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 1997 Ford Contour owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt: 01s22 Ford recall. Consumer had recall work done . Dealer should have replaced the heater blower switch and a wire jumper harness. Dealer completed work on March 15, 2002. Dealer iwas mike shad Ford in jacksonville, florida. Last Tuesday July 12, 2005 the wire jumper harness caught on fire while consumer was driving vehicle on side street, glenwood ave., at night. Flames shot up from where windshield wipers were located. Flame lasted a couple seconds then were gone. Consumer pulled over, contacted fire department, and had vehicle towed to a dealership. Dealer don jenkins Ford in suquay, north carolina. Consumer contacted insurance company and they said it was a defect so they would not pay. Consumer found on NHTSA website that Ford offered a warranty on this recall of 10 years from original date of sale or 150,000 miles. …
The vehicle caught on fire after being parked for 2 minutes. The local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. The fire marshall informed the consumer that the cause might have been an electrical short. The dealer was not notified at this time.
The wiring harness has deteriorated to where the engine runs lean and dies. The check engine light came on while driving. Once home I checked everything I could until the engine compartment cooled then noticed the wiring on the number 1 cylinder. The more I looked I could see all the injector plugs were deteriorated badly with number 4 being worse. Just touching the harness causes the insulation to flake off and bare wires to be exposed. I purchased a code reader to allow proper indications of what codes were indicated when the check engine light illuminated. Now Ford wants me to take the vehicle to a dealer so they can charge me and tell me what I already know and can plainly see!
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Contour. The contact stated that the defroster stopped working. The vehicle was serviced for NHTSA recall # 01i009000 (visibility:defroster/defogger system:windshield:controls/wiring) in 2001. The instrument panel and tail lights also do not work. The vehicle was serviced for NHTSA recall # 99V103000 (exterior lighting:headlights:switch) in 1999. The current mileage is 92,794 and failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 02-01-08 updated 02/01/08
My car died, after pulling over I noticed smoke coming from the back left seat. Called fire dept. They said rear wire harness caught on fire. Towed to matt Ford, buckner, mo. Of which they said there was no recall, I called Ford [phone] and was told recall 99m30 might cover it, but it is up to the servie manager at Ford. Matt Ford will not look at it until my insurance adjuster looks at it. Please help!!! Could I get a copy of that recall? And how?
Parked vehicle and turned ignition off. When the owner came back outside noticed that vehicle was on fire. The fire started under the hood. Vehicle was totaled. Consumer stated that before the fire broke out, he smelled gas for 10 days, and he had made an appointment at service station to check out vehicle. But the vehicle had caught on fire before the appointment. There were a couple of recalls listed on this vehicle concerning fires.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Contour. The contact stated that there was a bad ground in the main line harness, which caused the electrical system in the vehicle to fail. The vehicle was not included in the recall. The current mileage was 116,000 and failure mileage was 115,000.
Headlights overheated, causing the electrical harness to melt. The consumer noticed that the vehicle lights were not working. NHTSA campaign id number : 99V103000. The problem has not been corrected as of yet.
I have 1997 Ford Contour se. I have had several problems with it, check engine light comes on constantly, radiator light comes on constantly, runs poorly. I had all checked when they happen on multilple occasions. After doing some research on the internet, I found that there May be a problem with the wiring harness in the engine compartment. I was told by a freind that he had heard of a problem like this and Ford was fixing them, and I should call the dealer. I called the dealer and they confirmed there was a recall but based on my VIN I was not included due to the age of my car. This was done at brandon Ford around the July/August time frame. Thinking that I had to do the repair myself, due to the cost at the dealership (over $3000.00), I started looking for parts myself on the internet. There I found the recall/ext. Warranty info. 99m03 and in this it states 10 years or 100,000 mile. …
I carried my car to the dealership for recall service. The dealership never completed the recall work, but did bill Ford for it. The dealership later offered to fix the symptoms that the faulty parts were causing for a fee or $279. I did not have $279 at the time to pay for the service so I purchased the parts for $101. After I had installed the parts, I saw a note in the package that described what the dealer sold to me. The dealership actually sold me the recall repair kit . I have the documentation and original part to prove this is the case. …
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 1997 Ford Contour?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 Ford Contour, 19% of the model year's 218 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › front underhood (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 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 1997 Ford Contour electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 115,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 7 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.