Owners have filed 2,850 complaints on the Ford Escort, covering 1981–2003. The system named most often is Electrical System (468 reports). Worst years by volume: 1995, 1997, 1993; cleanest: 1981, 1982, 1983. 340 reports describe a crash, 337 a fire, 9 a death. On average the car was 5.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford Escort
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,850 Escort complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 468 Read
When vehicle was involved in a minor front end crash, a fire started behind the left headlamp, and engulfed the engine compartment. Vehicle was totalled from the fire. Please give any further information. Report given by julie good, insurance claim representative
My son was involved in an accident in which another vehicle hit his vehicle on the passenger side while he was making a left turn. My son's car spun 90 degrees and landed on the side of an embankment. The car did not flip and landed right side up. Both airbags deployed. My son noticed smoke coming from the right side…
Consumer noticed that airbag light was flashing on the dash panel wednesday night. Then, next day the light was still flashing, and vehicle started smoking. She had vehicle parked, then she got inside of vehicle. Turned vehicle on, and it started smoking. Had moved the panel, and noticed that fire was comming from…
Seat Belts 395 Read
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. Upon impact restraints did not retract, resulting in minor injuries. Dealer has been notified. Ak
Vehicle was struck from rear at approximately 40 mph. Upon impact, driver's seat belt failed to lock, and driver sustained injuries to head/eyes, and neck. Vehicle at dealer's body shop. Feel free to provide any further details on this matter
My car was broadsided by another vehicle on the passenger side doors. My 13 yr. Old son was in the front passenger side, with his seat belt on. When we hit the car spun, his door swung open ejecting him. He landed about 6 ft. From the car on the ground. There were marks left on his neck from the seat belt. Fortunately…
Engine And Engine Cooling 306 Read
Noticed that engine warning light was coming up on and off, changed spark plugs,wires, light would go off for a period and than come back on. I was driving down the freeway between 65-70 miles/hour when I hured a loud bang , pulled off the freeway, I had the car taking to a local ford dealership, service writer told…
While driving the plastic underneath the car next to the exhaust intake manifold burst into flames without any warning. Pulled vehicle over and put flames out. The vehicle had to be towed to dealer
While driving vehicle died and had a fire in the engine compartment without prior warning. Dealer cannot determine the cause. Another times, the transmission fell out without warning. After repairs, the vehicle started making noises and was slow to take off. Vehicle was traded in. *ak.et
Air Bags 284 Read
Was driving vehicle approximately 40mph when air bags partially deployed. One on driver's side was in flames. Then, passenger's side started to burn. No indications of air bag areas being hit or vehicle hitting anything when it happened. Vehicle was a rental from enterprise.*ak the driver says some one hit him just…
While driving at 25 mph consumer's vehicle rear ended another vehicle, and the air bags did not deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries. Manufacturer had not been contacted
The contact stated the vehicle was involved in a crash at 20mph, neither front air bags deployed. The front end of the vehicle was damaged while striking another vehicle. The vehicle was able to be driven 2 miles from the initial impact sight before the engine stalled. All three occupants of the vehicle received…
Fuel System 281 Read
The contact stated while stopped, the vehicle was rear ended. The other vehicle was going 45-55 mph. When this occurred the fuel system did not shut off, the airbags did not deploy, and the seat belts did not retract. The entire rear end of the vehicle was crushed; the contents of the trunk struck the contact causing…
While sitting at a stop and making a left turn another vehicle rear ended consumer'svehicle, in which consumer's vehicle was air bound about 50 feet, causing driver's seat and passenger's seat to go backwards. Also, switch for the gas unit system didn't shut down, and the motor kept running
No deployment of air bag, and shut off valve failed during accident resulting in headaches from hitting head on mirror, neckaches and upper back problems. Nlm
Suspension 196 Read
Vehicle experiencing alignment problems due to suspension failure, which could have cause consumer to have an accident. However, the airbag was loose at the rear part of the steering wheel, which could have caused airbag to experience no deployment during the accident, resulting in multiple injuries
While driving at 70 mph vehicle went over a patch of ice, causing owner to lose control of vehicle. Vehicle then rolled over 3-4 times, and the middle rear lap belt did not hold child seat in place
(fourth time), when changing lanes to the left after 55mph or more the car fishtails (wanders), as a result, the vehicle was hit on the driver's side
Power Train 185 Read
Backing out of driveway and looking in the mirror to see if any one was coming, all of a sudden vehicle flew forward and hit fence. Then wheels turned to the right, missing the telepole. Vehicle ended up hitting trees and stopped. Air bag did not deploy. Had seat belt on
Dt: consumer stated the vehicle was parked in the garage when a fire started in the left front underneath the hood. The vehicle had been driven the previous night, and had been sitting for approximately 15 hours. The fire investigator determined the cause of fire was from the power control module
Request for restitution of losses resulting from a vehicle fire. *mr the passenger area trans equipment/electrical wire) the consumer requested restitution. *scc the consumer stated she many mechanical problems with the vehicle
Service Brakes 137 Read
I was stopping for a traffic light. I slowed down and was coasting to the light. When I pressed down on the brake it made a loud noise and didnt stop. I put my left foot on top of my right foot on the brake and pressed down as hard as I could. It still wouldnt stop. I finally managed to get it into park. It stopped…
The contact owns a 2001 ford escort. When the contact depressed the brake pedal, the vehicle dramatically surged forward and crashed into another vehicle. She took her vehicle to the dealer and they repaired the coil spring in the brake pedal, along with other cosmetic repairs. One month later, while attempting to…
Brakes failed, resulting in a frontal collision. Upon impact, driver's airbag did not deploy, causing injury to the driver. Also, rear seat collapsed. Dealer has been notified
Escort years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 10 | 3 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 18 | 2 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 59 | 6 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 49 | 10 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 45 | 67 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 17 | 6 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 51 | 14 | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | 35 | 10 | |
| 1993 | Air Bags | 18 | 11 | |
| 1992 | Electrical System | 5 | 13 | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | 13 | 43 | |
| 1990 | Electrical System | 2 | 29 | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | 7 | 46 | |
| 1988 | Electrical System | 5 | 34 | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | 1 | 21 | |
| 1986 | Electrical System | 1 | 9 | |
| 1985 | Air Bags | 1 | 7 | |
| 1984 | Electrical System | — | 3 | |
| 1983 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1982 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1981 | Seats | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,161 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.5 |
| Worst single series | 29 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.0 years |
A model average of 2.5 hides a worst series at 29. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Escort?
By complaint volume, 1995, 1997, 1993 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Escort years are the cleanest?
1981, 1982, 1983 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford Escort have?
2,850 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1981–2003. Of those, 340 describe a crash and 337 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.