Vehicle recall 98V233000 · September 18, 1998
Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The floor shift automatic transmission control can be damaged if subjected to certain interior cleaning products. The gear position indicator can deteriorate and not correctly indicate the actual gear position.
- Consequence
- This condition can result in incorrect gear selection.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the automatic transmission floor shift control.
- Notes
- Owner notification began November 20, 1998.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 98V233000
- Reported to NHTSA
- September 18, 1998
- Filed by
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Owner notification
- November 20, 1998
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 175,000
- Initiated by
- NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation
- Components
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shift
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Ford Contour (1995-1998): 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995
- Mercury Mystique (1995-1998): 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995
Has your Ford been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. Recall repairs are free.