Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
1FALP13P0VW••••••1997 Ford ESCORT
This build draws 4.0× more complaints than the average 1997 Ford ESCORT build (21 vs 5).
21on this build
393on the model
75builds in total
2involved a crash
8involved a fire
2injuries
Most reportedAir Bags 7Electrical System 6Engine And Engine Cooling 3Visibility 3
What owners of this build wrote
Air BagsfireJul 2012
The contact owns a 1997 ford escort. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the air bag light illuminated and smoke emitted from under the dashboard. The contact maneuvered to the shoulder and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's home. While…
Electrical SystemfireAug 2001
While driving at 25 mph smoke was coming from the vents area, after parking vehicle, attempted to restart it, and vehicle would smoke again and sparks could be seen. This caused dashborad and other front area of the vehicle to burn. Feel free to provide any further information
VisibilityfireJul 2000
Consumer left vehicle at repair shop to determine why a light in the dash was illuminating, dealer stated that the heater core had a hole in it, consumer saw that vehicle had caught fire under the dash and that the windshield was burned, claim 24-5124-338
Engine And Engine CoolingMay 2005
Camshaft crack in half don't know what cause that too happen
Exterior LightingDec 2003
We have a 1997 ford escort, and the plastic lens that covers the headlights is extremely frosted. This means when driving at night, the amount of light output by the headlights is reduced, limiting the visibility of the road in front of the vehicle which could be hazardous. When…
Read all 21 complaints on this exact buildFull text, search by keyword, and the systems that fail most on cars built like yours.Unlock with Pro →
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 75 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN 1FALP13P0VW410637 · decoded Sep 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.