Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Contour. While driving 65 MPH the starter of the vehicle engaged and the vehicle shut down. A fire was started in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the repair shop; they were unable to determine what caused the vehicle to malfunction. The current and failure mileages were 186,887. Updated 09/19/07
On 09/09/2004 the wife was driving home in our 2000 Ford Contour 2.0 liter when the ac and radio shut off, the speedometer quit working and electric windows operated slow. She made it to the driveway when the car shut itself off. It would not restart until it set for a few hours. Next morning she made all but 100 feet of 1 mile to a local garage, who said alt is putting out 12 volts when it should be at 14, but alt May be OK. The idiot lights in the dash will not light up while starting the car. Garage thinks a short to the idiot dash lights is where the missing 2 volts is going, but their not sure. They never seen this problem before. All fuses and connections seem OK. Garage charged up battery to drive 1 mile back home. Electric shop will look at it Monday. Electric shop said there has been problems of connections in back of the fuse box burning open. …
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught on fire while in gear. A pop noise was heard and smoke came out from under the hood. The front of the vehicle then caught fire. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss and it was never taken to a service dealer. A fire department report was processed. Updated 12/11/06.
The consumer was able to rotate the ignition key to the lock position and remove the key without the shift lever and transmission being in park. On three separate occasions, the vehicle rolled while parked, because the key was removed from the ignition while the gear was still in drive.
1.ABS brake fuse and blower motor fuse are one and the same, darn cold in minnesota, and hard to get too to replace. Must pull out battery first. To replace the hydraulic pump for ABS brakes to fix problem...$3000.00, more than the car is worth for trade in or resale value. I found this out after hitting a deer on nov. 26 2004. And does not include cosmetic damage. Air bags did not deploy either. 2.front and back window molding is shrinking and forcing windows out, very drafty. 3.shift module failed, took to Ford dealer to replace, when replaced the dash board started smoking. The neighbor module burnt up, and all the dash board wiring. Total cost to repair $1200.00, but the dealership took off $200.00 of the labor costs. 4. I called Ford on several different occasions to complain. They will not stand behind their product. …
Tl contact owns a 1998 Ford Contour. Open electrical circuits and melted housing materials were found under the hood of the vehicle. The contact notified Ford who stated that her VIN was not included in recall # 01V230000 (electrical system). Ford stated that nothing could be done. The dealer stated that the repair was never previously performed. The current and failure mileages were 115,000.
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.
Related recalls (2)
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…
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles built with automatic transmissions which utilize a park/lock solenoid. It is possible to rotate the ignition key to the lock position and remove the key without the shift lever and transmission being in park. These vehicles do not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles. Vehicles that have units with ignition keys removable in gear positions other than park, will have the steering column replaced.
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
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Contour years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1995 (180), 1998 (130), 1996 (119), 1999 (65) and 1997 (41) model years. Electrical complaints make up 20% of all complaints for the 1995.
Is there a recall for Ford Contour electrical problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 01V-230 (electrical system, Jul 9, 2001); 99V-060 (switch, Mar 17, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Contour electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles; 14% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the wiring › front underhood (114 mentions), followed by the wiring (65).
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.