1998 Ford Contour Suspension Problems
Owners have filed 102 complaints with NHTSA about suspension problems on the 1998 Ford Contour, 12% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 79,405 miles. The words owners use most often: “coil spring” (44% of reports).
- 102suspension complaints
- 79,405median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 21%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Coil spring: mentioned in 45 of 102 complaints (44%)
- Punctured tire: mentioned in 7 of 102 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do suspension problems happen?
Based on 32 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 102 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Ford Contour suspension complaints by model year
| Model year | Suspension complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Contour | 4 | 2% | 27,201 |
| 1999 Contour | 32 | 8% | 75,785 |
| 1998 Contour | 102 | 12% | 79,405 |
| 1997 Contour | 17 | 8% | 123,000 |
| 1996 Contour | 38 | 7% | 78,000 |
| 1995 Contour | 83 | 9% | 93,598 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Suspension:front:springs:coil springs
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles built at the kansas city assembly plant and originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, and wisconsin, and the district of columbia. The front coil springs may fracture as a result of corrosion in high corrosion environments. Depending on the location of the fracture, a broken spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire.
Risk: Some tires have deflated due to contact with a broken spring.
Fix: Dealers will install spring catcher brackets. Owner notification began october 23, 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 1-866-436-7332.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Vehicle won't pass inspection due to a Broken or cracked coil spring front passenger side. It was in a recall that we never received notification. And I don't feel like we should be out over $200 to get it licensed.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. The contact stated that he parked his vehicle overnight and the next morning his front left spring had snapped in half. The contact stated that his tire was punctured as well. He contacted the dealer and they were unable to do anything for him. The current…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford contour. The contact stated that the front driver's and passenger side coil springs came out of the spring catcher bracket while changing the tires. If a tire were there, it would have burst. The vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 01v255000. The…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Ford Contours have suspension problems?
No. NHTSA has 102 owner complaints about suspension for the 1998 Ford Contour (12% of the 846 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Ford Contour suspension?
Yes: 1 safety recall list suspension. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do suspension problems start?
The median reported mileage is 79,405 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about suspension problems on the 1998 Ford Contour?
The most frequent phrase is “coil spring”, in 45 of 102 complaints, followed by “punctured tire” (7).
Other 1998 Ford Contour problems
See all 1998 Ford Contour problems or suspension problems across all Contour years.