Dash warp: a common problem on '99 and '00 Contours due to a dashboard revision. The dash will curl toward the windshield, leaving a nasty gap and potentially inhibiting your view of the road. Not that Ford ever considered it a safety recall.

My friend's 2000 SE has warp so bad that the plastic vent piece slides freely along the dashboard when she turns a corner.
example of dash warp
Dash warp kit fix ($70 part from Ford, and there are installation instructions available on PDF ... the easiest way is to dismantle the entire dashboard, the hardest way is to pop out the windshield

) This kit also includes rivets to keep the dash from curling near the steering wheel as well (which is a problem on 98 Contours too; my dash is warped there but it's not hugely noticeable unless you were to compare with a dash that isn't warped).
pictures
There is much more information on this particular topic in both the main contour.org site and in the forums - you'll find answers to almost any question you have by doing a search query in the forums.