Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Ford Contour owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford Contour. While driving approximately 40 MPH on a wet road, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coil springs were damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure recurred every time the road was wet. The approximate failure mileage was 137,000.
My 1998 Ford Contour 4-door sedan recently experienced a devastating failure. While my daughter was driving through a parking lot at low speed, a sub-frame assembly under the dash fell down on her feet. The assembly is held in place with two bolts which had come loose. As a result of this, the steering linkage was allowed to disconnect, permitting the steering wheel to spin freely. Had this happened on the highway she would have completely loss control, and because the frame fell on her feet, she probably couldn't have applied the brake. No steering and no brake! I think this is a potentially fatal design defect. Of course, the dealer and Ford apologized but refused to correct the problem because the car is out of warranty.
My family and I were making a right turn from the parking lot of a movie theater to a moderately busy street. After I completed the turn, I heard a loud "bang", and my car suddenly swerved to the right, and I couldn't stop. I could not go forward, or back around. Thinking that it was caused by a blown tired, I got out; it was not. When I had it towed to my mechanic, he said that one of the steering rods on the front, right passenger wheel had broken. He replaced both the right and the left steering rods.
While driving on i75 around atlanta, car steering failed making car feel like it was hydroplaning but it wasn't. Road conditions were wet with light drizzle. Car veered to left and hit concrete median. Bumper was left hanging by a thread. Car wasn't safe to drive and had towed to body shop. Feel this is related to similar incidents where the Contour steering failed after water hits the belts & pulleys.
Dt: while driving and without prior warning the consumer could not make a right turn. Took vehicle to the repair shop, and they said the rack and pinion steering rack broke, and needed to be replaced. Also, did a power steering flush.
Transmission has a defect, there is a slip when you applying gears. Also, brake pedal goes all the way down to the floor, and grabs a little bit. Dealership is aware of problem. Brakes have failed, on one occasion consumer almost hit a child, brake pedal slips from under foot. Emergency brake is only effective 50 percent of the time. Transmission intermittently changes gears roughly, at times jarring occupants in the vehicle. Possible electrical problem: light of the clock has burned out twice, consumer states there are shorts in the dashboard, causing the heater or A/C to only have one speed working, dome lights work intermittently, light under dash works intermittently, warning bell does not chime all the times it should, consumer states a sensor causes heater to act as the ac and vice versa. …
Whenever the automobile is driven through a puddle of water or upon prolonged driving on a wet road, the power steering locks up. When this occurs, the power steering remains locked for several seconds up to over one minute before returning to normal. These conditions also cause the "battery" light to illuminate. I returned the vehicle to the dealer in approximately June 1998, but their fix action "replacing a headlight wiring assembly" did not appear to address the problem and the problem reoccurred immediately the next time that the autombile was driven on a rainy day. Upon returning the automobile a second tme, I was informed by both a service technician and a service manager that this is a problem that the Ford company is aware of but is making no attempt to inform the automobile owners until they actually experience the problem.
Automatic transmission slipped badly nearly causing accident as car behind me did not anticipate my car not being able to accelarate as I turned onto a busy road. Second time tranmisson has failed in the vehicle - first at approx 25000 miles. Leaking trans fluid also damge seals to power steering "rack" causing seals to fail competely in less than 300 miles.
Consumer was traveling about 55mph on highway and vehicle veered into left to avoid debris in street. Consumer lost control of vehicle , steering was uncontrolable, and then vehicle straightened out on its own. Dealership was aware of problem. Dealer replaced belt and took vehicle for a test drive and could not duplicate problem.
When traveling at any speed and upon hitting water in the road surface steering wheel lock up and freeze, causing poor steering control. Also, having problems with vehicle stalling when traveling at any speed. Consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer has replaced parts, but problem still occurs. Please provide any further details.
Steering complaints in other Contour years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1998 Ford Contour?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Ford Contour, 4% of the model year's 846 complaints. The component named most often is hydraulic power assist system (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford Contour steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 1998 Ford Contour, though it has 9 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford Contour steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 4 injuries to steering 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.