FORD CONTOUR · model year

2001 FORD CONTOUR

4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2001FORDCONTOUR carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2001 CONTOUR is engine and engine cooling with 1 filings, followed by structure:body (1) and structure (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2001 CONTOUR, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
STRUCTURE1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1

Recent Complaints

20070604POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

I REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2001 FORD CONTOUR IN AUGUST, 2006. IT IS NOW JUNE, 2007 AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACING AGAIN!!! I HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH CONTOURS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THAT PARTICULAR MAKE/MODEL. THEY HAVE ALL GOTTEN RID OF THEIRS BECAUSE OF THIS MAJOR PROBLEM. *TR

20030826STRUCTURE

DASHBOARD IS SEPARATING FROM THE STRUCTURE AND LIFTING UPWARDS. THIS IS CAUSING AN OBSTRUCTION OF THE DRIVER'S VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY HEAT MOISTURE. *AK

Mileage: 36,000

20030701STRUCTURE:BODY

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING DASHBOARD IS PEELING, AND THE VENTS ARE FALLING ONTO THE FLOOR. *AK

20021217ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE STARTED TO VIBRATES AND THE STALL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. TS

Compare 2001FORDCONTOUR to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2001 FORD CONTOUR have?
The 2001 FORD CONTOUR has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 FORD CONTOUR?
The most-complained component for the 2001 FORD CONTOUR is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:BODY and STRUCTURE.
Is the 2001 FORD CONTOUR safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.