NHTSA Complaint #751179 — 1998 FORD CONTOUR

THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN A "LEMON" SINCE PURCHASED NEW IN AUGUST, 1997 FROM SAM GALLOWAY FORD IN FORT MYERS, FLORIDA. FROM THE BEGINNING, THE CAR DROVE "ROUGH" NOT SMOOTH. THE VEHICLE CONSTANTLY WAS VIBRATING, AND SIMPLY GOT WORSE OVER TIME. THE VIBRATIONS WOULD OCCUR AT SPEEDS AS LOW AS ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR, INCREASING THE FASTER YOU DROVE. YOU COULD ACTUALLY FEEL AND SEE YOUR BODY SHAKE. THE RIDE WAS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE OF A SMOOTH ONE. ROUGH AND BUMPY, EVEN ON SMOOTH, FLORIDA ROADS. THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE YOU WERE "PUSHING" OR "FORCING" IT TO DRIVE. THE GEAR SHIFT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFICULT TO MANUVER, GENERALLY STICKING WHILE TRYING TO CHANGE GEARS. A COUPLE OF TIMES, THIS NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT, DUE TO THE INABILITY TO CHANGE GEARS. WHEN REPORTED TO FORD, THE ONLY RESPONSE THAT THAT "PER THE MANUAL, THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED SOME TYPE OF OVERHAUL, AT A COST OF ABOUT $500. ALSO, SEVERAL TIMES, THERE WAS SMOKE AND A BURNING RUBBER TYPE SMELL EMITTING FROM THE AIR VENTS. THIS WAS BROUGHT INTO FORD SEVERAL TIMES, AND NOT FIXED. THE FINAL TIME, THE ENTIRE CAR FILLED WITH SMOKE--I CALLED THE SERVICE MANAGER, MARLON HANSON, FROM THE VEHICLE ON MY CELL PHONE, BECAUSE I WAS SCARED THAT THE CAR MAY BURST INTO FLAMES. HIS REMARKS MADE IT SOUND LIKE "NO BIG DEAL" JUST BRING IN THE CAR. MEANWHILE, I HAD TO PULL OVER, I WAS SO SCARED, NOT KNOWING IF THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO START ON FIRE OR EVEN BLOW UP. THIS VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN TWICE MORE FOR THIS REPAIR, AND FINALLY APPEARS TO BE FIXED. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS SOME WIRING THAT WAS BURNING, OR STARTING ON FIRE. OUR ONLY COMPENSATION FOR THAT WAS A FREE RENTAL CAR, AFTER I PRESSURED THE SERVICE MANAGER. THE CASSETTE PORTION OF THE RADIO BROKE EARLY ON. NEVER ADDRESSED THAT ISSUE WITH DEALER OR FORD. STEERING COLUMN IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO MANUEVER-VERY HARD TO TURN. AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENDLY COMES ON, AT ANY SPEED. TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED, BUT NEWER TIRE KEEPS DEFLATING--PER TBS, COIL SPRING PROBLEM?*A