Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Ford Contour owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, it would fail to start due to a melted wire in the engine. In addition, the contact stated that the odometer failed to provide the accurate reading. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. While parked, the contact smelled smoke and noticed flames near the rear of the radio and the center column that divided the front and rear driver side doors. The contact was able to extinguish the flames herself. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 01V230000 (electrical system) that could possibly have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact stated the failure affected the exterior lighting and interior lighting of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 62,922.
Car was purchased from a used car dealer on 8/11/15. The car has 58606 miles on it. The transmission had to be replaced due to electrical issues caused by a faulty wiring harness. Wiring harness was under the owner notification and not repaired. Ford has not offered any type of assistance and mechanic says the car is a fire hazard and harness has to be replaced. Contacted Ford who said the car was not under any type of recall and they no longer make the part.
My car had been having many issues .fixing what we thought were the problem we found that the electrical connected to the cooling fan was melted as well as many problems in wire harnesses in front of engine.. It is very apparent the wiring is defective and caused melting n burn wires throughout the wiring system. I have had 4 mechanics look at it and was told by all that this make n model is very well known for this electrical issue.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. After being parked for four hours, the vehicle caught fire without warning. The fire originated on the front driver side. The vehicle was not towed or inspected by a dealer. The fire extinguished on its own. The current and failure mileages were 101,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Ford Contour. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the taillight and front panel failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
This is a complaint on a 1996 Ford Contour. Within 15-20 after my daughter drove to work on the interstate, the car burst into flames. She had already gotten inside her job. It occurred about 8:25.
The problem started on the incident date, wire problem cause the entire fan/ac/heater panel so no longer work, the wire got so hot hot it melted our under-dash fuse box, we went for 9 months and a baby with no A/C in hot and no heat in the cold, husband(josh murphy) went to junk yard after being turned away by dealership and got replacement parts off an identical car. That was in June of 2005. On that date we saw that all of the wires under the hood were severely cracked and damaged after eltrcial taping a few of the exposed wired there became a short that now cuases a computer problem and a loss of power then trying to accelerate anf pull into traffic, or just anytime it wants to. …
I purchased a used 1996 Ford Contour for my granddaughter and after a few days the check engine light came on. My mechanic diagnosed the problem and fixed it. A few miles down the road it came back on. After further diagnostics it was found that the engine wiring harness was bad. The insulation on the wires was flaking off and in one spot the wire bundle covering had melted. Research on line showed that Ford had a recall on this problem (99m03) and extended the recall for 10 years. In an attempt to repair the problem with a different wiring harness has proved to be a loosing battle I contacted Ford and they said that they no longer build this part and that they had no parts in stock throughout the USA. I tried salvage yards and there are no good parts out there. How can a used car lot sell cars without looking into safety recalls on the vehicles. …
I own a 1996 Ford Contour [redacted] that the instrument panel lights and tail lights went out on. There was a recall on this item (recall 99s14) back in 1999. Upon bringing the car into an brookdale Ford (brooklyn center, mn), they told me that they would fix the problem free of charge because it did not apply to my vehicle. I then called Ford motor company customer relationship center. They told me that the problem was already fixed on my car (even though I never brought the car in for this service). They refused to help. Even if the recall was fixed on my car, the fact that the same two parts of my car (instrument panel and tail lights) failed, tells me that the recall repair was not done correctly.
Related recalls
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.
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…
NHTSA investigations
Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness
There is no summary currently available
Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness
There is no summary currently available
Electrical complaints in other Contour years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1996 Ford Contour?
NHTSA has 119 complaints about the electrical system of the 1996 Ford Contour, 21% of the model year's 563 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › fuses and circuit breakers (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Ford Contour electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 01V-230 (electrical system, Jul 9, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Contour electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 103,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 15 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.