1998 Ford Contour: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1188 complaints
1188
Total Complaints
81,320mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Top Issue
56
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

54,500 25th Percentile
81,320 Median Mileage
107,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
74
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
72
AIR BAGS
50
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
45
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
42
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
34
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
34
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
31
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
31
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
28

Severity Assessment

56
Crashes
23
Fires
63
Injuries
4
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE WILL GO OFF; WILL STAY OFF FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AND THEN COME BACK ON. BRAKE LIGHTS KEEP BURNING ALL THE TIME EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. *AK"
"DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE WILL GO OFF; WILL STAY OFF FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AND THEN COME BACK ON. BRAKE LIGHTS KEEP BURNING ALL THE TIME EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. *AK"
"PARKING BRAKE FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT."

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