Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

My Contour GL Duratec is probably the last �95 wiring harness recall paid for by Ford, thanks in part to CEG.

Quick history: Bought the Contour new in November ââ?¬â?¢96 as a leftover ââ?¬â?¢95 model. My wife drove it ââ?¬â?? until a 3rd kid pushed us into a minivan. I drive my Mustang when the weather is nice, the Contour the rest of the time. The net effect of this is the Contour has only 69K miles on it. And most of the miles were during cooler, non-Mustang-fun weather, so the wiring harness lived an easy life compared to most (higher underhood temperatures accelerate the problem).

I had been watching my 10-year-in-service date closely (extended warranty coverage for this problem is 10 years/100K miles). My harness had been in great shape; I was relieved to recently discover cracked insulation in several places.

I took the car in for the wiring inspection, fully expecting the dealer to try to find some way to get out of fixing it. Thanks to others here ( CEGââ?¬â?¢er Jeb Hoge shared his experiences earlier this year), I knew to show up with a copy of the Owner Notification Program documentation to leave with them (here it is: http://www.contour.org/FAQ/recall/99M03/ hmmm ââ?¬â?? they never seem to have their own copy handy when you need them to), as well as pictures of cracks I had found in easily-seen problem areas.

To my surprise, the dealer called back the next day, stating that they would fix the problem. They kept the car for a week (I got it back last night), and it looks like they did a pretty good job.

Anyone else still dealing with wiring harness recalls?

That's GREAT news , Phil . Pretty incredible that your dealer would put a new wire harness into a 10-year old car . It was most likely a "good will" repair by the dealership . Still way cool .

Yes, particularly considering the dealer mentioned that the repair would otherwise run about $2K. That's more than the book value of the car right now - but I can't replace what the car is worth to me for book value.

I must admit, it makes me feel better about my dealer, and Ford as a whole. Now I'm hoping Ford has learned many lessons since building my '95 Contour - the Fusion is looking like a potential replacement someday.

I can tell you right now that those are two of the five visual inspection areas. If you see insulation cracked or flaked, then that's that.

I've got to dig into my 97's engine bay and re-inspect mine. I haven't spotted anything yet, but I'll be checking it every oil change or so.

contour_phoenix_when:

Here's a PDF document of the pictures I left with the dealer:

Wiring Harness Pics

Some of the pictures don't really show the cracking very well; it was much clearer in person. Also, I believe the cracking in my harness wasn't very bad compared to some I've heard about. However, once the problem starts, it only gets worse. Mine hadn't yet exhibited any electrical gremlins I could attribute to the harness, but I've read too many "it ran funny; then it wouldn't start" stories.

The new harness sections I've had a chance to look at (mostly the same easy-to-see sections shown in the pictures) appear to use wire with much heavier insulation. The connectors also seem to be higher quality than the original.

Yup. And on the other hand, you may have a ton of cracking and never notice any electrical issues. When the mechanic had stripped my harnesses out, he wondered aloud how my car kept running. The only problem I ever noticed was my A/C compressor cycling on and off, and that was two days before I took it in for the recall.

On my Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) connector

All three wires had at least an inch of insulation missing. What I did upon seeing this missing insulation was paint it with liquid tape insulator.

On my Cooling fan connector I also noticed this flaking and so painted it as well. I cannot believe ford ignored this problem when they saw it and did not even mention that I should have it fixed.

Gosh it looks like I have the problem and even have been addressing it not knowing that this specifically is the wire harness issue.

Ford really uck their customers back in 94.

Or who ever it was that supplies their parts.

Your wiring harness sounds to be in tough shape.

What year is your car? How many miles? Are you past the extended warranty coverage? If your car is still within the limit, I'd print a copy of 99M03, take some pictures and press the dealer. Or find another dealer.

Be sure the read through the details of 99M03 before talking to the dealer.

One of my real worries with your car would be the wiring connections you *can't* see. The wire inside the bundles under the hood will be breaking down the same way you're seeing individual wires near visible connectors. Eventually, you'll start having strange electrical problems as more of the harness breaks down.