Ford Motor Company: Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Lever and Linkage › Floor Shift
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 18, 1998 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 175,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE FLOOR SHIFT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL CAN BE DAMAGED IF SUBJECTED TO CERTAIN INTERIOR CLEANING PRODUCTS. THE GEAR POSITION INDICATOR CAN DETERIORATE AND NOT CORRECTLY INDICATE THE ACTUAL GEAR POSITION.
The risk
THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN INCORRECT GEAR SELECTION.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLOOR SHIFT CONTROL.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Ford Contour | 846 | 12 | 20 | 50 |
| 1998 Mercury Mystique | 231 | 11 | 7 | 9 |
| 1997 Ford Contour | 218 | 8 | 10 | 11 |
| 1997 Mercury Mystique | 71 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 1996 Ford Contour | 563 | 11 | 24 | 35 |
| 1996 Mercury Mystique | 185 | 10 | 12 | 7 |
| 1995 Ford Contour | 891 | 12 | 65 | 39 |
| 1995 Mercury Mystique | 335 | 12 | 15 | 13 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 98V233000.
Full record for the 1998 Ford Contour → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →