Your vehicle report
1997 Ford Contour
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 218
- Received Nov 1996 to Feb 2013
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Vehicle catches fire from wiring8 complaints · 3.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Check engine light comes on repeatedly8 complaints · 3.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Air conditioner blows hot air or fails8 complaints · 3.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #01V230000On certain my 1996-1998 passenger vehicles built at the kansas city, cuautitlan assembly plants or on my 1999 passenger vehcles built at the automotive alliance international assembly plants, the rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector. The damage could, over time, cause increased resistance in the connector and, due to subsequent terminal relaxation, result in an open circuit condition.
- Recall #00V075000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (ABS). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 11 crashes, 10 fires, 10 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 |
| 1997 | 8 |
| 1998 | 15 |
| 1999 | 46 |
| 2000 | 39 |
| 2001 | 44 |
| 2002 | 20 |
| 2003 | 18 |
| 2004 | 8 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 218 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 8 | 3.7% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 8 | 3.7% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 8 | 3.7% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Gear shifter fails to register Park | 6 | 2.8% | – | NHTSA recall #98V233000 |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 5 | 2.3% | – | NHTSA recall #97V203000 |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 3 | 1.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #01V230000July 9, 2001342,962 vehicles affected
electrical system
On certain my 1996-1998 passenger vehicles built at the kansas city, cuautitlan assembly plants or on my 1999 passenger vehcles built at the automotive alliance international assembly plants, the rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades Can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector. The damage could, over time, cause increased resistance in the connector and, due to subsequent terminal relaxation, result in an open circuit condition.
The open circuit could lead to electrical arcing that could melt the connector housing material creasing the potential for a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new heater blower resistor and a new wire jumper harness. Owner notification began august 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA recall #00V075000March 9, 2000436,200 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (ABS). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
If both pcrv's malfunction, vehicle handling could be adversely affected during braking as a result of the rear wheels locking, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install improved pcrv's in the rear brake system. This recall was expanded in september 2000 to include 1999 and 2000 Ford Contour, mercury mystique and cougar vehicles.
NHTSA recall #99V103000May 5, 1999605,581 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: headlights: switch
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The terminals at the headlight switch and wiring harness connector Can experience heat damage as a result of overheating.
The damage could result in distortion of the terminal causing an open circuit in the instrument panel illumination, parking lamp, and tail lamp circuits.
Remedy
Dealers will install a headlamp switch wiring connector containing bronze terminals and an inspection, and replacement if necessary, of the headlamp switch.
NHTSA recall #98V233000September 18, 1998175,000 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The floor shift automatic transmission control Can be damaged if subjected to certain interior cleaning products. The gear position indicator Can deteriorate and not correctly indicate the actual gear position.
This condition Can result in incorrect gear selection.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the automatic transmission floor shift control.
NHTSA recall #97V203000November 17, 19971,800 vehicles affected
fuel system, other: storage
Vehicle description: bi-fuel vehicles modified to run on either gasoline or compressed natural gas (cng). The natural gas fuel tanks have a solenoid shut-off valve that stops fuel flow from the fuel tank in the event of certain moderate to severe collisions. If the vehicle is in a collision and the natural gas fuel line is damaged, the system could leak natural gas.
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Remedy
Ford has requested owners of these vehicles to have the cng fuel system disabled under a previous recall campaign and to only use gasoline fuel until a permanent corrective action is developed. Owners are being alerted to this solenoid valve concern at this time. The timing of corrective actions is being delayed to allow both conditions to be remedied at one time. In the meantime, there is not risk as long as the natural gas system has been disabled and the vheicle is only operated on gasoline.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1997 Ford Contour.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN