Okay AutoDopers! 
Question.
I own a Ford 1999 Contour. Automatic tranny.
There is a button on the shift handle, other that the one you use to shift gears. When I push it, a dashboard light comes on , reading " U/U Off".
What does “U/U Off” means?
Why not “U/U On”?
What does this do?
And when should I use it?
And, what about Naomi?
Sure that U/U isn’t really O/D for OverDrive?
If it is, then I can tell you that “on” is the normal state for overdrive, so they won’t bother informing you that it is on.
If it isn’t, then you’ve got me right confuzzled, cause I can’t think of a thing that U/U would mean.
I’m sure the manual will tell you exactly what it does
In my Nissan the button changes the gearing ratio for city driving.
I depress it again to change into moterway/highway driving mode.
It is U/U.
The manual is silent.
Obviously it’s a mechanism for disabling the built in Unitarian-Universalist. Since there are times when social activism and potluck meals are inappropriate, being able to disable the U-U is a valuable feature.
Gorsnak is correct. When you are about to insult another driver in a diety-specific way, push the button first. Some examples: Frith up a tree, Christ on a crutch, Hare skateboarding Krishna, by the beard of fing Odin, and close the gates, Janus, there a fool a’coming.
I’ve looked and can’t find anything, but Ponster’s observation seems germane; the U may stand for “urban.” IIRC, the Contour’s gearbox is speedometer-controlled, and changing the shift/speed settings for urban driving is not at all uncommon.
Have you tried asking the dealer?
It’s used. He won’t know diddly.
Searching Google and Google Groups for stuff like “Ford Contour U/U Off” produces no interesting results, but “Ford Contour O/D off” turns up a few hits.
It appears that at least some Ford Contours with automatic transmissions were equipped with an overdrive disable button and an “O/D off” light. This may sound silly, but could it be that there’s something the matter with your indicator light, and the tops of the O and the D are cut off, making it look like “U/U?”
I’m not sure about that potluck thing. The button might be for when a couple of Presbyterians enter the car; it drops any social activism to a polite level and roasts a chicken.
I just pestered a Contour owner.
It is:
O/D Off
The indicator light in your car is shifted a bit, or the top isn’t iluminated, as noted by Lagged
O/D Off is a common warning light, and it is standard to press a button on the auto tranny gear selector to defeat the O/D (overdrive)…and that subject has been beat to death if you’d like to search on it.