Research · complaint index
Ford Contour years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say
We compared 5 model years of the Ford Contour by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.
Complaints per year on the road
1.0 = typical year for this model
| Year | Complaints | Per year on road | Index | Recalls | Crashes | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 251 | 9 | 0.6 | 7 | 12 | Typical |
| 1999 | 444 | 16 | 1.0 | 5 | 30 | Typical |
| 1998 | 861 | 30 | 1.9 | 12 | 51 | Typical |
| 1997 | 234 | 8 | 0.5 | 8 | 11 | Fewest complaints |
| 1996 | 581 | 19 | 1.2 | 11 | 35 | Typical |
- 2000251 complaints · 7 recallsTypical
- 1999444 complaints · 5 recallsTypical
- 1998861 complaints · 12 recallsTypical
- 1997234 complaints · 8 recallsFewest complaints
- 1996581 complaints · 11 recallsTypical
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 7, 2026
Fewest complaints for their age: 1997.
About this comparison
What Ford Contour years have the most complaints?
No Ford Contour model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 5 model years compared. The highest was 1998.
Is this a reliability rating?
No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.