1997 Ford Contour problems & reliability
218 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford Contour, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
7 complaints report injuries (10 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 41 | 19% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 35 | 16% |
| Power Train → | 30 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 27 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting → | 21 | 10% |
| Visibility → | 19 | 9% |
| Suspension → | 17 | 8% |
| Steering → | 16 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 9 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 97,000 miles (middle 50% between 85,000 and 121,267 miles), based on 31 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford contour. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact personally performed a diagnostic. The contact replaced the timing belt, serpentine belt, water pump, fuel…”
Engine · filed Feb 6, 2013
“The wiring harness has deteriorated to where the engine runs lean and dies. The check engine light came on while driving. Once home I checked everything I could until the engine compartment cooled then noticed the wiring on the number 1 cylinder. The more I looked I could see all the injector plugs were deteriorated…”
Engine · filed Aug 6, 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford contour. The contact stated the vehicle repeatedly decelerates and accelerates without warrant. When the air conditioner was being operated, the vehicle would begin to shake violently. It would also take an unusually long time for the air conditioner to engage and would blow only hot…”
Equipment · filed May 25, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INCORRECT GEAR INDICATION
Recall Query RQ02006 · opened Feb 26, 2002 · closed Sep 12, 2002 · led to recall 98V233000
- BLOWER SWITCH/RESISTOR OR WIRING HARNESS
Engineering Analysis EA01001 · opened Jan 5, 2001 · closed Jul 31, 2001 · led to recall 01V230000
- BLOWER SWITCH/RESISTOR OR WIRING HARNESS
Preliminary Evaluation PE00023 · opened Jun 14, 2000 · closed Jan 5, 2001
- VARIOUS INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL ISSUES
Recall Query RQ99019 · opened Sep 15, 1999 · closed Mar 7, 2001 · led to recall 99V243000
Technical service bulletins
203 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford Contour. The 10 most recent:
Guidance for cng tank inspection for vehicles produced after december 2, 1996. *tt update. *tt
020503 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 21, 2005
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated with diagnostic trouble code(s) p0420 and/or p0430. *tt
041516 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2004
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt
03148 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
Inoperative shift interlock solenoid or repeat instrument interface module failure. *tt
16880 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2003
Vehicles without the coolant lock-off may exhibit a no start condition. *tt
03103 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 26, 2003
Compressed natural gas (cng). Rough idle or no start when cold. Vehicles equipped with cng bi-fuel engine only. *tt
03102 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 26, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with diagnostic trouble codes p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457, p1442 or check fuel cap lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0457. *tt
0398 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2003
Climate control a/c service tech tips. *eh
02208 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 14, 2002
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Ford Contour has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Ford Contour?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 97,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.