Ford Contour (1999 year). Manual - part 57

Customer assistance

226

Please have the following
information available when
contacting Ford Customer
Assistance:

• Your telephone number (home
and business)

• The name of the dealer and the
city where the dealership is located

• The year and make of your
vehicle

• The date of vehicle purchase

• The current odometer reading

• The vehicle identification
number (VIN)

If you still have a complaint
involving a warranty dispute, you
may wish to contact the Dispute
Settlement Board (U.S.) or the
Mediation/Arbitration Program
(Canada).

In the United States, a warranty
dispute must be submitted to the
Dispute Settlement Board before
taking action under the Magnuson-
Moss Warranty Act, or to the
extent allowed by state law, before
pursuing replacement or
repurchase remedies provided by
certain state laws. This dispute
handling procedure is not required
prior to enforcing state created
rights or other rights which are
independent of the Magnuson-Moss
Warranty Act or state replacement
or repurchase laws.

THE DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
BOARD (U.S. ONLY)

The Dispute Settlement Board is

• an independent, third-party
arbitration program for warranty
disputes

• available free to owners and
lessees of qualifying Ford Motor
Company vehicles

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 service without
notice and without incurring
obligations per applicable state law.

What kinds of cases does the
Board review?

Unresolved warranty repair
concerns or vehicle performance as
designed concerns on Ford,
Mercury and Lincoln cars and Ford
or Mercury light trucks which are
within the terms of any applicable
written new vehicle warranty are
eligible for review, except those
involving:

• a non-Ford product

• a non-Ford dealership

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227

• sales disputes between customer
and dealer except those associated
with warranty repairs or concerns
with the vehicle's performance as
designed

• a request for reimbursement of
consequential expenses unless a
service or product concern being
reviewed

• items not covered by the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty
(including maintenance and wear
items)

• alleged personal injury/property
damage claims

• cases currently in litigation

• vehicles not used primarily for
family, personal or household
purposes (except in states where
the Dispute Settlement Board is
required to review commercial
vehicles).

• vehicles with non-U.S.
warranties

Concerns are ineligible for review if
the New Vehicle Limited Warranty
has expired at receipt of your
application and in certain states
eligibility is dependent upon the
customer's possession of the
vehicle.

Eligibility may differ according to
state law. For example see the
unique brochures for California,
West Virginia, Georgia and
Wisconsin purchasers/ lessees.

Board membership

The Board consists of:

• three consumer representatives

• a Ford or Lincoln-Mercury
dealership representative

Consumer candidates for Board
membership are recruited and
trained by an independent
consulting firm. The dealership
Board member is chosen from Ford
and Lincoln-Mercury dealership
management, recognized for their
business leadership qualities.

What the Board needs

To have your case reviewed you
must complete the application in
the DSB brochure and mail it to the
address provided on the
application form.

Your application is reviewed and, if
it is determined to be eligible, you
will receive an acknowledgement
indicating:

• the file number assigned to your
application

• the toll-free phone number of
the DSB's independent
administrator

• Your dealership and a Ford
Motor Company representative are
asked to submit statements at this
time.

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To properly review your case, the
Board needs the following
information:

• legible copies of all documents
and maintenance or repair orders
relevant to the case

• the year, make, model, and
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) listed on your vehicle
ownership license

• the date of repair(s) and mileage
at the time of occurrence(s)

• the current mileage

• the name of the dealer who sold
or serviced the vehicle

• a brief description of your
unresolved concern

• a brief summary of the action
taken by the dealer(s) and Ford
Motor Company

• the names (if known) of all the
people you contacted at the
dealership(s)

• a description of the action you
expect to resolve your concern

• You will receive a letter of
explanation if your application does
not qualify for Board review.

Oral presentations

If you would like to make an oral
presentation indicate YES to
question #6 on the application.
While it is your right to make an
oral presentation before the Board,
this is not a requirement and the
Board will decide the case whether
or not an oral presentation is made.
Oral presentation may be
requested Board as well.

Making a decision

Board members review all available
information related to each
complaint, including oral
presentations, and arrive at a fair
and impartial decision.

Every effort is made to decide the
case within 40 days of the date that
all requested information is
received by the Board. Since the
Board generally meets once a
month, it may take more than a
month before the Board can
consider some cases.

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After a case is reviewed, the Board
mails you a decision letter and a
form on which to accept or reject
the Board's decision. The decisions
of the Board are binding on Ford
(and, in some cases, on the dealer)
but not on consumers who are free
to pursue other remedies available
to them under state or federal law.

To request a DSB
brochure/application

For a brochure/application, speak
to your dealer or write/call to the
Board at the following
address/phone number:

Dispute Settlement Board
P.O. Box 5120
Southfield, MI 48086-5120
1-800-428-3718

You may also contact the North
American Customer Assistance
Center at 1-800-392-3673 (Ford).
TDD for the hearing impaired: 
1-800-232-5952 or by writing to the
Center at the following address:

Ford Motor Company
Customer Assistance Center
16800 Executive Plaza Drive
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, Michigan 48121

GETTING ASSISTANCE
OUTSIDE THE U.S. AND
CANADA

Before exporting your vehicle to a
foreign country, contact the
appropriate foreign embassy or
consulate. These officials can
inform you of local vehicle
registration regulations and where
to find unleaded fuel.

If you cannot find unleaded fuel or
can only get fuel with an anti-knock
index lower than is recommended
for your vehicle, contact a district
or owner relations/customer
assistance office.

The use of leaded fuel in your
vehicle without proper conversion
may damage the effectiveness of
your emission control system and
may cause engine knocking or
serious engine damage. Ford Motor
Company/Ford of Canada is not
responsible for any damage caused
by use of improper fuel.

In the United States, using leaded
fuel may also result in difficulty
importing your vehicle back into
the U.S.

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