Ford Contour
Owners filed 3,155 complaints across 9 model years of the Ford Contour. The 1995 drew the most (891); the 1993 the fewest (3).
Model years9
Complaints3,155
Recalls55
Fires129
Deaths15
Every Ford Contour model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2000 | 199 | 7 | 1 | 8 | Structure | Routine | |
| 1999 | 419 | 5 | 9 | 28 | Structure | Above average | |
| 1998 | 846 | 12 | 20 | 50 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Fatalities reported | |
| 1997 | 218 | 8 | 10 | 11 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Above average | |
| 1996 | 563 | 11 | 24 | 35 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | High concern | |
| 1995 | 891 | 12 | 65 | 39 | Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | Fatalities reported | |
| 1994 | 12 | 0 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1993 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine |
Which Ford Contour years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 1995 is the weakest year on record, with 891 complaints concentrated in the electrical system › wiring › front underhood. It carries 12 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.