1996 Ford Contour buying guide
A data-driven checklist for buying a used 1996 Ford Contour, built from 563 owner complaints, 3 recall campaigns, 223 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.
Know before you buy
- 3 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
- Main problem areas: engine and engine cooling (123), electrical system (119), power train (77), exterior lighting (64), service brakes, hydraulic (44).
- Symptoms owners describe: stalling (44), electrical failures (35), overheating (24), vibration / shaking (14), check engine light (10), hesitation / surging (10). Test-drive with these in mind.
- Reported incident mileage: among 64 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 65,750 and 120,391 miles (median 91,500). This describes when owners reported problems — it does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop one.
- 5 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.
- Fuel economy: 21–25 MPG combined (EPA; engines: 2L 4-cyl, 2.5L 6-cyl).
When problems get reported
Reported incident mileage among 64 complaints with usable odometer readings.
| under 20k | 1 | |
| 20–40k | 2 | |
| 40–60k | 7 | |
| 60–80k | 12 | |
| 80–100k | 13 | |
| 100–150k | 24 | |
| 150k+ | 5 |
Before you hand over money
- Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
- Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
- Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.
This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.