1999 Ford Contour: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 616 complaints
616
Total Complaints
60,000mi
Median Mileage
STRUCTURE
Top Issue
39
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

39,000 25th Percentile
60,000 Median Mileage
81,600 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE
82
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
47
TIRES
24
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
22
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
15
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
15
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
13
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
13
AIR BAGS
12
SUSPENSION:FRONT
11

Severity Assessment

39
Crashes
19
Fires
65
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SEAT BELT RETRACTORS CONSISTENTLY JAM. THIS MAKES THEM USELESS IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. THE DESIGN OF THE FRONT SEATBELT MECHANISM (REGARDLESS OF HOW FAR UP OR BACK THE SEAT IS ADJUSTED) CAUSE THE BELTS TO TWIST AND JAM. IN ORDER TO UNJAM THEM, YOU MUST STOP THE CAR AND FIGHT WITH THE SEATBELTS..."
"VEHICLE EXPERIENCES CONTINUED ELECTRICAL POWER FAILURES CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOOSE ALL ELECTRICAL POWER WHILE DRIVING IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH, UNABLE TO RECTIFY FAILURES."
"AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY UPON HARD FRONTAL IMPACT WITH OTHER VEHICLE. *AK"

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