Problems with 1999 Ford Contour STRUCTURE

Rear frame, suspension rusted completely into an went out of control and threw me into ditch. this is completely not acceptable. i have 1960's cars %100 better than this . i know this is a 1999 but this is completely unacceptable. can anything be done.

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford contour. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle started to wobble. the contact noticed that the rear frame was rusted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

The fuel tank strap is completely corroded away, and the fuel tank is ready to fall off. the protective coating is defective and has completely fallen off, causing the fuel strap to be eaten away by rust and corrosion. the fuel tank is going to fall off eventually. the fuel filler neck and emission fittings at the tank, are corroding badly too. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford contour. the contact was driving 15 mph when the vehicle started to sway from side to side and exhibited a loud, abnormal noise. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the rear sub-frame was completely corroded and advised the contact to call the manufacturer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 107,000.

I was never notified of any recalls. i have had to pay out of pocket expenses lost control of vehicle replaced starter and brakes several times feels like suspension is falling apart and never notified i have small and older children shameful. these events starting taking place when i purchased the vehicle in 1999 arm control 3 times replaced i was lied to by ford and said i must of hit a bump bump my bump 3 times almost dead. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford contour. approximately six months ago, the contact noticed that the dashboard was falling apart in her vehicle. the failure occurred without warning. she first noticed the issue when the defrost vent was beginning to push outward due to the bending of the dashboard. when the glove box is opened, it falls to the floor because the entire dashboard has shifted. there was no impact to the outside or passenger compartment of the vehicle prior to the failure. the failure mileage was 40,090.

The dashboard windshield air/defrosting vent cover below the windshield popped off and the dashboard padding has pealed up blocking windshield/forward visibility. this has caused the vehicle to fail the virginia safety inspection. all remedies we have tried have only seem to provide temporary relief. i have pictures. i have talked to several other contour owners who have the same problems and i have seen contours in parking lots with similar conditions. additionally, i was told this was identified in a past safety recall. this is a safety hazard resulting from defective materials and poor design. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford contour. the contact stated the entire top of the dashboard curled upward. the damaged dashboard caused problems with the defrost and air conditioner, because the windshield would not defrost. the contact plans to take the vehicle to the dealer. the contact was concerned about the safety issue because it was hard to see out of the window whenever it rained or the weather conditions were chilly. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 170,000.

I have a 1999 ford contour sport v6. my motor/tranmission mounts keep failing a have replaced numerous times. causing many engine issues. have taken several mechanics, even dealership. been told this is a manufacturing fault. why has nhtsa not made a recall. to make the company fix their mistake or at least a way to keep mounts from failing. all i keep getting is "thats just how its made". when coparing the frod replacement part to those sold at my local auto parts store its the same thing. so as far as i can tell there is no improvement made to parts. had my trans mission replaced-the transmission leaked-they noted that the leak was do to failed mounts. *tr

I contacted ford to find out recall information on the 1999 ford contour which dashboard was curling up and forward. i was told that this voluntary recall expired in 2002, and that it was not a safety issue. therefore , it will not be fixed, and i would need to pay. i wish to state that it should be a safety problem as it is curling up and forward in the windshield. when it curls up it causes obstruction to the driver's view. please if you would like i would be happy to take pictures. this car was becoming a safety hazard for me, and i will not be able to drive or sell it. to fix it would be more than the car was worth. therefore, because they did not want to take responsibility i will be out of a vehicle. *ak

Warped panel. *jb

Dashboard is warped and in cold weather warps and has warped even worse. it obstructs the driver's view, potentially decreases flow from defrosting vents, and the view is additionally obstructed as the plastic vent cover across the dash as it is no longer retained by the warped material. airbags may project pieces in case of deployments as cracks are visible in the dash.

In july 2002, i purchased a 1999 ford contour from a ford dealer. the vehicle was a ford certified pre-owned vehicle. within six months of the purchase, the dash began to warp causing the defrost vent cover to pop out and not fit correctly. the ford dealer never made me aware of a ford customer satisfaction program (#01b78). also, i never received any notification from ford. over the past four years the dash has continued to warp badly. the warping has become so bad it could interfere with the operation of the passenger airbag. also, part of the dash is covering the defrost vent. i think ford needs to re-open the offer to repair this defect for safety reason. i agree with the petitioner in nhtsa action number dp06004, that ". . . improperly retained instrument panel components can be detrimental to the desired performance of front air bag deployments as well as become projectiles during air bag deployments." *nm

The front dash will warp, preventing proper air flow for the defroster to work on the front windows, creating a safety concern. also, as the dash warps upwards, the visibility of the driver greatly diminishes, creating a safety concern. i have been told by 2 ford dealerships that this is a problem that many have experiences with the contour, however, there is no recall on it, which seems strange because there is a very valid safety concern present. ford acknowledges the problem and offered a one time repair/replacement of the dash, which doesn't solve the problem if dash keeps warping. *nm

1999 vehicle, in a 6 year period, the dash warped and came unglued. this resulted in a very unattractive appearance, a non working defroster, and a dash that doesn't fit properly. i had to buy a $80.00 kit and physically remove the entire dash from the car to install a repair kit that ford no longer warrants to their customers. ford charges 2 hours labor at $85.00/hour, plus the $100.00 kit. it took me over 4 hours to do the install, and it still does not completely fix the dash. *nm