1996 Ford Contour: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 858 complaints
858
Total Complaints
90,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
Top Issue
42
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

63,191 25th Percentile
90,000 Median Mileage
117,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
52
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
48
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH
39
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
37
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
33
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
28
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
24
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
21
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
20
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
19

Severity Assessment

42
Crashes
31
Fires
44
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"UPON FRONTAL COLLISION, DRIVER MADE CONTACT W/STEERING WHEEL BEFORE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT"
"PURCHASE CAR NEW WAS DRIVING AND LOWER BALL JOINT CAME LOOSE . TT"
"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"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28