2000 FORD CONTOUR Electrical System Problems

INSTRUMENT PANEL WARPING, LOOSE BEZEL - THE WARPING MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT PERFORMANCE OF THE AIR BAG SYSTEM AND DOES CREATE LOOSE INSTRUMENT PANEL COMPONENTS (SUCH AS THE DEFROST BEZEL) THAT WAS A PROJECTILE DURING A QUICK STOP AT A RED LIGHT - FOR THOSE READING - I DO INCLUDE PERSONAL INFO - MY NAME IS [XXX] IF YOU COULD HELP WITH INFO RE THIS COMPLAINT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 98,000

VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER IN 2002 IN RESPONSE TO FORD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 01B78 TO ADDRESS POTENTIAL INSTRUMENT PANEL WARPING. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE WARPING AT THE TIME. THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WAS NO ISSUE AND NO SERVICE WAS REQUIRED. THROUGHOUT THE LAST YEAR, THE WARPING STARTED TO BECOME VISIBLE. EARLIER IN THE MONTH, THE WARPING APPLIED SO MUCH STRESS ON THE VENT COVER THAT THE COVER SNAPPED OUT AND LANDED IN THE FRONT SEATS. THE WARPING INCREASED GREATLY AND VISIBILITY IS REDUCED ON OBJECTS CLOSE TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD CONTOUR. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE STARTER OF THE VEHICLE ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. A FIRE WAS STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP; THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO MALFUNCTION. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 186,887. UPDATED 09/19/07 *TR

Mileage: 186,887

FOAM PADDING ON INSTRUMENT PANEL CURLED BACK FROM DASHBOARD/INSTRUMENT PANEL SO AS TO PARTIALLY BLOCK LINE OF VISION ALONG THE LOWER WINDSHIELD, TO BLOCK AND DISRUPT THE AIR FLOW FROM THE DEFROSTER. PROBLEM STARTED APPROXIMATELY 10/2003 AND HAS GOTTEN PROGRESIVELY WORSE.*AK

Mileage: 38,000

FORD CONTOUR 2000 WITH ONLY 60,000 MILES ON IT..IGNITION FROZE UP AND NEEDS $300-500 WORTH OF REPAIRS TO FIX IT.. IN CHECKING CONSUMER COMPLAINTS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CONTOUR AND THE FOCUS..THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFAULT AND COSTING CONSUMERS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND FORD HAS DONE NOTHING TO RECALL THIS VEHICLE AND FIX IT PROPERLY......THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP IN AND FORCE THIS ISSUE.....

Mileage: 60,000

ON 09/09/2004 THE WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME IN OUR 2000 FORD CONTOUR 2.0 LITER WHEN THE AC AND RADIO SHUT OFF, THE SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING AND ELECTRIC WINDOWS OPERATED SLOW. SHE MADE IT TO THE DRIVEWAY WHEN THE CAR SHUT ITSELF OFF. IT WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL IT SET FOR A FEW HOURS. NEXT MORNING SHE MADE ALL BUT 100 FEET OF 1 MILE TO A LOCAL GARAGE, WHO SAID ALT IS PUTTING OUT 12 VOLTS WHEN IT SHOULD BE AT 14, BUT ALT MAY BE OK. THE IDIOT LIGHTS IN THE DASH WILL NOT LIGHT UP WHILE STARTING THE CAR. GARAGE THINKS A SHORT TO THE IDIOT DASH LIGHTS IS WHERE THE MISSING 2 VOLTS IS GOING, BUT THEIR NOT SURE. THEY NEVER SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. ALL FUSES AND CONNECTIONS SEEM OK. GARAGE CHARGED UP BATTERY TO DRIVE 1 MILE BACK HOME. ELECTRIC SHOP WILL LOOK AT IT MONDAY. ELECTRIC SHOP SAID THERE HAS BEEN PROBLEMS OF CONNECTIONS IN BACK OF THE FUSE BOX BURNING OPEN. I LOOKED; NO BURNT CONNECTIONS, AND METER SAID ALT CONNECTIONS ARE GOOD. *AK

Mileage: 41,650

I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE AT 88,000 MILES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AT AN AUCTION. THE FED GOV. IS REQUIRED TO MEET MANUFACTURER STANDARDS ON MAINTENANCE. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE HAS HAD MAJOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHICH NUMEROUS MECHANICS CAN NOT FIX. THERE IS A VOLTAGE DRAIN, WHICH MAKES FUSES BLOW. THE CRUISE CONTROL, BLINKERS, AND AC DON'T WORK, AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK WITHOUT USING A MANUAL OVERRIDE. *AK

Mileage: 90,000

Y FUEL PUMP FAILED ON MAY 21, 2003. CAR TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP (MILEAGE 41,711). MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY, TOTAL COST TO CONSUMER FOR REPAIR: $463.80. DEALERSHIP THAT COMPLETED REPAIRS ADVISED THAT FUEL FILTER ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED OR WARRANTY ON NEW FUEL PUMP WOULD BE VOIDED. THIS WAS THE SECOND FUEL PUMP TO FAIL. ORIGINAL FUEL PUMP FAILED ON JUNE 6, 2001 (MILEAGE:8,884). MANUFACTURER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP DID NOT INSTALL NEW FUEL FILTER. MARCH 28, 2003 ALTERNATOR FAILED (MILEAGE: 38,307). MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY. COST TO CONSUMER FOR REPAIR: $377.36. (ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 31, 2003 (MILEAGE 35,290) CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE EXAMINED DUE TO BATTERY LIGHT HAVING COME ON FROM TIME TO TIME. FORD TSB 15830 ADVISES THAT THE LIGHTING OF THE BATTERY LAMP MAY INDICATE THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN FACT OPERATING PROPERLY. THIS SERVICE BULLETIN MAY HAVE LEAD THE FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO NOT CONSIDER THAT THERE WAS IN FACT A MORE COSTLY PROBLEM (I.E. ALTERNATOR FAILURE).)*AK

WHILE TRAVELING 70 MPH DASH INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN AND THEN STALLED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. A TECHNICIAN TRACED THE PROBLEM TO THE FUEL TANK. *AK

WHILE DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC VEHICLE STALLED. DEALER HAD DIFFICULTY IN DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM, AND CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER FOR ANY RECOMMENDATIONS. THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT VEHICLE STALLED DUE TO A MALFUNCTION IN THE WIRING HARNESS. *AK

Mileage: 84,000

I HAVE A FORD CONTOUR 2000. I BOUGHT IT TWO YEARS AGO, AND IT HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF FORD REPAIR SHOP SINCE I HAVE IT. HAD TROUBLE WITH FUSE IN DRIVER DOOR-FUSE BURNED AND SHIFT WAS HARD TO PUT INTO GEAR;CRUISE,BLINKERS,AC AND HEAT DID NOT WORK.AND FOR A YEAR NOW,IT IS STALLING. DEALER HAS REPLACED WIRE HARNESS FROM WIRES TO GAS TANK. WORKED WITHOUT STALLING FOR FEW MONTHS,NOW IS STALLING AGAIN. DOES NOT STALL WITH DEALER-DEALER CANNOT FIND CAUSE. ALSO, DASHBOARD HAS WARPED AND DEFROSTER GRILL HAS POPPED UP.AS OF TODAY, DEFROSTER STILL WORKS.

I HAVE A FORD CONTOUR 2000. I BOUGHT IT TWO YEARS AGO, AND IT HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF FORD REPAIR SHOP SINCE I HAVE IT. HAD TROUBLE WITH FUSE IN DRIVER DOOR-FUSE BURNED AND SHIFT WAS HARD TO PUT INTO GEAR;CRUISE,BLINKERS,AC AND HEAT DID NOT WORK.AND FOR A YEAR NOW,IT IS STALLING. DEALER HAS REPLACED WIRE HARNESS FROM WIRES TO GAS TANK. WORKED WITHOUT STALLING FOR FEW MONTHS,NOW IS STALLING AGAIN. DOES NOT STALL WITH DEALER-DEALER CANNOT FIND CAUSE. ALSO, DASHBOARD HAS WARPED AND DEFROSTER GRILL HAS POPPED UP.AS OF TODAY, DEFROSTER STILL WORKS.

MOLDED DASHBOARD WAS SHRINKING AND LIFTING OFF OF THE FRAME . CONSUMER WAS AFRAID THAT AIR BAGS WOULD DEPLOY PREMATURELY IF THE SHRINKING PERSISTED. MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK

Mileage: 102,000

DASHBOARD IS COMING APART FROM FRAME. FORD TOLD THE CONSUMER IT WAS A RECALL. AFTER TWO TO THREE MONTHS PAST THERE WAS NO PART AVAILABLE FOR THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE. *MR *CB

CONSUMER STATES HIS AUTO WILL NOT RUN WHEN IT GETS HOT. HE HAS HAD IT TESTED AND IT IS SHOWING NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE AUTO, HE HAS HAD IT TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALER. HE WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS SOME WIRING IN THE FUSE BOX THAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. NLM

WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT TODAY MY 2000 SE STARTED MAKING NOISE - TURNED OUT TO BE THE STARTER RUNNING. TOOK THE KEY OUT AND THE STARTER CONTINUED CRANKING THE ENGINE. WAS ABLE TO DASH TO THE TRUNK, RETRIEVE PLIERS AND DISCONNECT THE BATTERY CABLES BEFORE THE CAR STARTED BURNING. THE WIRES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WERE SMOKING BY THIS TIME. TURNED OUT THAT THE MAIN POSITIVE CABLE HAD CHAFED THROUGH AGAINST THE STARTER SOLENOID WIRE A FEW INCHES AWAY FROM THE BATTERY TERMINAL. THIS IS RIGHT WHERE THE CABLE MAKES A 90 DEGREE BEND AROUND THE TOP OF THE BATTERY BOX. FOUND THE OTHER 2 RED WIRES OF THE TERMINAL ALSO SHOWING SIGNS OF INSULATION WEAR AT THE BEND. AFTER TEARING THE SOLENOID WIRE APART FROM THE MAIN CABLE AND TAPING EVERYTHING UP, I TRIMED THE TOP OF THE BATTERY BOX LOWER AND REPOSITIONED THE WIRING TO AVOID THE SAME THING HAPPENING AGAIN.*AK

WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT TODAY MY 2000 SE STARTED MAKING NOISE - TURNED OUT TO BE THE STARTER RUNNING. TOOK THE KEY OUT AND THE STARTER CONTINUED CRANKING THE ENGINE. WAS ABLE TO DASH TO THE TRUNK, RETRIEVE PLIERS AND DISCONNECT THE BATTERY CABLES BEFORE THE CAR STARTED BURNING. THE WIRES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WERE SMOKING BY THIS TIME. TURNED OUT THAT THE MAIN POSITIVE CABLE HAD CHAFED THROUGH AGAINST THE STARTER SOLENOID WIRE A FEW INCHES AWAY FROM THE BATTERY TERMINAL. THIS IS RIGHT WHERE THE CABLE MAKES A 90 DEGREE BEND AROUND THE TOP OF THE BATTERY BOX. FOUND THE OTHER 2 RED WIRES OF THE TERMINAL ALSO SHOWING SIGNS OF INSULATION WEAR AT THE BEND. AFTER TEARING THE SOLENOID WIRE APART FROM THE MAIN CABLE AND TAPING EVERYTHING UP, I TRIMED THE TOP OF THE BATTERY BOX LOWER AND REPOSITIONED THE WIRING TO AVOID THE SAME THING HAPPENING AGAIN.*AK

CAR RETURNED TO SHOP SECOND INCIDENT MAY 4 FAILURE TO START SHOP COULDNT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. *AK