1995 FORD CONTOUR Unknown Or Other Problems

I'M A HEARING IMPAIRED DRIVER/OWNER OF FORD '95 CONTOUR GL (LOW-INCOMER, AVERAGE $21,000 A YEAR). I'VE BOUGHT THIS CAR IN 1997 FROM A MINNEAPOLIS-AREA FORD DEALERSHIP (QUALITY AUTO DEALERSHIP IN BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA). AT THE TIME, I HAD LESS THAN $10,000 TO PAY FOR A RECENT USED CAR(ONE THAT IS WITHIN 2-3 YEARS AFTER IT CAME ON THE MARKET). I TRIED OUT FEW CARS AND THE WHITE 1995 FORD CONTOUR GL. THE DEALER INSISTED THAT '95 FORD CONTOUR GL WAS A GOOD BUY AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE. I WAS WILLING TO TRADE UP MY OLD CAR TO REDUCE THE PRICE BUT IT WAS STILL TOO HIGH FOR ME SINCE IT DIDN'T INCLUDED OTHER FEES LIKE THE TITLE AND REGISTRATION LICENSE. AFTER A SHORT, PERSUASIVE NEGOTIATION, I GOT THE DEALER TO AGREE TO MARK DOWN TO $9995 AND I ACCEPTED THAT. SO I BOUGHT THE CAR. AFTER A FEW DAYS, I WAS...

I WAS REAR-ENDED EARLIER THIS YEAR AND TOOK MY CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR BUMPER REPLACEMENT. DEALERSHIP DID NOT INFORM ME THAT FORD DISCONTINUED MY BUMPER MODEL, SO THEY REPAIRED IT INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT -- WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! SILVER PLASTIC STRIP THAT RUNS THROUGH CENTER OF BUMPER WAS RE-INSTALLED AS-IS - CRACKED - SINCE BUMPER WAS NOT BEING MADE ANYMORE AND NEW PART WASN'T AVAILABLE. BOTH HORNS WERE REPLACED, IN SPITE OF RARELY BEING USED. RUBBER WINDOW STRIPS LOOSEN, POP UP EASILY. ONE POWER WINDOW IN REAR CAN ONLY GO DOWN ABOUT 6 INCHES, SQUEAKING TERRIBLY AS IT MOVES DOWN; TOO EXPENSIVE TO FIX. OUTER GAS DOOR RELEASE STICKS. BOTH METHODS OF OPENING THE DOOR (FLOOR LEVER AND TRUNK STRAP) STOPPED WORKING THIS YEAR. PAID FOR REPAIR AT DEALERSHIP, BUT BOTH METHODS STOPPED WORKING AGAIN AFTER A FEW DAYS. I NOW HAVE TO OPEN UP MY TRUNK EVERY...

THIS PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED. THE TRANSMISSION GOES OUT OF GEAR AT ABOUT 60 MILES AN HOUR (OD TRANSMISSION) AND THE VEHICLE "BANGS AND SPUDDERS". ADDITIONAL, THE TEMPERTURE GAUGE HAS ALWAYS RUN HOT AND YET THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO BE FIND- MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KNOW IF THE VEHICLE IS OVERHEATING. THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IS GOING TO BECOME MORE COSTLY. CONCERNING THE TRANSMISSION- I DO LIVE IN MARYLAND AND AM REQUIRED TO HAVE A VEHICLE EMISSIONS INSPECTION THAT HAS THE VEHICLE PUT ON A DEVICE THAT TAKES THE VEHICLE TO HIGH SPEEDS!

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY / MOMENTARILY COME ON AND REMAIN ON WHILE DRIVING. DEALER CONTACTED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

WAS DRIVING 60MPH ON HIGHWAY WHEN ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. 30 SECONDS LATER, I HEARD NOISE WHICH SOUNDED LIKE BICYCLE CHAIN SWITCHING GEARS. 90 SECONDS AFTER THAT, THE OIL LIGHT LIT , TEMPERATURE GAUGE REGISTERED HOT SUDDENLY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ENGINE DIED. FORD DEALER SERVICE DEPT. DIAGNOSED "WATER PUMP FAILURE". REMOVED WATER PUMP. THE PLASTIC IMPELLER HAS MULTIPLE CRACKS AND NO LONGER SPINS WITH SHAFT. FORD DEALER HAS SERVICE BULLETIN ACKNOWLEDGING PROBLEMS WITH WATER PUMPS ON MY TYPE VEHICLE, AND EXTENDS WARRANTY TO 6 YEARS/75,000 MILES. MY CAR IS "TOO OLD" TO QUALIFY FOR COVERAGE, ALTHOUGH IT IS UNDER THE MILEAGE LIMIT, AND I THINK IT IS UNFAIR. ONE OF THE MAJOR REASONS I PURCHASED THIS CAR WAS THE 2.5L ENGINE THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE A TUNE-UP UNTIL IT REACHES 100,000 MILES. THIS ENGINE BLEW AT 70,381 MILES BECAUSE OF A LITTLE PIECE OF PLASTIC THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO KEEP IT...

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WILL COME ON DASHBOARD.*AK

EA O1 007/AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING: AIR BAG LIGHT STAYING ON. DEALER / MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK THE ENGINE WAS OKAY BUT THE LIGHT ON DASH BOARD CAMES AND STAYS ON. *YH

WHILE TRAVELING NOTICED ENGINE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON .VEHICLE WAS SERVICED. TECHNICIAN STATED VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING AND NEEDED VALVE JOB .*AK CONSUMER IS CONCERNED THAT THE COMPONENT IN RECALL 00V367 MAY HAVE BEEN THE PROBLEM ALL ALONG AND YET HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS WITH THE VALVE AND GASKET, THE RECALL COMPONENT HAS FAILED 2 TIMES. *SLC

A HOSE BROKE ON THE RADIATOR DRAINING VEHICLE OF ALL FLUID AND RUINING THE ENGINE, NONE OF THE GAUGES INDICATED ANY INTERNAL FAILURE, CONSUMER REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT.

I HVAE HAD PROBLEMS EVER SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR 8 MONTHS AGO, STARTING WITH ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO A MISSING VACUUM CAP. NEXT, I ENCOUNTERED A DRIVE BELT THAT WAS ON THE VERGE OF BREAKING, IT WAS SEVERLY CRACKED. THE BRAKE CALIPERS WERE STICKING CAUSING MAJOR VEERING WHEN STOPPING AT SPEEDS OVER 40, AND THIS ALSO RESULTED IN WARPING MY ROTORS. ALSO, FOR THE FIRST 7 MONTHS, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON PERIODICALLY, BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF FUEL INJECTOR CLEANERS, IT WAS MUCH BETTER. THEN, ON A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP, THE CAR'S IDLE WORSENED, ITS POWER DECREASED,AT A STOP, THE CAR WOULD START HAVING A CONVULSION LIKE FEEL AND SOUND, FROM A STOP, IT WOULDN'T ACCELERATE UNTIL A CLICK IN THE ENGINE COULD BE HEARD. THEN THE ACCELERATION WAS VERY LURCHING AND SPUTTERY. AFTER A DIAGNOSTIC, I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL...

ORIGINAL OXYGEN GAS SENSOR CAUSING CHECK ENGINE CHECK LIGHT TO COME ON. COST TO FIX $400. LOW COOLANT SENSOR WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. COST TO FIX $70. THESE SHOULD NOT BE MY RESPONSIBILITY. THERE IS NOTHING THAT I CAN DO TO CAUSE THESE ITEMS TO MALFUNCTION. THESE ARE MANUFACTURERS' PARTS PROBLEMS. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE WAS AT DEALERSHIP 5-17-99 NOT FIXED UNTIL 5-21-99. REPLACED MODULE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN ON 6-11-99 AND PRESENTED CAR TO THE SARASOTA FORD DEALERSHIP. CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM THIS DEALERSHIP WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY CALLED PHOENIX AMERICAN INSURANCE GROUP. DEALERSHIP STATES VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND THEY WILL CONTACT PHOENIX AMERICAN FOR AUTHORIZATION. PHOENIX AMERICAN REQUESTED THE FORD COMPANY SHARE IN THIS EXPENSE. THE FORD COMPANY HAS DENIED THIS REQUEST. NEITHER THE FORD COMPANY NOR PHOENIX AMERICAN WILL NOW COVER THE TOTAL REWIRING OF THE VEHICLE. PHOENIX AMERICAN WILL ONLY COVER "ONE" WIRE TO BE REPLACED. SARASOTA FORD STATES ALL WIRING MUST BE REPLACED AS IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND THE COST IS $6,000. ALL REPAIRS TO THIS VEHICLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COMPLETED BY SARASOTA. I FEEL THAT NO CAR WITH LESS THAN 37,000 MILES SHOULD HAVE TO HAVE TOTAL REWIRING....

THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSB) CONTAIN CODES (*TC, *TT ECT.) AT THE END OF EACH SUMMARY WITHOUT EXPLANATIONS. IS THERE A STANDARD FORMAT FOR THESE CODES, AND IF SO WHERE IS IT LOCATED? AND IS IT ACCESSABLE VIA THE INTERNET? I HAVE FOUND TWO TSB'S WHICH MATCH MY EXACT PROBLEM: NHTSA ITEM NUMBERS SB51042 & SB051396, BOTH WITH THE CODE OF *JD AT THE END OF THE SUMMARY. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU.

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON/OFF.

NO FAILURE IDENTIFIED.

HEAD LIGHTS WERE FAILED.

CONSOLE SHIFTED OUT OF PLACE. *SD

KEYLESS REMOTE SYSTEM FAILED.

ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES. *SD

REMOTE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONED.