Consumer experienced the same problem as mentioned in recall 98V233000. When shifting in foward it actually is in reverse.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

At time of acceleration transmission will switch gears and will jump. Ford does not want to take responsibility for this problem.

- Shenectaty, NY, USA

I heard a thumping noise that I thought was a tire or brake caliper.drove car for a week.went to dealer and when I pulled in fluid was leaking from the car. Power steering line was replaced ($600), car released to me. Drove home. Heard metallic sound and returned car the next day. Dealer said problem was sheared bolts on the rear mount. They speculated that corrosion started because the transmission housing is aluminum and the bolt are steel.this will cost me another $600 to repair. About a moth ago the serpentine belt was replace. Don't know if any connection to the later problems.

- Rocky River, OH, USA

Transmission blew out for no reason on freeway.

- Lomalinda, CA, USA

Had to replaced brakes. Headlights dim when brake is pressed, interior lights stay on when left tail light goes out (replaced 4 times since 1996) steering wheel bounces up and down when sitting with car running and in gear must put car in neutral at stop lights or sitting in gear, so as to not get vibrated to death, mech-not able to fix problem, just the way car is built.

- Aberdeen, WA, USA

Ford has a recall on this, but the rep that responded to my email, claimed my VIN no. Disqualifies my car. I disagree, they have a recall for this problem & I have the problem. Three times I have accidently put it in reverse when I wanted to go forward. You cannot tell what gear you have selected.

- Fairdale, KY, USA

No summary listed for abov evehicle.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Because the axle was put in wrong, many problems occured, including transmission and electrical problems. I do not know all the detailed problems, but I have a receipt from my mechanic with everything listed. He said that because the axle was not installed properly, the transmission fluid leaked through it at an odd angle. I also have a fax from Ford that was sent to my mechanic regarding warnings of the axle being incorrectly installed on my particular vehicle. You may contact my mechanic for any information you may need. His name is ken fowler, the owner of A-1 transmissions in lubbock, tx. His phone number is 806-792-4319.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

At about the time indicated previously, the plastic strip that indicates which gear the automatic transmission has separated. The basic warranty was up, so I had repairs attempted by my service and inspection station. They did not work. Occasionally the pieces bind somewhat and make shifting difficult. I cannot use this strip to judge which gear I am in, since it does not read correctly. Ford says that my vehicle is not included in your campaign number 98V233000. I feel that this is a safety defect worthy of a recall. I need to count gears to know which one I am in. If anyone else were to drive the vehicle, they might damage the car or themselves by selecting a wrong gear because the defective strip gave the wrong information. Ford denies any responsibility in this matter ( with all kinds of "gee, we're really sorry, but..."). I have not abused the vehicle in any way. It has been consistently and properly maintained while in my possession. I am 61 years old and long past any desire to abuse my vehicles.

- Telford, PA, USA

The bezel first failed on 12/20/95 at about 31,000 miles. The bezel was replaced on 01/05/96 at about 33,460 miles. The replaced bezel failed at about 85,000 miles. I found out that there is a safety recall ( 98S26 ) that involves 1994-998 model year Contour/Mystique ( see attached recall notice from Ford. I did not get this notice. I check with the dealer, they told me that my car was not involved in the recall and they can't do anything about it. I called the Ford customer assistance center and explain my problem. They said that since my vehicle was not in the list of recalls they will not do anything to correct the fault. My vehicle exhibited the same sysmpton as the safety recall 98S26 (which involves about 210,500 vehicles from 1995 to 1998). This problem was not detected by Ford till late 1998. From Ford's recall letter it indicated that parts manufacture prior to 08/14/98 will most likely to have the problem. The part in my car was replaced on 01/05/96. This is definitely a safety hazard because one cannot tell which gear the transmission is in. There is another problem with the gear shifter- it needs a lot of effort to shift from one position to another. I am including the service work orders and the recall documents from Ford.

- Niskayuna, NY, USA

Neighbor has same car with identical mileage transmission failure.

- Vista, CA, USA

Has had several problems w/ transmission went completely out at 120,000

- Arlington, TX, USA

No summary listed for above vehicle.

- Grover Beach, CA, USA

While attempting to put the car into different gears the gear box is reading a different a status of what the car is supppose to be in. Gear indicator does not correctly indicate the actual gear.

- Whittier, CA, USA

Dealer has replaced transmission twice, and transmission still will not shift into gear. Manufacturer has been notified.

- Santa Anna, CA, USA

Since I purchased the 95 Ford Contour I have had about one good year of use. Last year I had to replace the main censor and now the gears are slipping from first to second along with transmission problems. Because this car is used I am no longer under warranty. I feel this car is a safety risk because I have to manually shift it and if I let it shift on it's own it hesitates which could cause a possible car collision. It unexpectedly bursts into traffic and drags at times. I have probably had this car layed up as long as I've been able to drive it. I can get help from noone because I'm a second owner and over the warranty limit even though 22,000 miles of the warrantywas put on by the original owner. I may have no recourse but I thought I would report the problem. I have had great hardship because of the defects of this car.

- Kearns, UT, USA

Transmission went out while driving down the road. Stopped at the traffic light and when the light turned green was not able to move. Metal is in the transmission fluid.contacted dealer and manufacturer.

- Dayton, OH, USA

The transmission started to shift really hard, and I noticed that the transmission fluid was low. I added fluid and the problem lessened, but was still there. Also there was a strange high pitched sound coming from the transmission. As it turned out, we had a brake system failure as well. So I took the car to the dealership. After fixing the brakes (apx $600) they informed me that the transmission had to be replaced. I wanted a second opinion, so I paid for the brakes and left. A few days later while my wife was driving the car the transmission locked and destroyed itself. I had the car towed to the closest place which was aamco resulting in a $2,500 bill and a car that is still in the shop.

- Acworth, GA, USA

While driving along at approx. 50 mph. The car slipped in and out of drive. This resulted in a rapid decelleration, nearly causing an accident with the vehicle immediatly behind me. The dealership was unable to take the car in that day as there regular transmission person was off. I continued driving the car and much to my amazement the car seemed to skip far less if I activated the cruise control. The shift changing would only happen at high speeds, ie 50 mph. My concern is I was not offered a clear explanation as to the cause, just charged an unbelievable amount to overhaul the entire transmission! please advise.

- Franklin Village, MI, USA

Intermitent/ongoing problem with transmission surging and bucking during highway speed within 10-45 seconds. Vehicle unable to maintain speed which could lead to an accident. Dealer notified and unable to duplicate the problem.

- Burnsville, MN, USA