Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Underhood Wire Harness Recall 95 LX

Took the car I bought to dealer for safety check. Was told the TC is not working. I don't think the ABS is working either as I don't detect any engagement when I break hard. Have been told on this board that both could be affected by a bad wire harness. I popped the hood & looked at the wires yesterday. The insulation on some of what I could see at the top of the engine looked cracked. The dealer wants $65 just to check why the TC isn't working & told me if the TC problem is caused by the harness they would refund the $65. Is this about the best you can expect from a dealer when you ask them to check a car for the harness recall problem?

Seems reasonable to me.
The wiring harness replacement is something Ford is only going to fix if there is a problem. They are not prepared to absorb cost to prevent future possible problems.
Dealer has to recover his costs or go out of business.

If?

More like when! I don't think there's a 95 out there that isn't going to have the wiring harness cracking problem at some point. Probably also the 96 and 97 models.

If you see cracking insulation, get Ford to fix it.

Or speed up the process by flexing the wires a bit so the insulation falls off so they HAVE to fix it.

Brian

As soon as I get dressed I'm going out to my '97 to flex my wire.
Thanks for the suggestion.

which wires should I be flexing, I mean "looking at?"

On my 95 SE, the T/C and ABS lights came on several weeks ago and have been on most of the time since then.

Any of the ones close to the engine. A good possibility is the connector to the EGR vacuum regulator (the black plastic thing at the back of the intake manifold).

Or any that are cracking..kinda help them along..

Brian

The wire harness that leads to the TPS runs very close to the manifolds and was literally falling apart on mine.

i had that recall checked in feb and the dealer found my harness to be okay....now that i have an idea what to look for i'll be checking for myself

After my little trip to the dealer on Friday and subsequent phone call to Ford Quality Care service, I have come to a greater understanding of F rd's service. They will NOT replace your wire harness unless THEY feel that it is causing a problem, and yes they will charge you a "diagnostic" fee to check it. Here's the kicker. It doesn't matter if you have one exposed and cracking wire or (in my case) SEVEN. They will not fix it unless something else is broken. Because as the Rep at Ford QC said "how long should be extend a warranty on parts" when I asked him what I should do about it when it shorts out something on 105K and is no longer covered. Of all the condescending, patronizing BS If a part is "recalled" I think that 'should' mean that Ford recognizes that there is a problem-- after all, engines aren't recalled, trannys, timing belts and brake rotors aren't recalled. So everyone beware, Ford will not fix the wire harness unless something is broken- not just cracked wires either. A letter to the BBB is on its way out tomorrow. I'm thinking my next car WON'T be a Ford. :rolleyes:

GLChick'95, what you were told by this dealer is not what is stated in the Technical Service Bulletin for the underhood wire harness problem. There is an Internet site called Alldata.com that lists all the TSB's & recalls. You can subscribe for a year for $24. The TSB on this has a date of 991001. It provides a copy of the letter Ford sent to dealers & owners on the problem. It states that they have to replace the harness is there is brittleness or cracking. Does not say that this has to be causing a problem. I suggest you subscribe, print these letters & go back to the dealer. The TSB also gives a number at Ford to call about the harness problem--800-423-8851. You might call them before you go back. Don't give up. You are right they wont fix it after 100,000 miles & it's an expensive job that requires 2 days. I also noticed at Alldata that Ford does not allow as much time to fix things when they are covered under warranty. I think this means the dealer doesn't make as much money which I am sure is why they don't like to do warranty work. Let me know what happens. I'm at harrup@aol.com if you want to send me a private email.