Ford Contour Structure Problems
Owners have filed 226 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the Ford Contour across 7 model years. The 1999 model year has the most (93). The words owners use most often: “dash board” (8% of reports).
- 226structure complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 5mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,600typical repair cost reported by owners
- 52%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.
- Dash board: mentioned in 18 of 226 complaints (8%)
- Dashboard warped: mentioned in 17 of 226 complaints (8%)
- Poor visibility: mentioned in 12 of 226 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical structure repair on the Ford Contour at $1,600, and half of them between $820 and $2,650.
Based on 9 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2003–2007), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 74 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 226 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 5 an injury.
Ford Contour structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Contour | 2 | 50% | 36,000 |
| 2000 Contour | 79 | 40% | 46,000 |
| 1999 Contour | 93 | 22% | 50,000 |
| 1998 Contour | 18 | 2% | 128,000 |
| 1997 Contour | 5 | 2% | — |
| 1996 Contour | 15 | 3% | — |
| 1995 Contour | 14 | 2% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists structure for the Ford Contour. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Dashboard is delaminating and peeling upward interfering with air bag deployment, defrosters and visibility. Ford has ongoing issues with this same problem on other ford products. I feel this is definitely a safety issue and quality issue. *tr
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…
I had just got on interstate when my car started cutting out. I immediately put my flashers on & tried to get in the left lane so i could get on shoulder of interstate but cars would not allow me to get over. My car died in middle of interstate. I called asap (a service in alabama for help on the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Contours have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 226 owner complaints about structure for the Ford Contour. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford Contour structure?
No recall currently lists structure for this vehicle.
How much does it cost to fix structure problems on the Ford Contour?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,600 (half paid between $820 and $2,650), from 9 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about structure problems on the Ford Contour?
The most frequent phrase is “dash board”, in 18 of 226 complaints, followed by “dashboard warped” (17).
Other Ford Contour problems
See all Ford Contour problems.