Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| 12075 | 11/01/1998 | 613051 | Vehicles built prior to 6/16/98 may have a broken/detached ip clustr bezel gaphider. the hider is a hinged flap between the steering column shroud and the ip bezel. *mjs | 06/16/2000 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 01/20/2003 | |||
| While driving at any speed and without warning the steering wheel locked up. dealer notified. ts | |||
| 05/03/1999 | |||
| Steering problem has cost consumer alot of money. also, needs to replace the tires. *ak | |||
| 08/02/1999 | |||
| Consumer experienced steering problem at 61000. also, had to change tires and brakes. *ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 10/31/2003 | 74000 | 1 | |
| While driving 45 mph with foot on the accelerator pedal steering wheel locked up, then the vehicle stalled. consumer managed to pull over, and had vehicle towed have taken to dealership, but the problem was not resolved.*ak | |||
| 09/01/1998 | |||
| There is a short within the battery, and the consumer has to get someone to give her a jump. also, alarm system isn't working. when driving at any speed the vehicle is stalling and cutting off. dealer can't determine cause of the problem. *ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||
| 07/01/2002 | 110652 | 07/01/2000 | |
| The power steering line is routed under the front wheel drive axil and has rub a hole in the line. and has caused a leak. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | |||
| 02/19/2000 | 4 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Took my car in for rattling when driving and steering. they ordered tack shield and bolts. took it back in, they installed parts and said it didn't fix the problem. had to order rack and pinion. kept the car until that came in and installed it. a few days later it started squealing and smoking. took it back in and they said it was leaking power steering fluid but they didn't know why. they kept it for a week, decided it was a defective part and installed another rack and pinion. got it back and it was still rattling and now it has a low growl sound at an idle. took it back. they had to replace the idler pulley and the right swade bar link. the growl is still there but they're saying that is now normal. it is not normal. it was not there until they started screwing around in there. this car is a piece of junk! *ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 09/30/2004 | 1 | 06/12/2004 | |
| 22 yr. old son matt crashed his 1997 ford contour into utility pole-feels bearings caused him to lose control of steering. inner windshield driver's side post at corner came apart, plastic on interior-which stopped at top of post and wasn't connected to anything on inside of roof-popped out and lacerated his left eyeball. the eyeball interior was protruding and surgery was necessary to stitch the eyeball back together. he will eventually need a cornea transplant to get decent vision from that eye. the right eye sustained blunt trauma which caused a hematoma to develop which caused blindness until it's recent removal. restoration of eyesight in the right eye is a slow progress.*ak | |||
| 08/11/2003 | 2 | 04/01/1997 | |
| While driving, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering. this happened only while the road was wet. dealer stated it wasn't their problem. *ak in the past 6 years power steering froze twice during a severe rain storm. *scc *jb | |||
| 15 | 09/01/1997 | ||
| After driving through puddle, power steering assist is lost, drive belt squeals, and it becomes impossible to turn steering wheel for several seconds which causes lack of control. ford has issued a tsb on this problem, but will not pay for repair. *ak | |||
| 05/01/1997 | |||
| Vehicle in number of times for power assist going out when driving in rain or water. 2/99 acceleration lost while driving vehicle in traffic, no power. had vehicle in previous week before was supposedly repaired. | |||
| 09/09/1997 | |||
| When driving the vehicle in wet conditions, the power steering stops for about 3-5 seconds. when taken to the dealer on two occasions, dealer stated that the manufacturer is aware of the problem and working on a correction. *ak | |||
| 03/01/1998 | 1 | 03/19/1997 | |
| Power steering pressure switch failed causing fluid to leak, resulting in engine fire. | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 02/19/2000 | 4 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Took my car in for rattling when driving and steering. they ordered tack shield and bolts. took it back in, they installed parts and said it didn't fix the problem. had to order rack and pinion. kept the car until that came in and installed it. a few days later it started squealing and smoking. took it back in and they said it was leaking power steering fluid but they didn't know why. they kept it for a week, decided it was a defective part and installed another rack and pinion. got it back and it was still rattling and now it has a low growl sound at an idle. took it back. they had to replace the idler pulley and the right swade bar link. the growl is still there but they're saying that is now normal. it is not normal. it was not there until they started screwing around in there. this car is a piece of junk! *ak | |||
| 04/15/1999 | 01/01/1998 | ||
| This contour has a moderate steering/ hydraulic noise when turning at any time. ford acknowledged the defect during the warranty period. the dealer stated that the rack and pinion component would have to be replaced. then they changed their mind ford told dealer not to change the unit. stated that ford was working on a fix for problem. may take up to six months. i had a lawyer write a letter to ford asking for a buy back. they refused and stated that the noise was normal. well, which is it? a noise that a dealer was going to replace the unit to fix, that the ford engineering is suposedly working on, or a normal noise? my wife is scared to drive vehicle says the noise is getting worse. i thought steering system is a safety sensitive system. *ak | |||
| 06/15/1998 | 1 | 06/14/1997 | |
| Steering failure. | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 08/28/1997 | |||
| Driving approximately 45mph and attempting to change lanes, got into right lane and touched brakes lightly to steer car straight, steering locked up, couldn't steer left or right, steering stuck in slant position. pumping brakes and the brakes were not working. car ran into guardrail and flipped three times. air bag deployed. *ak | |||