Wheels › Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/StudsCrash1 injured
Filed Jul 18, 1996CA
LUG NUTS WERE LOOSE, CAUSING WHEEL TO FALL OFF WHILE DRIVING, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT, ALSO NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S AIRB AG UPON IMPACT. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK
Page 12 of 12 · complaints 551–563 of 563
1996 Ford Contour complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1996 record →
Seat Belts › Front
Filed Jul 12, 1996PA
FRONT LAP SEAT BELT FAILED TO SECURE CHILD. *SD
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control
Filed Jul 1, 1996NY
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED 4 TIMES. *SD
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
Filed May 24, 1996GA
EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF IGNITION SWITCH, UPON TURNING KEY, ENGINE WON'T START, INSTEAD WINDSHIELD WIPERS MOVEDWITHOUT ENGAGING WIPER SWITCH.*AK
Electrical System › Ignition
Filed Apr 16, 1996MA
WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE'S ENGINE SHUTS OFF. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor
Filed Apr 16, 1996MD
COATING INSIDE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WILL COME OFF, CAUSING FAILURE OF CATALYTIC CONVERTER, OXYGEN SENSOR ALSO CAUSES SEVERE STALLING. *AK
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Apr 15, 1996OH
ENGINE PISTON AND VALVE FRACTURED UNDER NORMAL DRIVIN, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SEIZE WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING. *AK
Visibility › Windshield
Filed Mar 12, 1996PA
ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, DRIVER'S WINDSHIELD CRACKED, FOR NO APPARENT REASON. *AK
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor
Filed Mar 12, 1996NC
WHILE VEHICLE IS IDLING AND MOVING, ENGINE VIBRATES, THEN CUTS OFF IN TRAFFIC; NEARLY CAUSED ACCIDENT; POSSIBLY, DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. *AK
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Feb 21, 1996CA
WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, CAUSING CAR TO LOSE POWER. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Power Train › Manual TransmissionCrash
Filed Jan 17, 1996MO
MAN-TRANS: VEHICLE PARKED ON HILL, UNOCCUPIED, EMERGENCY BRAKE NOT APPLIED; POPPED OUT OF GEAR; ROLLED FORWARD DOWN A HILL; RAN INTO TWO PARKED VEHICLES. TT
Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball Joint
Filed Dec 14, 1995NC
PURCHASE CAR NEW WAS DRIVING AND LOWER BALL JOINT CAME LOOSE . TT
Air Bags › FrontalCrash2 injured
Filed Dec 6, 1995FL
UPON FRONTAL COLLISION, DRIVER MADE CONTACT W/STEERING WHEEL BEFORE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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