Owners have filed 14 complaints on the Ford ZX2, covering 2002–2003. The system named most often is Power Train (5 reports). Worst years by volume: 2002, 2003; cleanest: 2003, 2002. 2 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 3.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford ZX2
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 14 ZX2 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 5 Read
The automatic transmission, or related critical component parts, on this vehicle has failed. It was towed to avis ford about two weeks ago. The service manager, john, was requested to contact the manufacturer's representative to review the problem. Despite daily promises of a call from the manf. Rep, no call has been…
When backing out of my driveway in reverse gear after the first start of a day following a day which I've driven 60-70 mph for several hours, the car (ford 2002 zx2) initially moves in reverse gear very sluggishly. It feels like the transmission fluid has become a thick sludge or maybe a brake is dragging. Dt
In may 2002, I purchased a ford escort zx2. Since that time I have put 21,000 miles on the car. Recently, I started experiencing problems where the automatic transmission would slip, especially when going up an incline. Yesterday, my engine light went on and I scheduled an appointment with miller brothers ford in…
Engine And Engine Cooling 3 Read
I have a 2003 ford zx2 that has had a severe idle vibration for nearly one year that ford is refusing to fix. The defect causes a severe vibration in the steering wheel, glove box, vents, and seats of the car and occurs on a daily basis in any gear or any driving condition. This vehicle is still under warranty and it…
The vehicle dies/stalls when braking to turn off a highway. When driving on highway going 55-60 mph the vehicle dies when braking. You lose power steering. Car will turn back on
Car stalls when coasting or braking and coming to stop. Car also stalls when on freeway in high traffic areas. Car has been taken in 5 separate times for same problem without any resolution. Ford attempted to replace the oxygen sensor, and the emergency fuel sensor. This problem started when the car only had 2400…
Service Brakes 1 Read
Kinked and crimped vacuum brake hose causing the brakes to go hard as a rock, losing control of the car upon braking and 2 accidents. Car was under warranty and the dealer failed to diagnose the problem leading to the accidents. Accident 1. $6,000 damage. Accident 2, $1,600 damage. I have photos of the crimped brake…
Air Bags 1 Read
I was involved (along w/ passenger) in a hit and run accident. The driver of the other car turned right. When I saw that the car had successfully turned I accelerated to 45-50 mph. When I came upon the road, which the car had turned, the other car did a complete "u turn" and came out onto the main road going the…
Vehicle Speed Control 1 Read
Whenever the a/c compressor is on.....and you take your foot off the accelerator pedal....the car continues to maintain its speed!!....just as if you had the cruise control set. The only time the vehicle does this is when the a/c compressor is activated. I have brought the car to both local dealerships here and…
Seats 1 Read
My son, while upset, hit his head against the back of the seat. A post or some other object mounted within the seat back struck his head, causing a bleeding wound. We were not in an accident, but rather this happened while the vehicle was in motion. It is my opinion that had we been in an accident, the injury would…
Fuel System 1 Read
Car intermittently stalls on acceleration (approx 17 times) has stalled on highway at 60mph,will not restart for approx 15-60 minutes after stall. Car is covered under ford extended warranty purchased at time of sale. Car was taken back to orig dealer mullinax ford east twice, both times advised was repaired but car…
Seat Belts 1 Read
The contact owns a 2002 ford escort zx2. When the contact attempted to use the rear passenger side seat belt, she noticed that it would not extend outwards or retract to its normal position. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and the contact was informed that the seat belt retractor needed to be replaced. The…
ZX2 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 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
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 | 10 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 3 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 3.1 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 3. 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
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- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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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 ZX2?
By complaint volume, 2002, 2003 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 ZX2 years are the cleanest?
2003, 2002 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford ZX2 have?
14 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2002–2003. Of those, 2 describe a crash and 0 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.