Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||||
| 11820 | 08/01/1998 | 615317 | Subject regarding air bag restrain system changes. *tt | 01/13/2001 | |
| 4712 | 08/01/1998 | 615251 | Information on air bag restraint system changes. *tt | 01/10/2001 | |
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||||
| 9913139 | 08/01/1999 | 609052 | Some vehicles may experience a buzz or rattle type noise from the right side area of the instrument panel at the passenger air bag above the glove box. *tt | 12/07/1999 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 07/26/2004 | 0 | 2 | 02/19/2001 |
| 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 | |||
| 07/30/1999 | 15000 | 1 | 07/15/1999 |
| 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 | |||
| 12/29/2003 | 55000 | 1 | 08/04/2000 |
| Driver fell asleep at the wheel while driving and hit a house pole then a telephone pole. upon impact, both air bags failed to deploy. the driver sustained head and back injuries and was transported by ambulance to the hospital. vehicle was totaled. *ak | |||
| 06/07/2003 | 1 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Airbags did not deploy when rear ended. my car was pushed into intersection. damage to car was bumper, had to replace mud guards and attaching hardware. contacted ford about my concern they said that the force probably wasn't great enough. everyone i spoke with asked about the airbags and were suprised when they didn't deploy as the force was greater than 20 miles an hour. *ak | |||
| 07/05/2003 | 8 | ||
| Several items first the dash bowed in from both sides,a month after picking the car up the air conditioner went out the dealership said my problem, the tires were bad we replaced them they are bad all the time have to be replaced more then a normal tire should , the car broke down last year on the highway again my problem the rotors and other things were bad somthing i as a consumer would not have known about , cannot get car inspected because the horn does not work and cannot be fixed due to airbag again my problem o yes was in a finder binder airbag did not work minor injries , the drivers seat rocks the rear seat belt will not work more problems this car is worth nothing i on;y drive to and from work in it and the way it is falling apart youd think i travel across country in it ...this is not a good car to ever purchase will never buy from ford again!!! srb this prblems have been on going from 2000-2003. *ak | |||
| 13 | |||
| The vehicle had poor gas mileage. the drivers window jammed. the rubber piece around the frame of the right side rear passenger's seat constantly came off. the shoulder harness on driver's side and in the rear seats twisted and jammed. the dashboard cover came loose. the radio operated poorly. the trunk latch often required multiple pulls to open the trunk. the air bag light intermittently came on. while driving there was a whining/grinding noise. *ak *nlm | |||
| 02/22/2003 | 63235 | 2 | 07/30/2000 |
| I was in an accident and the seat belt on my three year old son's car seat came undone. it was the belt that goes from the car to the car seat. the car flipped and his seat went flying around in the car. the air bags never deployed when the car flipped and hit a dirt embankment. *jb | |||
| 01/16/2003 | 50000 | 1 | 06/06/2000 |
| While wearing my seat belt which i always check to be sure it is fastened i fell asleep at the wheel. i hit the left barrier and jerked the wheel. that is all i remember. when i woke up the car was upside down and i was laying on the roof on my stomach facing forward. the seat belt came unbuckled and the air bag did not deploy. it appears i was thrown into the empty passenger seat as it was broken. i am upset the belt came unbuckled. the car was a 1999 ford contour se. i had no buckle problems in the past. *jb | |||
| 02/05/2001 | 1 | 07/01/1999 | |
| While another vehicle was backing out of a parking space, consumer attempted to use his horn, however it was inoperable, dealer stated the air bag assembly at the top of the steering column was the faulty part. *jb | |||
| 12/01/2001 | 01/01/2000 | ||
| Windshield wipers will come on intermittently, and air bag light illuminates while driving, causing vehicle to stall and die. dealer has been notified. car was on fire which burned up fuse box. *ak | |||
| 04/12/2001 | 2 | 08/31/2000 | |
| Entire air bag system failed to deploy upon a full frontal impact. consumer noted that ford stated that vehicle's air bags are specified to deploy at 8 to 14 mph. consumer cannot start vehicle until moving steering wheel up and down with the key in ignition. consumer has contacted dealer. *ak seat belt failed also. *nlm | |||
| 07/15/1999 | 1 | 04/28/1999 | |
| No deployment of air bag during vehicle collision, resulting in back injury to consumer. mjs | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 01/14/2004 | 1 | ||
| Jan 2004, my son was driving my 1999 ford contour. he was involved in a roll over accident at a speed of approximately 70 mph. the vehicle rolled 1.5 times and never once did either of the air bags open. *nm | |||
| 12/03/2004 | 65000 | 1 | 10/15/2003 |
| On dec. 3, 2004 i was involved in an accident with my vehicle, 1999 ford contour, and an oncoming vehicle, a 1999 ford pick-up. i was going through a green light at an intersection doing 30-35mph when the truck went through his red light, plowing through the intersection. as a result, i hit (t-boned) his truck. the whole front end of my vehicle ran into the passengers side of his vehicle (he was doing 30mph at the very least). my air bag did not deploy as it should have. i hit my head on the steering wheel. when paramedics arrived i was then put in a neck brace, put on a backboard, and taken to the er. i did not suffer a concusion, injury was minor (hit head, approx 10 minute state of confusion about 5 minutes after collision, dizziness and saw spots about 30 min after collision), and i've only suffered a very sore neck and back. however,injuries sustained could have been much worse. i do not see any reason why the air bag should not have deployed. ford should be held responsible for this failure. since i was taken to the er i am not yet aware of all of the damage my vehicle has sustained; all i know is that the bumper was in the middle of the intersection, and the crumple zone did as it should- however, being that the front bumper was hit hard enough that it fell off and the crumple zone reacted, the air bag should have been activated. what can be done to determine why it did not, and can ford be held accountable in some manner?*ak | |||
| 09/30/2004 | 08/08/2002 | ||
| Car is leased to me and the dashboard is puckering near the airbag. when i turn on the heat the airbag pops like it's going to pop out. i was told there was a recall on them , because the dashboards do pucker, but i didn't receive the recall note the previous people who leased/ owned this car received the note. | |||
| 06/01/2001 | 12000 | 1 | 01/11/1999 |
| I own a 1999 ford contour with a horribly warped dashboard. there was never a recall, only a courtesy call to come to ford and have it fixed. i brought it into my local dealer, who did not have another dash to replace. they had to order it. when i called back several months later, they told me that time had expired and they sent the dash back to ford and there was nothing i can do. this warped dash is dangerous, interferes with my field of vision, the defroster won't work properly and now is interfering with the passenger side airbag. i want you to know about this early in case of an accident. this car was bought new in 1999 by me and only has 35k miles on it. *ak | |||
| 05/10/2003 | 99000 | 1 | 03/12/1999 |
| While sitting at a stop sign another vehicle rear ended the consumer's vehicle. in return, the consumer's vehicle rear ended a bus. upon impact, none of the airbags deployed.*ak *jb | |||
| 05/11/2003 | 1 | 10/12/2002 | |
| On may 11, 2003 i was injured in a car accident in my 1999 ford contour. my airbags did not deploy.*ak | |||
| 04/14/2003 | 1 | ||
| The vehicle was involved in a frontal collision, and the air bags failed to deploy. *jb | |||
| 07/12/2002 | |||
| When vehicle was involved in a frontal collision air bags did not deploy. dealer notified.*ak | |||
| 07/28/2002 | |||
| While at a complete stop a car moving about 20mph hit consumer's vehicle from behind, and air bags did not deploy, causing injuries.*ak | |||
| 03/16/2001 | |||
| Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision with another vehicle, speed was undetermined in which both air bags did not deploy. dealer / manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak | |||
| 07/02/2000 | 1 | 11/26/1999 | |
| During vehicle collision neither passenger nor drivers side air bag deployed. nlm | |||
| 07/02/2000 | |||
| Vehicle was involved in a head-on collision in which both air bags failed to deploy. estimated speed was not determined at that time. manufacturer notified.*ak | |||
| 10/13/1999 | 2 | 08/16/1999 | |
| Brakes failed and replaced within the first month, after repair accident occurred due to lack of braking ability, during collision no deployment of the air bag and the seat belt came loose. *mjs | |||
| 05/31/1999 | |||
| Going approx 30mph & swerved to avoid hitting a cat. left front wheel hit curb & both air bagss popped out & quickly deflated. broke windshield. was able to stuff air bags back in. will be taking vehicle to dealer to check & correct air bags. | |||
| 04/04/1999 | 2 | ||
| Air bags failed to deploy upon hard frontal impact with other vehicle. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 3 | 02/01/2005 | |
| Dt: the contact stated the dashboard warped. it touched the windshield, and was pulling the passenger's air bag piece. the air bag light came on a couple of days ago. the light has not been on since. he stated now that he was using the defroster, it was coming up more. often. the vehicle has not been inspected to see why this was occurring. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 10/13/2000 | 1 | 08/01/1999 | |
| The dealership admited that a technician left a wire loose when they installed a new motor in my car. they were repairing all damage due to the fire. they did not. my son had an accident 4 months later. when the airbags deployed, the passanger side airbag was burnt and melted, therefore never completely deploying. | |||