The Ford Contour is a compact car built from 1995 to 2000. Most were assembled in the United States — 81.7% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6. Worth buying? It depends heavily on which year you buy at 3.5/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).
What the Contour is
The Ford Contour is a compact car that Ford built from 1995 to 2000 — 6 model years. It has been offered with 4-cyl, V6 power. Its closest siblings in the Ford range: Focus, Escort, Probe.
Where the Contour is built
A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 2,443 Contours on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 1FA, 1SA | 1995-2000 | |
| Mexico | 3FA | 1995-2000 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Ford VIN decide which of these 1 lines your Contour belongs to. What every character in a Contour VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Ford Contour adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Ford Contour tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment Contour owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What engines does the Ford Contour have? Power & range
The Ford Contour is offered with 2 powertrains — 2.5L 6-cyl, 2L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 2 for the Ford Contour, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V6 | 2.5L · 6-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Regular |
| 4-cyl | 2.0L · 4-cyl | Manual 5-spd | FWD | Regular |
Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
The Contour by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Ford Contour. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | Contour | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 55 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 3,644 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 3.5 / 5 | Best and worst years |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Ford Contour?
The Contour is a compact car, built from 1995 to 2000. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6.
Where is the Ford Contour made?
Across 2,443 cars in our records the split is: the United States (81.7%), Mexico (18%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.
What is the Ford Contour warranty?
New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.
Is the Contour reliable?
It scores 3.5/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.
How do I check a specific Contour?
This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.
More in Ford
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford F-150 | 1981–2026 | 462 | 72 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Ford Bronco | 1981–2026 | 146 | 27 mpg | 3.5/5 |
| Ford Mustang | 1981–2026 | 240 | 26 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Ford Explorer | 1991–2026 | 212 | 39 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Ford Escape | 2001–2026 | 226 | 41 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Ford Ranger | 1982–2026 | 278 | 58 mpg | 3.5/5 |