10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1996 Ford Contour accessories - interior problems

accessories - interior problem

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1996 Ford Contour Owner Comments

problem #1

Mar 181999

Contour

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The driver's seat is not firmly attached to the floor of the vehicle. Thus, the seatback rocks slightly from side to side during cornering, and from front to back during acceleration and braking. The local Ford dealer told me that this problem is common, and cannot be cured. Specifically, the service advisor told me that certain 'rivets' or metal flanges in the seat track stretch over time and cause the loose feeling of the seat back. Replacing the seat rails does no good, as the new parts are of the same design, and eventually begin to fail like the oem parts. This malfunction of the seat is a serious safety concern to me. Having the seatback dislodged during normal driving could cause an accident. What's worse would be a seatback failure during an accident, possibly allowing me to be ejected from the vehicle. My only recourse in this matter is to purchase aftermarket seats of higher quality. Seats from a manufacturer such as recaro or corbeau come with a substatial warranty, and are sure to be more durable and safe than the original equipment. In sum, I would like to see a safety-oriented recall of all Ford products that have this seatback malfunction. Specifically, I would like Ford to redesign a more durable, safe seat mechanism and retrofit all existing cars. An additional note - I am a member of the Ford Contour enthusiasts group, as well as a Ford Contour mailing list recipient. Of the 505 people on the mailing list, many have had the same seatback failures. I encourage you to contact the Contour enthusiasts group at www.Contour.org for more owner testimonials. Thank you, tom disalvo. (tdisalvo@students.wisc.edu)

- Madison, WI, USA

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