There's something wrong in the ABS system, obviously. Wheel speed sensors are the most common cause I've encountered.
why would the abs light stay on continuously in a 97 contour? I own a 1998 ford contour and the abs light is on all the time. my car which needs new breaks because when the abs light comes on you could have three wheels grabbing when you hit the breaks or two wheels grabbing. what i would do is either check to see if you need new breaks or they just may needed to be adjusted. your rotors could be so worn down that they could also need to be replaced or honed out.
Check your ABS sensor
The ABS light is on because there is a problem with the ABS system. The ABS light will remain on until it is fixed. The ABS system will not function as long as the ABS light remains on.
You need to have the ABS system scanned with a computer to determine the reason for the light staying "on"
Every time you start and drive the vehicle the abs self tests itself. If there was a problem with the abs, the abs light would stay on until it is fixed. Also when the abs light stays on the abs system will not function.
The ABS and Brake lights stay on when the Abs computer has detected a malfunction and set a trouble code. You need to have the system checked for codes
bad abs sensor on rear axle, replace [I did that on mine,no luck]
Something is wrong with the ABS system.
It is on because there is a problem with the Antilock Brake System (ABS).
Problem with the ABS.
because one or more of your sensors are not reporting to the main computer.
The ABS and brake lights sole purpose is to signal you that you may have a problem with each / or one individual system. From your question we can assume that your ABS and brake lights come on continuously. There by we can safely deduce that you may have a problem with your ABS system and / or your brakes.