1999 Ford Contour problems & reliability
419 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 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.
22 complaints report injuries (34 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Ford Contour vehicles were involved in 9 fatal crashes with 7 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 93 | 22% |
| Electrical System | 65 | 16% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 52 | 12% |
| Unknown OR Other | 46 | 11% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 42 | 10% |
| Visibility | 38 | 9% |
| Suspension | 32 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 29 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 26 | 6% |
| Power Train | 25 | 6% |
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 60,000 miles (middle 50% between 40,000 and 77,503 miles), based on 135 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Rear frame, suspension rusted completely into an went out of control and threw me into ditch. This is completely not acceptable. I have 1960's cars %100 better than this . I know this is a 1999 but this is completely unacceptable. Can anything be done.”
Structure · filed Feb 15, 2017
“The brake lines under the car have rusted to the point of breaking apart. The vehicle has less than 100k miles and was not subject to any extreme conditions. The brake fluid leaks out of the undercarriage almost as quickly as it is poured in and has left the car undriveable without expensive repairs.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Mar 26, 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford contour. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle started to wobble. The contact noticed that the rear frame was rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.”
Structure · filed Aug 13, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INSTRUMENT PANEL COVER WARPAGE
Defect Petition DP06004 · opened Oct 23, 2006 · closed Apr 10, 2007
- BLOWER SWITCH/RESISTOR OR WIRING HARNESS
Engineering Analysis EA01001 · opened Jan 5, 2001 · closed Jul 31, 2001 · led to recall 01V230000
Technical service bulletins
182 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford Contour. The 10 most recent:
Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001 vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in the state of maine, certified for sale in california-federal emission…
CSP-08B01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2008
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
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
04189 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
041514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2004
Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt
031501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 2004
Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0420 and/or p0430/ 2.5l engine only. *tt
04104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2004
Steering column shipped without crush pad - reuse original crush pad if not damaged. *tt
041814 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp on and diagnostic trouble codes p0171/p0174 or p1072/p0175 stored in memory or as hard faults. Hesitation, lack of power or runs rough condition. *tt
17174 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2003
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 1999 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 1999 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 60,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.