Selling a junk Ford Contour
Any Contour sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Ford Contour
NHTSA has 4,552 owner complaints on file for the Ford Contour, model years 1995 to 2001, the 97th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are engine and cooling (695, 15%), electrical system (642, 14%), transmission and drivetrain (432, 9%). 211 complaints involved a crash, 167 a fire, and 1 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 75,892 miles. The 1995 model year has the most complaints (1,323). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is engine and cooling, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a blown engine: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Ford Contour by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1,323 | Engine and cooling | 48 | 82 | 12 | 89,101 |
| 1996 | 858 | Electrical system | 42 | 31 | 11 | 90,000 |
| 1997 | 314 | Electrical system | 14 | 11 | 8 | 93,000 |
| 1998 | 1,189 | Engine and cooling | 56 | 23 | 12 | 81,660 |
| 1999 | 616 | Body and structure | 39 | 19 | 5 | 60,000 |
| 2000 | 248 | Body and structure | 12 | 1 | 7 | 55,000 |
| 2001 | 4 | Body and structure | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Ford Contour recalls
NHTSA lists 27 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for fuel system (4), suspension (3), brakes (3). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 1995 model year, suspension (campaign 08E033000, Apr 2008): FEDERAL MOGUL IS RECALLING 6,903 AFTERMARKET BALL JOINT ASSEMBLIES SHIPPED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 9, 2007 AND MARCH 26, 2008, WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN PACKAGED WITH INCORRECT NUTS. THE PART NUMBERS PACKAGED WITH INCORRECT NUTS ARE:…
- 1995 model year, brakes (campaign 06E022000, Mar 2006): CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT BRAKE CYLINDERS FOR CERTAIN FORD, DAIMLERCHRYSLER, AND JEEP PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE BRAKE CYLINDERS WERE SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAMES OF NAPA, RAYB…
- 1998 model year, suspension (campaign 01I013000, Aug 2001): THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1998 FORD CONTOUR/MERCURY MYSTIQUE PASSENGER VEHICLES BUILT AT THE KA…
- 1998 model year, suspension (campaign 01V255000, Aug 2001): VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES BUILT AT THE KANSAS CITY ASSEMBLY PLANT AND ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSET…
- 1995 model year, visibility and wipers (campaign 01I009000, Jul 2001): THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1995-1997 FORD CONTOUR AND MERCURY MYSTIQUE VEHICLES. THE HEATER BLOW…
What a Ford Contour is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Contour on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a blown engine 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Ford models
- Ford F-150 44,577
- Ford Explorer 38,749
- Ford Escape 36,252
- Ford Focus 29,852
- Ford Fusion 28,862
- Ford Windstar 19,399
- Ford Edge 18,133
- Ford Taurus 16,270
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Ford Contour worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Contour gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Ford Contour that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ford Contour?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Ford Contour numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.