Problems with 1999 Ford Contour POWER TRAIN

2 major powertrain failures. timing belt pulley broke at 68,000 miles. $600 to repair. automatic transmission broke at 85,000 miles. both occurred out of the blue. car has always been treated gently, all fluids have been changed consistently, and all routine maintenance has been completed on time. transmission must be replaced or rebuilt with a price tag of $2k-$3k. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford contour. while driving 40mph, the rear axle broke. the contact crashed into a tree. the weather was not a factor. the car was destroyed. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved due to a broken axle. the vin and engine size are not available. the current and failure mileage were 42,000.

I have a 1999 ford contour i bought it and 6 months later the timing belt went out this cost me $800.00 out of pocket after the warranty paid their part. drove it another 3 months when it stalled out and started sputtering i replaced the plugs, wires, ignition control box, and fuel filter and found a hose that had a hole in it from being melted after replacing all of that found the transmission to be leaking and no way to get to it easily. still ran crappy took it to a garage and was told they could not figure it out brought it home and it won't run anymore it still does not run not sure what else to do had to buy another vehicle to get to and from work while still paying on this one and can not use it anymore. this is my second ford and i will not ever get another one. and with all this going on when the mechanic shut the back passenger the glass shattered and it was shut normally. also the radio has issues. *tr

The transmission on my ford contour went out after just 70,000 miles. of course it was after the warranty had ended. i did some research and found that other contours were experiencing the same problem. ford did not recall and i paid 3000 dollars for ford to replace it. along with the starter. also the battery for the car is an international battery which is for bmw's and "international" vehicles. ford is american yet made a car that needed an international battery. so a year and a half after the transmission was replaced sears has informed me that the transmission is leaking fluid and recommends i not drive the vehicle any more. while that happened the alternator went out on it. this car is junk and ford knows it!! yet they have done nothing about it!!! *nm

While driving the vehicle on the highway, it lost power and would not respond to the gas pedal. i had to steer it to the shoulder and after a while it responded long enough for me to take it to a service station where it was diagnosed to have a defective fuel pump and flywheel. *nm

Well i had the worst experience ever in my life since i bought this car. i had this car repaired so many time i cant start to name off dates. i do know less than 6 months after i bought this car i drove to the beach less than 30 minutes always and it cut off. it started back up, but cut off 4 time before i got home. next day i had to take it to the dealer to repair it. since i had this car it has been nothing but a burden. i had to replace the ball joint once before, and as i write this letter it is being done again for a 2nd time. my heat and air stop working. heat only works on high, and my defrost take for ever to clear my windows. my door just wont stay closed it pops open while driving. on my passengers side on the floor. it gets soaked with rain everything. if its rainy and im driving my car makes a loud scratching noise. my brakes have to be changed every 3-4 months. shocks gave out less than a year after buying my car. my engine light wont go off. i took my car to over 3 ford dealers and many shops, and no can say why the light keep popping on. so today i dropped my car off to the shop to have brakes,door,engine light, ball joints and to see why the over drive off light keep blinking while im driving. this is the worst car ever made by ford. i know its nothing on my behalf why this car is so horrible because is know 4 other people who have or had the same problems as me. they were smart enough to get rid of this piece of '!@#$%, i just cant afford it. well i know this summer if i do have the pleasure and jungian this car, im going to push it off a bridge myself, and never ever by a ford again. i think ford should be assumed for putting out such a bad model. how dare u try and make a quick buck instead of building a reliable car for families. *ak

The tail lights became inoperable after four replacements. also, the windshield wipers did not work in low gear, and the running lights malfunctioned. *ak the electrical connector splice from the headlight switch opened. (the right side tail light was inoperative) the tail lights, front running lamps were out again, a fuse was bad and found some more wires in the trunk wired incorrectly, the dashboard lights and the license plate tail lights worked intermittently, there was a wiring short in the harness in the cowl area, there was a blown fuse in the exterior lighting, on another occasion, the #33 fuse was found open, the sunroof was inoperative due to a shorted motor, bad drive gear and two cables. *sc *jb

Dt: the consumer could hear the radiator coming on/over and over again. previously it overheated in june 2004. when the consumer took vehicle to dealer for repairs they changed the thermostat, added more water to the radiator, and something else in the transmission area. when the consumer picked up the vehicle the problem recurred. afterwards, there was a rattling noise coming from the dashboard. they told her that it was due to a bracket that broke.. dealer replaced the radio. the consumer stated that the air conditioner was no longer working properly since they replaced the radio. also, the dashboard was loosening and there were wires showing. the front driver's side window knob came off. these were the only known problems with the vehicle at this time. there had been no accidents concerning these issues. *ak

While vehicle was parked it started on it own without keys being in ignition. had to remove battery cable.*ak

While shifting vehicle from park into reverse vehicle will shift itself into neutral, and not allow consumer to move.*ak when coming to a sudden stop, the vehicle shifts itself into neutral. the vehicle vibrates when going at speeds between 50 and 65 miles per hour. a leak was found in the transmission that caused damage after driving around with low fluid. *jg

I took car back the next morning after purchase, dealer claims there is nothing he can do, the engine light has been on since day one and i have taken it back twice, they replaced the differential sensor, it went off for about 10 mins and has been on ever since. now everything else seems to be going wrong with this car.

Transmission shifts from drive to neutral and into any gear while driving at any speed. vehicle has not been inspected by dealer.*ak

Vehicle is making clunking noise that was coming from underneath hood. back lights were not working. o dealership was aware of problem.*ak

The decorative plastic piece came off the dashboard shortly after the vehicle was purchased. the dealer put it back,but the piece continued coming off and it was put back again. the manufacture was not helpful to correct the defect. *yh *cb

When consumer steered to the left vehicle pulled more than intended. dealer inspected the vehicle & found nothing wrong.*ak the steering problem is caused by bad front end alignment. the transmission failed. broken motor mount was found. the heater failed too. *yh

I have had car in shop 4 different times,they changed to rotors and brakes the first time at 3,000 miles.they claim the rotors were warped from the factory. the next 2 times they claim the car is fine,the last time ( car is still in the shop since 2/15/00 this is written to you 3-09-00) they are replacing the front rotors and brakes again, they say they are replacing the defrost switch and a wiring harness,the engine drivetrain they don't know???. i have lost time at work and i don't fell safe in the car. i refuse to take my "family" anywhere in this car!!!!!.

Local ford dealer replaced transmission line and installed it wrong and damaged it. had to be replaced again. have receipt to prove it

I have never received any recall notices, but i need to know if there are any. i have a 1999 ford contour, purchased new, one owner, where the dash is curling back, the headlamps collect moisture, the tail lamp has been replaced repeatedly, and now the torque converter is showing up on a read-out. i have asked over the years about the problems, and i've always been told they are not manufacture issues, but current readings suggest otherwise. i really need to get these items corrected if there have been recalls. *tr

Automatic gear shift lever does not perform as stated in the manual, the thumb button does not need to be pressed to change gears, the gear moved from drive to neutral with just a brushing movement forward while driving. mjs