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Ford Contour Needs Recall Help
Q.
I have a 1996 Ford Contour GL it's a 4 cylinder with automatic transmission. My car when I go to turn it on in the morning shuts off like 3 times until I decided that i'm not going to let it warm up but to drive it like that. For some reason the car shuts off on cold or rainy days. I can't go and start the car and leave it parked for it to warm up because it will shut off.
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I'll turn it back on and press the gas for awhile then when I let go of the gas it shuts off. The only way it doesn't turn off on me is if I just turn it on and put it in drive and drive off after that it won't turn off unless its in reverse. I know my car has been recalled but Ford refuses to fix it for free because it has 108,000 miles. Do you have any suggestions?
The car has a new battery and the alternator has been changed three times. After changing the original alternator the new one was defective the second one got wet with the detailing, only explanation for it dying, and the third one is the one it has now which was tested and gives 13.75 volts.
Thank You...
A. You are referring to Ford Recall 99M03. This is, very likely, the cause of the problem you are experiencing. From the recall letter sent to vehicle owners:
"Ford is providing additional coverage for the replacement of the under hood wire harnesses on these vehicles for a period of 10 years or 100,000 miles, which ever occurs first, from the original warranty start date. This coverage exceeds the provisions of the original component warranty coverage on the affected vehicles and is automatically transferred to subsequent owners at no charge. This additional coverage does not include normal service diagnostic or repair charges unrelated to wire harness brittleness and cracking. After this additional coverage has expired, wire harness replacements will be at the expense of the vehicle owner."
Since it is only a little past the warranty and this degradation does not occur overnight, I would suggest calling Ford Customer Service. The number in the US is; 1-800-392-3673, Canada; 1-800-565-3673 and for the rest of the world; (313) 594-4857. File a complaint and ask for an appointment with the District Factory Representative and he may be able to help. He may decide to pay the whole thing or split parts and labor 50/50.
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