How many miles will a 1997 Ford Contour last?
Half of the 31 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1997 Ford Contour that list mileage came after 96,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 137,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 217 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 31 complaints on the 1997 Ford Contour that list mileage, the middle half came between 85,000 and 123,000 miles; 15 (48%) came after 100,000 miles, 2 (6%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 1997 Contour last?
The 31 mileages owners gave run from 25,000 to 165,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 85,000 miles, half at or under 97,000, three quarters at or under 123,000 and nine in ten at or under 138,000; 15 (48%) came after 100,000 miles, 2 (6%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1997 Contour wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 25,000 miles |
| 25th percentile | 85,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 97,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 123,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 138,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 165,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 15 (48%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 2 (6%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Every model year together: Half of the 557 NHTSA owner complaints on the Ford Contour that list mileage came after 77,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Ford Contour last? →
Common problems with the 1997 Contour
NHTSA's file holds 217 owner complaints on the 1997 Ford Contour. Owners named the electrical system most often: 41 complaints, and half of the 8 that list a mileage came after 108,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 41 | 8 | 109,000 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 35 | 6 | 85,000 |
| Power Train | 30 | 5 | 97,000 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 27 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Exterior Lighting | 20 | 6 | 87,000 |
Of the 217 complaints, 11 report a crash, 10 report a fire and 7 report an injury (10 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1997 Contour a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1997 is a good or a bad Contour: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1997 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 217 complaints, the 1997 ranks 5th of the 7 Ford Contour model years from 1994 to 2000 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1995 (891). The fewest: the 1994 (12).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 Contour | 12 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1995 Contour | 891 | 78 | 98,000 |
| 1996 Contour | 563 | 65 | 91,000 |
| 1997 (this page) | 217 | 31 | 97,000 |
| 1998 Contour | 846 | 161 | 85,000 |
| 1999 Contour | 419 | 136 | 60,000 |
| 2000 Contour | 199 | 86 | 55,000 |
1997 Ford Contour recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 8 recall campaigns that name the 1997 Ford Contour (5 vehicle campaigns and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 08E033000 | Apr 14, 2008 | SUSPENSION |
| 06E022000 | Mar 13, 2006 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC |
| 01V230000 | Jul 9, 2001 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 01I009000 | Jul 9, 2001 | VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:WINDSHIELD:ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT |
| 00V075000 | Mar 9, 2000 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1997 Contour lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1997 Contour.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 186 of the 217 complaints on the 1997 Ford Contour give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: CONTOUR. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: CONTOUR.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1997 Ford Contour questions
How many miles will a 1997 Ford Contour last?
Half of the 31 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1997 Ford Contour that list mileage came after 96,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 137,000 miles. Of the 31 complaints on the 1997 Ford Contour that list mileage, the middle half came between 85,000 and 123,000 miles; 15 (48%) came after 100,000 miles, 2 (6%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 1997 Contour that never had one.
What are the most common 1997 Ford Contour problems?
NHTSA's file holds 217 owner complaints on the 1997 Ford Contour. Owners named the electrical system most often: 41 complaints, and half of the 8 that list a mileage came after 108,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 217 complaints, 11 report a crash, 10 report a fire and 7 report an injury (10 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1997 Ford Contour a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1997 is a good or a bad Contour: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1997 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 217 complaints, the 1997 ranks 5th of the 7 Ford Contour model years from 1994 to 2000 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1995 (891). The fewest: the 1994 (12).
How many recalls does the 1997 Ford Contour have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 8 recall campaigns that name the 1997 Ford Contour (5 vehicle campaigns and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1997 Ford Contour before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1997 Ford Contour.