Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1995 Ford Contour owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt*: the contact stated while driving away from a stop sign, the gas pedal became stuck, the engine raced and the vehicle accelerated. The contact turned the ignition off and pulled off of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealership where they determined the problem was with vehicle speed control: cables. There is an NHTSA recall, # 97V225000, regarding the vehicle speed control: cables. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. Updated 1/17/2007 -
Took off from intersection and the vehicle continued to accelerate at high speed pulling to the right. The vehicle went off road. Pulling hard consumer managed to go to left, then still at high acceleration speed. Vehicle pulled back to the right, tipping over on the driver's side, and vehicle had completely turned around, facing the other direction. Consumer had to be cut out of vehicle and treated at local hospital.
The engine RPM's do not drop fast enough to enable a smooth gear change. I complained about this problem when the car was new but they said nothing was wrong. Now it has 125000 on it and still does the same thing. The engine RPM's do not drop fast enough to enable a smooth gear change. If you try to change gears before the engine has slowed down the gears will grind. You have to hold the clutch in for 3 - 4 seconds before you are able to make a smooth gear change. If you are trying to accelerate up to highway speeds and have to wait so long in between shifts it is hard to accelerate smoothly and quickly which can get a person rear ended around here while attempting to enter the interstate. Also the heat that comes from under the hood is very hot, and has caused the paint on the hood to start cracking. …
Recall 97V225000 was performed 03/27/1998. The cabel failed and Ford did not have the part in stock. Projected date is June 2000. I suspect that the recall did not fix the original problem. Part #f5rz-9775-aa was replaced with recall and part number f5rz-9a758-a failed. With 38000 potential cars impacted a lot of lives could be at stake. The NHTSA database shows this problem has occurred after the recall was performed. Ford unwilling to be of any help and has no sympathy for cars that could be inoperable for 3 months. The fact that the parts are not in stock tells me that this May be a problem that is being pushed under the carpet. Ford May not have the parts because too many of these cables are breaking even after the recall. The recall was done two years ago. The excuse that we are in the middle of a recall on these cars does not explain why the parts are not available.
This vehicle was subject of recall for throttle link cable. Ignition/plug cables also failed and had to be replaced. The speedometer/odometer cable that failed failed because of a link. This leads to a question about the overall fitness of cables that Ford is using on this vehicle. I've never before heard of a non-traumatic failure of a speedometer/odometer cable at under 100,000 miles. I am not sure of dates or mileage as submitted. This happened a while ago, and I only saw notification of your website on a public bus this evening (8 feb). Please investigate and let me know if this is a common problem. I've long since replaced the speedometer/odometer cable and have learned my lesson. Never again will I buy a Ford motor company product.
I bought this car in November of 1997 with 36000 miles on it almost 2 years later I am approaching 60000 miles and it seems the car is breaking down surely the car was made to last longer than this the driving that has been done has been easy driving mostly interstate I am also worried about whether or not my car will last past the year 2000 I havent rcvd any info from Ford motor company on whether I need a new computer for the car this car was a big investment for me and I still owe 8000.00 dollars on it do I need to look into getting another car with all the recalls on the web and the ones I have recvd in the mail not to mention the constant rough idle etc. I am worried about whether this car is worth fixing.
When gas pedal is depressed, car does not move. The engines idle doesn't change. It fills like the throttle cable is binding. Will even happen at highway speeds. Contacted the dealer and was told to change the brand of gas after spending $70.00 in diagnostic testing. After doing some research found that manufactor posted recalls for cars with similar problems with same manufactor date. Contacted dealer and was told that my vehicle was not one of the cars involved. The car is dangerous to drive. What bothers me more than anything is there inability to find the problem. I guess someone has to get hurt before the real problem is found
Speedometer needle fluctuated wildly, then it registered zero. Ten seconds later the car's driveablity went down due to the on-board computer receiving zero speed input: limited accelleration, no cruise control, etc. End result: both speed cable and speed control sensor broken; connection pin from transmission to sensor stuck or snapped --> will need to drop transmission and tear it open just to get at a $25 part!
When putting on the gas pedal, the pedal will stick. At times the pedal goes all the way to the floorbroad, but the vehicle will not move. Owner is still experinceing the problem as listed in recall 97V225000 Ford/throttle cable. Owner was informed that vehicle was not included in recall. The problem has not been corrected. Please provide any further information.
Recall 97V225000/ manfacturer's recall 97s95. Consumer called dealer about recall notice, but dealer stated there was no notice. Called Ford customer service, and they also stated there was no such recall. Manfactured told consumer to call NHTSA to get recall corrected.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Cables
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the traction control option. The throttle cables were damaged during vehicle assembly leading to fraying or separation of the throttle cable.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the throttle cable with a revised design that is less susceptible to bending or kinking during installation.
Acceleration complaints in other Contour years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1995 Ford Contour?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1995 Ford Contour, 5% of the model year's 891 complaints. The component named most often is cables (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1995 Ford Contour acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 97V-225 (cables, Dec 8, 1997). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1995 Ford Contour acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 196,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.