Certain pro-a motors corner lamps, turn signals, and headlights sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle...
1981-2003 · 23 model years
Ford Escort Problems by year
Owners have filed 187 complaints about the Ford Escort across 23 model years, and it has 38 recalls. The 2001 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (99). The most reported problem area is the transmission & drivetrain, followed by the engine & cooling.
- Complaints
- 187
- Recalls
- 38
- Crashes
- 22
- Fires
- 10
- Injuries
- 21
- Deaths
- 0
Escort complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common Escort problems
Ford Escort recalls 38
Certain trw driver's side seat belts manufactured on december 6 and 9, 2002, for use as replacement equipment for 1997 ford escort 4-door and station wagon platform vehicles, ford's p/n f7cz54611b09aac. The seat belt assemblies exhibit a no-lock condition...
On certain passenger vehicles, the integrated air bag monitor (iabm) can be contaminated with water or other liquids and could experience internal electrical shorting.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load...
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the s/r option. The s/r option includes, among other features, a 5-speed manual transmission. On these vehicles, the transmission shift pattern is not displayed in the occupant compartment in view of...
Covers1999 Ford Escort
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 1.9L engines, built at the hermosillo assembly plant and originally sold or currently registered in arizona. Cracks can develop in the fuel tank near the heat shield attachment resulting in fuel...
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 1.9L engines, built at the hermosillo or wayne assembly plants and originally sold or currently registered in nevada, florida, hawaii, texas, california, louisiana, georgia, south carolina, mississippi...
The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
The driver side air bag module can have an inadequately welded inflator canister.
Two bolts that attach the passenger side air bag supplemental restraint system module to the instrument panel are missing. In the event of a frontal impact, the module can come out of the instrument panel.
Covers1995 Ford Escort
The offset toe adjusting pin can fracture under conditions such as torsional loads, flexing motion, impact loads, and overtorquing.
The lock plate of the driver side inboard seat track adjusters were manufactured with an unauthorized modification to the fabrication process which causes the seat not to fully engage in certain seating positions near the mid-point of the seat track travel.
Covers1993 Ford Escort
Latest Escort complaints
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 ford escort. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact's vehicle rear ended another vehicle. The driver of the contact's vehicle and four occupants in the other vehicle were injured. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The air bags deployed on impact. Prior to the crash, the vehicle accelerated while the brakes were being applied. The vehicle was towed and deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was 144,000.
I purchased all four michelins about a year ago. Since then I had two blowouts on the rear drive-side tire and one on the front driver-side tire. All three blew out on the sidewalls, two of which were on the inner side sidewall and one on the outer side sidewall. There were no nails, glass, or other debris responsible for these blowouts. The first one not only left a gapping hole on the inner side sidewall, but it got so hot it also blew out the tire stem and was smoking for a good hour afterwards. They replaced...
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that tire with a brand new michelin of the same type. Then the second blew out happened on that new tire several months later also leaving a gapping hole on the inner side sidewall and it was so hot the guys couldn't even touch it to fix it until they doused it with water. They replaced it with a brand new michelin as well. Then several months later (today) the front driver side tire blew similarly. I did not crash and there was no fire, however there was a lot of smoke and these instances could have easily been a lot worse since I was on the freeway each time, but I'm lucky they were not. I definitely feel we are dealing with some defective tires here. *Tr
I was at the store with my son (12 years old) and my grandson (3 years old), when we went to leave the key would not turn and the steering wheel was locked up. It was very cold outside, after about an hour I got ahold of someone to come pick us up. When I got home I did some internet research and found out this is a common issue and no recall? No car, can't pick my daughter up at her friend's house (she is stranded), can't take my grandson home and have to figure out a way to work tomorrow. This is a major safety...
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issue leaving people stranded without warning. Especially if there are health issues or children involved. My dad is 73 and loves ford, he was surprised and disappointed about this also. What is ford thinking?.. Greed and money. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escort. The contact stated that the shift anti- lock actuator failed and the vehicle would not shift out of park. The vehicle was repaired october 24, 2003 when the dealer replaced the shifter and the cable assembly. The contact stated that the failure recurred. In addition, the contact stated that the rear passenger seat belt did not work properly and that the shoulder strap would not buckle properly. The failure mileage was 75,000. The abs light would randomly illuminate. Updated...
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12/15/11 updated 12/28/11*lj the right rear seat belt was twisted, which made it inoperable, the brake shift inter-lock malfunctioned and the consumer was unable to shift the from park to drive. Updated 03.12.12
Tl* the contact owns 2001 ford escort. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park after engine startup. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the shifter and shift console needed to be replaced. The contact also mentioned that the rear passenger seat belt was twisted and causing the seat belt to not lock properly. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.
2002 Ford escort. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle stopping and dying while driving *tgw the consumer stated the battery and alternator were replace three times, as well as other components. However, the stalling continued. No one has been able to determine the reason for the stalling. *Jb
Questions about the Ford Escort
Which Ford Escort years have the most problems?
Which Ford Escort years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Ford Escort problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the transmission & drivetrain (35), engine & cooling (34), suspension (26) most often.
How many recalls does the Ford Escort have?
NHTSA lists 38 recalls across all Ford Escort model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data