1996 FORD CONTOUR Owners Manual

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If You Have a Service Problem
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Ford Motor Company has authorized Ford and Lincoln-Mercury
dealerships that can service your vehicle for you. This chapter
tells you how to get service or maintenance for your vehicle.
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Service/Maintenance Concerns (U.S. or Canada)
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Ford recommends taking your vehicle to your selling dealer
who wants to ensure your continued satisfaction. You may,
however, take your vehicle to any authorized Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer. In most cases, your dealer will be able
to resolve your concern.
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If you are not satisfied with the service you received from your
dealership's service department, talk to the service manager at
the dealership, or if you still are not satisfied, talk to the owner
or general manager of the dealership. In most cases, you will
have your concern resolved at this level.
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If you are away from home when your vehicle needs to be
serviced, or if you need more help than the dealer gave you,
contact the Ford Customer Assistance Center to find an
authorized dealership that may be able to help you.
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If you live in Canada and have any questions or concerns that
the dealership cannot answer, contact the Customer Assistance
Centre.
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Customer Assistance
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Please have the following information available when contacting
Ford Customer Assistance:
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your telephone number (both business and home)
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the name of the dealer and the city where the dealership is
located
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the year and make of your vehicle
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the date purchased
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the current mileage on your vehicle
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your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) listed on your
owner card and/or your vehicle ownership license
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Vehicle Identification Number (VIN/Serial Number)
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If you still have a service or product complaint, you may wish
to contact the Dispute Settlement Board (U.S. only) or the
Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP) in Canada.
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The Dispute Settlement Board (U.S. Only)
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The Dispute Settlement Board is a voluntary, independent
dispute-settlement program available free to owners or lessees
of qualifying Ford Motor Company vehicles.
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The Dispute Settlement Board may not be available in all states.
Ford Motor Company reserves the right to change eligibility
limitations, modify procedures and/or to discontinue this
process at any time without notice and without incurring
obligations.
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What Kind of Cases Does the Board Review?
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The Board reviews all product performance and service
complaints on Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Cars and Ford and
Mercury Light Trucks under warranty that have not been
resolved by a dealer or Ford Motor Company.
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The Board does not review issues involving:
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A non-Ford product
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A non-Ford dealership
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A vehicle sales transaction
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A request for reimbursement of consequential expenses
unless incidental to a service or product complaint being
reviewed
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Items not covered by your warranty
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Alleged liability claims
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Property damage where such damage is significant when
compared to the economic loss alleged under the warranty
dispute
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Cases currently in litigation
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Customer Assistance
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Vehicles not used primarily for personal, family, or
household purposes
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NOTE: Complaints involving vehicles on which applicable
express written new vehicle warranties have expired at
receipt of your application are not eligible. Eligibility
may differ according to state law. For example, see the
unique brochure for California purchasers/lessees.
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How Does the Board Work?
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The Board has four members:
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three consumer representatives
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a Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer
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Consumer candidates for Board membership are recruited and
trained by an independent consulting firm. Dealers are chosen
because of their business leadership qualities.
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If the involved vehicle is within 36 months and 36,000 miles of
the date of delivery (warranty start date), you have a right to
make an oral presentation before the Board by indicating your
choice on the application. Also, oral presentations may be
requested by the Board. A decision is made by the Board by
simple majority vote.
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Board members review all the materials related to each
complaint and, based on the available information, arrive at a
fair and impartial decision. Decisions are based on the written
statements and any oral presentations made by each of the
involved parties.
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Because the Board usually meets only once a month, some cases
will take longer than 30 days to be reviewed. The Board will
make every effort to resolve each case within 40 days after it
receives the customer application form.
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After your case has been reviewed, the Board will mail you its
decision in writing. It will also provide you with a form to
indicate your acceptance or rejection of an award decision. The
decisions of the Board are binding on the dealer and Ford, but
customers may have other options available to them under state
or federal law.
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The decisions of the Board, however, may be introduced into
evidence by any party in subsequent legal proceedings that may
be initiated.
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How Do You Contact the Board?
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Write to the Board at the following address to request a
brochure/application. You will be sent a brochure and a
one-page customer application form. The form should be
completed and mailed to the same address.
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What is the Review Process?
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Your application will be reviewed and if it is determined to be
eligible, you will receive an acknowledgment indicating the file
number assigned to your application and the local Board
address. At the same time, your dealer and Ford Motor
Company representative are asked to submit statements.
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To review your case properly, the Board needs the following
information:
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legible copies of all documents and maintenance or repair
orders that relate to the case
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*[HS05500(ALL)04/95]nthe year, make, model, and vehicle identification number
*[HS05600(ALL)04/95]nthe date you bought your vehicle
*[HS05700(ALL)04/95]nthe date of repair and the mileage at the time of repair
*[HS05800(ALL)04/95]nthe current mileage
*[HS05900(ALL)04/95]nthe name of the dealer who sold you the vehicle or who
serviced your vehicle
*[HS06000(ALL)04/95]na brief description of your unresolved complaint
*[HS06100(ALL)05/95]na brief summary of actions that were taken with the dealer
and Ford Motor Company
*[HS06200(ALL)05/95]nthe names (if known) of all people you contacted at the
dealership
*[HS06300(ALL)04/95]na description of the action you want done to resolve your
concern.
*[HS06310(ALL)04/95]Should your application NOT qualify for review, an explanation
will be mailed to you.
*[HS06320(ALL)04/95]Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Only)
*[HS06340(ALL)01/95]If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause
a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Ford Motor Company.
*[HS06360(ALL)01/95]If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an
investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in a
group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual
problems between you, your dealer, or Ford Motor Company.
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To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety Hotline
toll-free at 1-800-424-9393 (or 366-0123 in the Washington, D.C.
area) or write to: NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation,
400 Seventh Street, Washington D.C. 20590. You can also obtain
other information about motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.
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Ford of Canada Customer Assistance
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If you live in Canada and have any questions or concerns that
the dealership cannot answer, contact the Customer Assistance
Centre.
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Please have the following information available when contacting
the Customer Assistance Centre:
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your telephone number (both business and home)
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the name of the dealer and the city where the dealership is
located
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the year and make of your vehicle
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the date purchased
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the current mileage on your vehicle
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your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) listed on your
owner card and/or your vehicle ownership license
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Customer Assistance
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Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP)
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If a specific item of concern arises, where a solution cannot be
reached between a vehicle owner, Ford of Canada, and/or one
of its dealers (that all parties can agree upon), the owner may
wish to use the services offered by the Canadian Motor Vehicle
Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP).
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CAMVAP uses the services of Provincial Administrators to
assist consumers in scheduling and preparing for their
arbitration hearings. However, before you can proceed with
CAMVAP you must follow your manufacturer's dispute
resolution process as outlined under ªService/Maintenance
Concerns (U.S. or Canada)º earlier in this chapter.
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Consumers wishing to obtain further information about the
program can obtain an information booklet from your dealer or
contact the Provincial Administrator, Canadian Motor Vehicle
Arbitration Plan, at the address or telephone number shown
below.
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O & P Services
595 Bay Street Ð Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2C2
Telephone 1 (800) 207-0685
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This plan is not available in the province of Quebec.
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Getting Help Outside the U.S. and Canada
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Before you export your vehicle to a foreign country, contact the
appropriate foreign embassy or consulate to make sure local
regulations do not prevent you from registering your vehicle.
Officials at the embassy can also help you decide whether you
should import your vehicle to that country.
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