VehicleVerdict

1998 Ford Contour airbags problems

The 1998 Ford Contour has 101 airbags complaints filed with NHTSA — 8% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

101

Airbags complaints

8%

Share of year

24

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Airbags complaints by year

Contour airbags complaints by model year101 complaints1995: 49 complaints1996: 25 complaints1997: 9 complaints1998: 101 complaints1999: 29 complaints2000: 9 complaints
Contour airbags complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

99V243000AirbagsSeptember 8, 1999 · 280,481 units

Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE AIR BAG SENSOR WIRING PIGTAIL INSULATION CAN BECOME BRITTLE AND CRACK OVER TIME DUE TO ACCUMULATION OF WATER IN THE PIGTAIL PROTECTIVE CONVOLUTE IN COMBINATION WITH HIGH UNDERHOOD TEMPERATURES RELATED TO THE ROUTING OF THE WIRING PIGTAIL NEAR THE RADIATOR. THIS CAN RESULT IN ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS CRACKING OF THE INSULATION.

Consequence

IN SOME CASES, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAN ILLUMINATE AND THE AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM DISABLED.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL AIR BAG SENSORS WITH REVISED WIRING INSULATION. IN ADDITION, VEHICLES WHICH HAVE THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WILL HAVE A NEW AIR BAG DIAGNOSTIC MONITOR INSTALLED.

Common questions

How many airbags complaints does the 1998 Ford Contour have?

NHTSA has 101 complaints about the 1998 Ford Contour airbags — 8% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 1998 Ford Contour airbags?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the airbags: 99V243000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.