My '95 Ford Contour has been overheating, smelling hot, with the steering column heating up to the point of the car key, in the ignition, getting too hotto handle--for some time, now. Fearing that there might be a fire hazard, I took it to my local Ford dealer. He said my car, per it's VIN no., has not been recalled; so he did nothing about my concerns. Now, a week ago today (12/3/09), and a week or so after bringing my car in for the first time, I was driving 20-30 mph, down a city street in my small town, when, suddenly, I heard a popping sound; and the electricity in the car turned off. The car stopped dead in it's tracks, as I was turning into a parking lot! I tried to put the hazard light on; but it would not turn on. The steering wheel & steering column were very hot. I turned the key, in the ignition, in an attempt to turn the car back on. Instead, it made another popping sound; and died completely! smoke started coming from under the hood. When I opened the hood, the battery water was boiling over, sizzling, and smoking. When I called my ins. Roadside assist, and told them what happened, they told me to call the fire dept. So, I called the fire dept. They came and disconnected the battery; and noted that the battery was smoking. They pushed my car to a parking spot, from where I had it towed it to my local Ford dealer. The Ford dealer man said they could do nothing about it; and I left it there, in their parking lot. I'm afraid to drive the car, for fear it might start on fire, since I have seen, on the internet, that the '95 Ford Contour has been recalled for ignition fires!!! being caught in a burning fire, with my seat belt on, is very scary to me! the questions, at the bottom, right, of my screen, are cut off, so I can only see half of the questions, starting with: "was there...." "property da...." "was there a..." "reported to...." I'm sorry, I have no way of answering your questions, here.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

I'm a hearing impaired driver/owner of Ford '95 Contour gl (low-incomer, average $21,000 a year). I've bought this car in 1997 from a minneapolis-area Ford dealership (quality auto dealership in bloomington, Minnesota). At the time, I had less than $10,000 to pay for a recent used car(one that is within 2-3 years after it came on the market). I tried out few cars and the white 1995 Ford Contour gl. The dealer insisted that '95 Ford Contour gl was a good buy at an affordable price. I was willing to trade up my old car to reduce the price but it was still too high for me since it didn't included other fees like the title and registration license. After a short, persuasive negotiation, I got the dealer to agree to mark down to $9995 and I accepted that. So I bought the car. After a few days, I was experiencing a problem with it, so I had it towed back to the dealership and later told me that the whole engine was bad and need to be replaced. I was stunned but they were willing to do the repair for free. It took me a week to get my car back. Everything went fairly fine for the next couple years. In 1999, the air-conditioner in my car stopped working and it was too expensive to repair at the time. I moved to columbus, oh in Jan. 2000. For the last 3 years, that car has become a trouble for me. One repair after the next. The biggest repair cost I've paid out was $2060.43 to replace a flywheel. I have tried to take good care of my car by taking it to jiffy lube for oil/check-ups every 3-6 months faithfully and I'm still having trouble with my car. Right now, it is at another Ford service because there may be defected wiring coils in my car (a dealer recall that I'm not aware of). I have kept all the service maintenance papers in file for all the repairs and services on my car. I wanted a new car and I'm not very happy. I'm tired of paying for the repairs. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Columbus, OH, USA

Abrupt loss of steering power when driving through puddles, recurring issue. Found description after internet search (tsb 97-11-2). Date cited is most recent event. Dealer and Ford acknowledge issue but will not install kit to prevent recurrence at their expense.

- Houston, TX, USA

Would be driving vehicle or making a turn when vehicle would stall. Would have no prior warning. Also, steering would lock up. Have taken to dealership.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Driving through wet roads steering will lock up, lasting for about 15 seconds, and causing a loss of control. Dealer has replaced sway bar and serpentine belt, but defect keeps occurring. Cause is still unknown.

- Pompano Beach, FL, USA

Experienced loss of steering, brakes, & electrical while driving vehicle in wet conditions.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

Steering failed 3 times, resulting in loss of control.

- Columbia, MD, USA

Steering is temporarily lost after driving through puddles.

- Lexington, KY, USA

While driving consumer is unable to control steering, during raining weather. Tt consumer states the problem is with the pulley-crankshaft.

- Georgetown, SC, USA

When driving through a puddle of water, the alternator light comes on and the steering seizes up.

- Lutz , FL, USA