This is something owners of Contours and Cougars need to know about because for some reason very few dealers do. I know because a have a 2000 model of each and BOTH have suffered from it. The tanks are molded plastic and can warp or distort with no warning. They will bulge at the bottom and by lowering the bottom of the tank away from the pickup, reduce the usable size of the tank. My cougar got it at ~20k miles, the L-M dealer caught it & replaced it under warranty. My contour just got it at 53k; had to call the Ford 800#, after yelling & pitching a fit got them to eat 50% (of a $968 job!) The car will act like it's running out of gas at 3/8 of a tank (actually it IS running out of accessible gas). It has failed to start 2 mornings - my theory is the fuel gets warmed while the car is running, then cools & condenses as it sits overnight. Adding just a gallon gets it started to limp to a station.
When I brought the contour to my idiot Ford dealer they totally disregarded everything I told them and diagnosed "debris in the tank", so I took the car to the L-M dealer. One look on the lift - "Yup, it's warped."
I don't know why there are no TSBs or recalls on this problem. Most dealers claim they've never heard of it. But here I am, with 2 2k model year cars and they've both had it happen. Coincidence?
Between the blown trans, radiator, PS pump, alternator, warped dash recall, and 2 bad fuel tanks on these cars I have had it with Ford for good. My younger daughter will get her license this summer and I'm giving her my '98 Mustang (squeaks like crazy) and getting myself a Scion (Toyota) tC - I'm tired of second-class quality. When we're ready to dump the contour - no rush since the car already has squat for resale value) the wife will go Japanese too. Sorry, but my trust in Ford is history.