Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
Experienced transmission issues, with intermittent rough shifting and intermittent failures to engage in drive or reverse. It mysteriously started to run fine for several days. One morning I drove a short distance for an appointment. Upon returning and starting the car I noticed smoke exiting the left side of the engine compartment. I turned of the vehicle and inspected the engine compartment, and I could still see some smoke coming from the left-rear part of the engine compartment. After this incident, several of the vehicle's electrical functions failed, including park/brake shift interlock, heater fan, backup lights, directional flashers. Following the incident, the transmission issues have resumed. Upon inspection, I noticed several wires had cracking insulation, and some even had bare wire exposed.
Tl* the contact owns a 1995 Ford Contour. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted after fifteen minutes and driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that a new transmission sensor was needed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000. Ma 10/2 updated 11/28/2017
Consumer was traveling about 50mph on highway and noticed a smoke smell coming through the vents. He pulled over to the shoulder and vehicle was on fire. Dealership was aware of problem. Prior to recall 00V367, engine was overheating and burning excess oil from overheated piston rings, after recall repairs, there was an internal antifreeze leak that was going into motor oil, engine cooling fans were operating intermittently when engine was hot, dealer found upper radiator hose at water pump had a pinhole leak, engine cooling fan wiring overheated and burned out at fan relay and fan connectors, then consumer received recall 01i009 and had these repairs completed on vehicle, after recall repairs, engine and in-dash wiring overheated and burned, dealer installed recall parts for blower motor again, consumer later informed a new motor was needed due to no compression due to overheating …
The transmission on my 1995 Ford Contour locked up suddenly one evening recently. Trans shop rebuilt the trans for me. I received a call from them with bad news. The bad news was that the mechanic realized that the failure was due to the transmission wiring harness being damaged. It was damaged in a way that the owner of the shop said it could very well have caught the vehicle on fire, and apparently LED to the failure of the trans (I am not mecahnic, so I can only go with what I gathered from them). Ford had issued program 99m03 which covered engine compartment wiring harness failures. This program was for 10 years/100K miles. Ford refuses to take any action towards paying for this repair because the vehicle (although 10 years old), has exceeded the mileage (it has 130K miles). …
My automatic transmission shift position indicator mounted on my floor console has disintegrated over time, and no longer exists. This failure has been recognized previously, and is due to defective, poor quality, plastic material that the shift indicator is made of. The consequence of this failure is that one cannot determine which gear the transmission is operating in, and can cause overheating of the transmission and/or engine, and possibly cause an auto accident, or fire. This has been a recognized defect failure and was reported as a safety recall as early as 1998. However upon contact with the Ford dealership and also the Ford motor company representatives, they deny that my 1995 Contour is included in the safety recall. …
I have experienced several incidents with the transmission in my vehicle. After you drive the vehicle long enough for it to warm up good, the transmission will quit pulling. You can be driving down the road and it acts as if it just kicks into neutral. You can pull over and put the car into park and then into drive again and it will go a little farther before it will do it again. The car has only a little over 70,000 miles on it and is now basically junk. I have been told by several mechanics that these cars all have transmission problems and that rebuilding the transmission doesn't usually work for very long.
This problem is not fixed. The transmission goes out of gear at about 60 miles an hour (od transmission) and the vehicle "bangs and spudders". Additional, the temperture gauge has always run hot and yet the vehicle seems to be find- makes it difficult to know if the vehicle is overheating. The transmission problem is going to become more costly. Concerning the transmission- I do live in maryland and am required to have a vehicle emissions inspection that has the vehicle put on a device that takes the vehicle to high speeds!
Advised by dealer this componet, though subject to manufacturer's recall for identical failure was not on my VIN. I maintain it was a design defect that should be repaired/replaced by the manufacturer. Without the indicator it is impossible to know which position you are in. In addition, there is a hazard in the mode of the failure causing binding in the shift lever, preventing some positions from being engaged. *dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis*765858
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an intermittent groaning and crunching noise coming from the front right tire. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, where it was determined that the hub was punching out the sealed bearings. The bearings were replaced. Prior to this incident, the vehicle had also been taken to a service dealer who replaced the axle shaft. Neither the dealer nor the private repair shop was able to repair the problem completely.
The engine mount on the bell housing is weakly made, possibly fractures can occur in the aluminum. It will break under normal driving conditions. The bell housing in my personal vehicle broke and caused a domino effect of other problems.
Related recalls
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the automatic transmission floor shift control.
NHTSA investigations
Incorrect gear indication
There is no summary currently available
Transmission complaints in other Contour years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 1995 Ford Contour?
NHTSA has 126 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 1995 Ford Contour, 14% of the model year's 891 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (63 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1995 Ford Contour transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 98V-233 (floor shift, Sep 18, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1995 Ford Contour transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 89,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 1 injury to transmission & drivetrain 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.