I currently have the same problem with the coolant light; it comes on and off sporadically. When I had full coverage on my 1998 Ford Contour (v6), I had the dealer check it out and they said it was the sensor in the coolant reservoir (I guess it's in the cap or something) that wasn't working well. They replaced it and everything was fine for a while, but now I have the same issue again. The dealer is willing to fix it but I'm not willing to pay for such a stupid repair so they said that as long as I keep an eye on the fluid level and make sure it is where it should be, everything should be fine.
Someone replied that the sensor is sensitive and will come on if the coolant is even slightly below the max line. If that were the case, wouldn't the coolant light stay on all of the time? It comes on at start-up and then magically turns off after a while, and may or may not come back on after a little while. Makes little sense to me.
