE ISSUED BUT I HOPE IT DOESN'T TAKE SOMEONE ACTUALLY GETTING SERIOUSLY HURT OR A FATALITY FOR THEM TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.. THANKS LJR

CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD ON PASSENGER'S SIDE UNEXPECTEDLY CAME APART. THIS COULD CAUSE THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG TO GO OFF INADVERTENTLY. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. BUT AT THIS TIME IT EXPIRED DUE TO FACT THAT CONSUMER WAS THE SECOND OWNER. TIME ELAPSED FOR THIS RECALL AT THIS TIME. *AK

I HAVE NORMAL USE ON MY CAR AND ON JULY 26, 2004 MY AIR BAG LIGHT AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. I READ MY OWNER'S GUIDE TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE AND IT STATED THAT IF THESES PROBLEMS WAS TO OCCUR THAT I NEED IT TO BE SERVICE BY A QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN ON JULY 27, 2004 TO GET IT SERVICED. I INFORMED FORD THAT I SMELLED A WIRE BURNING, AND THAT I SAW A LITTLE PUFF OF SMOKE ON JULY 26, 2004 THAT CAME FROM UNDER MY DASH BOARD. I WAS INFORMED MY THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT THEY DID 3 DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON IT AND THEY STILL COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE ENDED UP DEADLY IF I WAS TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTIONS IN THE CAR. AS FAR AS WHAT IS BEING DONE IS BEYOND ME BECAUSE THEY STILL CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, AND WHAT PARTS ARE GOING TO BE NEEDED FOR THE REPAIRS ON MY CAR. I WOULD LIKE TO MATTER TO BE INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE SOMEONE GET HURT, AND THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR AIR BAG SYSTEM NOR EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT SYSTEM WORKING. *AK

CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER ON A RECALL FOR A CRACKING DASHBOARD ONE YEAR AGO, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM DID NOT APPEAR TO BE SERIOUS ENOUGH TO BE REPAIRED. CURRENTLY, THE DASHBOARD CRACKED AGAIN AND LIFTED UP, BLOCKING HEAT AND AIR. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, AND STATED THAT THE DATE FOR THE RECALL EXPIRED. HOWEVER, CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER TO SEE IF THEY WOULD REPAIR IT AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE. HOWEVER, DEALER WILL NOT REPAIR IT. *AK

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. THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT FORD WAS STILL USING THE DEFECTIVE PARTS WHEN MY CAR WAS BUILT IN 9/98. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PREVALENT PROBLEM AS FORD IS BACKORDERED ON REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR OVER A MONTH. IT IS MY FEELING AT THIS TIME THAT THE 1999 MODEL SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK

THIS IS NOT AN AESTHETIC COMPLAINT AS CLASSIFIED BY FORD MOTOR CORPORATION. DASHBOARD IS PEELING UP FROM BASE OF WINDSHIELD AND OBSTRUCTING DRIVERS VIEW, DEFROST PANEL IS NOW DISLODGED FROM DASHBOARD AND CREATING ADDITIONAL OBSTRUCTION OF DRIVER'S VIEW AND RENDERED NON FUNCTIONAL. THE RECESSION OF THE DASHBOARD IS NOW SEPARATING FROM THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT SECTION OF THE DASH. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW AND HAVE BEEN THE SOLE OWNER SINCE ITS PURCHASE IN JULY 1999 AND HAVE BEEN REFUSED ASSISTANCE. I CONTACTED FIRST THE FORD DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS IN FACT A RECALL ON THIS ITEM AND HAD SINCE EXPIRED AND WAS DIRECTED TO CALL FORD MOTOR CORPORATION DIRECTLY FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL. THE THREE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES THAT I HAVE SPOKEN TO OVER THE PAST 24-30 MONTHS EACH CONFIRMED THE RECALL AND NOTED 1) SINCE IT WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN AESTHETIC PROBLEM IT HAD AN EXPIRATION DATE ATTACHED IT AND 2) IT WAS SENT TO THE DEALERSHIPS TO EXPEDITE ON VEHICLES THAT CAME IN FOR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE VISITS. AGAIN, I WAS NOT NOTIFIED FROM EITHER THE DEALERSHIP AT THE TIME OF MY SERVICE VISITS OR FORD MOTOR CORPORATION WHEN THE RECALL WAS INITIATED. I HAVE REQUESTED SECOND OPINIONS FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES THAT ARE FORD CERTIFIED IN BODY REPAIR AND EACH NOTED THE RAMIFICATIONS OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE WITHOUT THE MANUFACTURER DEFECT CORRECTED IS AND NOT LIMITED TO A SPONTANEOUS DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG AND A RESULT OF A POTENTIALLY FATAL ACCIDENT FOR THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS, AND NOT EXCLUDING OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD THAT COULD INADVERTENTLY BE INVOLVED. IN MY RESEARCH OF THIS SITUATION I HAVE FOUND COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE WITH SIMILAR RESPONSES SINCE 2001.*AK