1999 Ford Contour

I AM AN ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1999 FORD CONTOUR SE SPORT. ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO THERE WAS A MAINTENANCE RECALL FOR THE CONTOUR'S DASH COMING UP DUE TO BAD GLUE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP AND FOUND THAT MY DASH WAS SO BAD IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AT THIS TIME ALSO. NOW MY DASH IS COMMING UP JUST LIKE IT DID BEFORE, EVIDENTLY THE DASH THEY REPLACED IT WITH STILL HAD THE DEFECTIVE GLUE IN IT. I CONTACTED FORD EXPLAINING THIS TO THEM AND FINDING OUT THAT THE MAINTENANCE ORDER HAD ENDED LAST YEAR. I TOLD THEM ABOUT IT BEING REPLACED AND DOING THE SAME THING IT DONE BEFORE WHILE ALSO EXPLAINING MY CONCERN ABOUT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG RELEASING AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THIS COULD VERY WELL HURT SOMEONE LIKE MYSELF WHO HAS HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY AND THEN HAD TO HAVE MY CHEST REWIRED DUE TO MY STERNUM NOT FUSING BACK TOGETHER CORRECTLY NOT TO MENTION WHAT THIS COULD DO TO ONE OF MY CHILDREN. THEY REFUSE TO REPAIR MY DASH EVEN THOUGH I DID WHAT THE LETTER TOLD ME AND COULDN'T HAVE AVOIDED THIS PROBLEM FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. I DIDN'T MAKE THE DASH NOR DID I MAKE THE GLUE, BUT I UPHELD MY RESPONSABILITIES. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY FORD AT THERE EXPENSE NOT MINE. *JB

DASHBOARD HAS WARPED UPWARD AND RIGID AIR PLASTIC GRIL POPPED OUT OF LOCATION. WARPING HAS BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER TIME AND IS BEGINNING TO OBSTRUCT LOWER EDGE OF WINDSHIELD AT CENTER OF DASH. DEALER SAYS THEY ARE AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT SERVICE BULLETIN AUTHORIZING REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THEY SAY CUSTOMER MUST PAY $1,400 TO REPLACE ENTIRE DAHBOARD TO EFFECT REPAIR. CAR IS 40 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ONLY 28,000 MILES.*AK

THE DASH BOARD ON MY 1999 CONTOUR HAS CURLED BACK AND THE VENT MECHANISM HAS COME OUT. NOW, THE DEFROSTER IS OBSTRUCTED AND DOES NOT DEFROST MY WINDSHIELD PROPERLY. MY WINDSHIELD HAS NOW CRACKED. THE DEALER SAID THIS WAS THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL, BUT THE RECALL IS NOW "EXPIRED".OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR: THE RADIO SPEAKERS HAVE FAILED. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WERE REPLACE UNDER MY WARRANTY, BUT NOW THAT I AM OUT OF THE WARRANTY, THE PASSENGER SIDE SPEAKERS ARE SHOT; THE DOME LIGHT DOES NOT TURN ON WHEN I OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR BUT IT DOES WHEN THE OTHER DOORS ARE OPENED; MY BLOWER MOTOR STOPPED WORKING AND I HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED, AND IT NOW SMELLS LIKE IT IS BURNING WHEN I USE IT.*AK

OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE DEFROSTER PANEL IN MY 1999 FORD CONTOUR HAS WARPED AND BECOME LOOSE. THE DEALER HAS FIXED THE COMPLAINT 5 TIMES, BUT THE RECURRENCE LEADS ME TO BELIEVE, THERE IS ESSENTIALLY A FLAW IN THE DESIGN. WHEN THE PANEL WARPS, THE AIR FROM THE DEFROSTER IS NOT DIRECTED PROPERLY AND DOES NOT DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD EFFICIENTLY, THUS LEADING TO A VISIBILITY HAZARD. *JB

1999 FORD CONTOUR W/ 2 LIT. ENGINE AND FACTORY INSTALLED/AUTHORIZED 8" BRAKE SYSTEM. SAFETY HAZARD: POTENTIAL LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO IMPROPERLY DESIGNED AND/OR FACTORY INSTALLED BRAKES. TRYING TO STEER THE CAR THROUGH EVASIVE MANEUVERS WHILE APPLYING BRAKES IS CAUSING THE CAR TO SHUDDER EXCESSIVELY. ON APX APRIL 7 I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON I-71 APX 1 MILE NORTH OF I-270. ACCIDENT APX 1/4 OF A MILE AHEAD FORCED EVERYONE TO SLAM ON BRAKES. CAR BEGAN TO SHUDDER EXCESSIVELY. HAD ANOTHER CAR CLOSE ON MY TAIL AND BEGAN TO POSITION MYSELF TO THE LEFT TO BAIL OUT INTO MEDIAN IF NECESSARY AND ANY STEERING ACTION OTHER THAN PERFECTLY STRAIGHT AHEAD CAUSED THE SHUDDERING TO BECOME EVEN MORE EXTREME. HAVEN'T EXPERIMENTED WITH RADICAL MANEUVERS WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES BUT I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE PRETTY. STARTING IN MARCH, 2003 I HAD NOTICED SLIGHT VIBRATION DRIVING. TOOK CAR IN TO FIRESTONE FOR ROUTINE BALANCE, ALIGNMENT AND ROTATION. AFTER WORK DONE THE CAR SHUDDERED NOTICEABLY WHENEVER BRAKES APPLIED, PARTICULARLY SLOWING DOWN THROUGH 45 MPH TO 30 MPH. RETURNED CAR TO SHOP AND THEY WORKED ON ROTORS AND DRUMS. THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT. TOOK CAR TO 2ND FIRESTONE AND HAD SENIOR MECHANIC INSPECT. REPLACED REAR DRUMS WITH NEW BUT PROBLEM PERSISTED, SO HE PUT OLD DRUMS BACK ON AND SUGGESTED TAKING TO FORD DEALER. TOOK CAR TO KRIEGER FORD. THEY REPEATED EXPERIMENT WITH NEW DRUMS WITH SAME RESULT. THEY CALLED FORD HOTLINE AND WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH 8" BRAKES. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS IS TO INSTALL FACTORY AUTHORIZED 9" BRAKE SYSTEM PER FORD SERVICE BULLETIN 0009007. IN OTHER WORDS FORD KNOWS IT HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE 8" BRAKES AS DESIGNED AND INSTALLED BY FORD BUT WANTS ME TO PAY TO ELIMINATE THIS SAFETY HAZARD. ALSO THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO HAVE CAUSED ALL OF MY RIMS TO BECOME SOMEWHAT WARPED, WITH ONE EXCESSIVELY WARPED. TOTAL COST IS $523 FOR PARTS, $323 FOR LABOR, $100 FOR NEW RIM. *NLM

I JUST BOUGHT A FORD CONTOUR AND THE DASHBOARD IS COMING UP AND IT COULD DEPLOY THE AIRBAG, SO WHAT IF ANYTHING IS SOMEONE GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS, AS YOU CAN SEE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM, I HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WAS A PROGRAM FOR THE DASHBOARD. IF IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM THEN IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ON IT. *NLM