2000 FORD CONTOUR — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 198 complaints · 7 recalls
Most-reported system: STRUCTURE (67 complaints · 33.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 8
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 8
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1999 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution STRUCTURE appears in 67 of 198 owner complaints (33.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. STRUCTURE: 67 complaints, 33.8% of reports STRUCTURE 67 · 33.8% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 35 complaints, 17.7% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 35 · 17.7% VISIBILITY: 18 complaints, 9.1% of reports VISIBILITY 18 · 9.1% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 6.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 6.6% · 1 fire reports ENGINE: 10 complaints, 5.0% of reports ENGINE 10 · 5.0% AIR BAGS: 6 complaints, 3.0% of reports AIR BAGS 6 · 3.0% · 3 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 6 complaints, 3.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 3.0% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 4 complaints, 2.0% of reports POWER TRAIN 4 · 2.0% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 3 complaints, 1.5% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 1.5% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 119 complaints, 60.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 119 · 60.1% · 5 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
STRUCTURE 67 33.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 35 17.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 18 9.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 6.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ENGINE 10 5.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 6 3.0% 3 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 6 3.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 4 2.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 1.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 119 60.1% 5 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2000; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 1999. 2000-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2003-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2003-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2004-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2004-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2007-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Dec 1999 Apr 2020 Recall campaign 99V361000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V361000 Recall campaign 00V075000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V075000 Recall campaign 00V228001 ◆ Recall campaign 00V228001 Recall campaign 00V350000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V350000 Recall campaign 01V045000 ◆ Recall campaign 01V045000 Recall campaign 06E022000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E022000 Recall campaign 08E033000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E033000 Investigation DP06004 ● Investigation DP06004
  • Campaign 01V045000 was reported 121 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2000-Q3 Owner reports 3
2000-Q4 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 5
2001-Q2 Owner reports 7
2001-Q3 Owner reports 5
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 5
2002-Q2 Owner reports 5
2002-Q3 Owner reports 5
2002-Q4 Owner reports 11
2003-Q1 Owner reports 7
2003-Q2 Owner reports 10
2003-Q3 Owner reports 14
2003-Q4 Owner reports 8
2004-Q1 Owner reports 9
2004-Q2 Owner reports 6
2004-Q3 Owner reports 16
2004-Q4 Owner reports 6
2005-Q1 Owner reports 6
2005-Q2 Owner reports 5
2005-Q3 Owner reports 7
2005-Q4 Owner reports 9
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q4 Owner reports 6
2007-Q1 Owner reports 6
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 99V361000
Recall campaign 1 00V075000
Recall campaign 1 00V228001
Recall campaign 1 00V350000
Recall campaign 1 01V045000
Recall campaign 1 06E022000
Recall campaign 1 08E033000
Defect investigation 1 DP06004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V075000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    IF BOTH PCRV'S MALFUNCTION, VEHICLE HANDLING COULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED DURING BRAKING AS A RESULT OF THE REAR WHEELS LOCKING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL IMPROVED PCRV'S IN THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM. THIS RECALL WAS EXPANDED IN SEPTEMBER 2000 TO INCLUDE 1999 AND 2000 FORD CONTOUR, MERCURY MYSTIQUE AND COUGAR VEHICLES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V228001

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE ON CERTAIN SEAT BELT BUCKLES OF YOUR VEHICLE AND REPLACE ALL SEAT BELT BUCKLES THAT FALL WITHIN THE SUSPECT DATE CODE RANGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 26, 2000. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V350000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
    Consequence:
    IF THE GROMMET IS DAMAGED, FUEL COULD LEAK. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK FILLER PIPE GROMMET.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01V045000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    IF EITHER THE MASTER CYLINDER OR POWER BRAKE BOOSTER IS SUBSEQUENTLY SERVICED WITH ONLY ONE OF THE CORRECT BRAKE BOOSTER OR MASTER CYLINDER PARTS, BRAKE PERFORMANCE WOULD BE REDUCED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CORRECT CONTOUR BRAKE BOOSTER AND MASTER CYLINDER IN EACH OF THESE VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 28, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E022000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN LEAD TO A DECREASE IN BRAKE LINE PRESSURE AND AN INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    AFFINIA (BRAKE PARTS, INC.) WILL REPLACE THE SUBJECT BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2006. OWNERS CAN CONTACT AFFINA GROUP CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-323-0354.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E033000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THE NUTS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGING FOR THESE BALL JOINT ASSEMBLIES ARE MISSING THE INTENDED PREVAILING TORQUE (SELF-LOCKING) FEATURE. IF THE INCORRECT NUT WAS TO BECOME LOOSE, THE JOINING MEMBERS MAY LOOSEN LEADING TO A SEPARATION OF THE BALL JOINT. THIS MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    FEDERAL MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE PARTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 22, 2008. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FEDERAL MOGUL AT 877-489-6659.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V361000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    THE OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE MAY BELIEVE THE CHILDPROOF SAFETY LOCK WAS ACTIVATED WHEN IT WAS NOT, POTENTIALLY ALLOWING THE DOOR TO BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A REPLACEMENT LABEL AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 198 complaints · page 1 of 8

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources