IllustrationWHILE DRIVING SPEEDOMETER BECOMES ERRATIC; SPEEDOMETER ACCELERATES THREE TIMES, ACTUAL SPEED BEING DRIVEN. CANNOT DETERMINE MILEAGE ON VEHICLE. VEHICLE ALSO MAKES STRANG NOISE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
1996 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Ford Escort are substantially higher than the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Escort years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 21 of 205 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Seat Belts. Review the 77 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
23 crash reports7 fire reports18 injury reports
Power Train complaints
19 reportsSPEEDOMETER JUMPS ERRATICALLY AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50 MPH. NOT COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY ALTHOUGH BROCHURE LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE SO. DEALERSHIP KNEW IT WAS THE SPEEDOMETER ITSELF AND NOT A DRY CABLE BECAUSE OF HISTORY OF SAME PROBLEMS. 2ND PROBLEM; AT APPOX 80,000 MILES THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT. I REC…
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SPEEDOMETER JUMPS ERRATICALLY AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50 MPH. NOT COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY ALTHOUGH BROCHURE LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE SO. DEALERSHIP KNEW IT WAS THE SPEEDOMETER ITSELF AND NOT A DRY CABLE BECAUSE OF HISTORY OF SAME PROBLEMS. 2ND PROBLEM; AT APPOX 80,000 MILES THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT. I RECOGNIZE THAT THINGS DO BREAK, BUT WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR SEAT BELT WOULDN'T RETRACT JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER, I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THERE IS A DESIGN DEFECT. *AK
SPEEDOMETER MAKES GRINDING SOUND READS MUCH HIGHER THAN ACTUAL SPEED. ALSO FLUCTUATES WILDLY. *AK
SPEEDODOMETER OPERATES ERRATICALLY, DOES NOT REGISTER CORRECT LEVELS OF SPEED. HAS BEEEN REPLACED ONCE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK CONSUMER WAITING FOR NEW PART TO BE SHIPPED FOR SECOND REPLACEMENT. *YH
SPEEDOMETER BECAME ERRATIC, DISPLAYED WRONG SPEED, AT BETWEEN 20000 - 30000 MILES. HAD DEALER REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. NEW SPEEDOMETER IS DOING SAME ERRATIC BEHAVIOUR AT 90000 - 100000 MILES. THIS IS EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD. CAN NOT DETERMINE SAFE SPEED WHILE ON HIGHWAY. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE DESIGN, SINCE TWO MANUFACTUR…
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SPEEDOMETER BECAME ERRATIC, DISPLAYED WRONG SPEED, AT BETWEEN 20000 - 30000 MILES. HAD DEALER REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. NEW SPEEDOMETER IS DOING SAME ERRATIC BEHAVIOUR AT 90000 - 100000 MILES. THIS IS EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD. CAN NOT DETERMINE SAFE SPEED WHILE ON HIGHWAY. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE DESIGN, SINCE TWO MANUFACTURER PROVIDED SPEEDOMETERS HAVE FAILED IN IDENTICAL MANNER. SAFETY CONCERN!! CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER @ 1-800-392-3673. THEY WILL NOT LISTEN OR REPLACE DEFECTIVE DESIGNED EQUIPMENT. *AK
FRONT WHEELS SEIZED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH WHICH RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT, POSSIBLY DUE TO FAUTLY TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK *ML
SPEEDOMETER AND IT'S CABLE ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN 14 MONTHS. 02/15/1999 (JUST UNDER 36,000 ODOMETER) SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE BOUNCED BETWEEN 60 AND 90MPH. 5/08/00 (48,702 ODOMETER) SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE VIBRATED UNDER 50 MPH AND SPEEDOMETER CABLE CAUSED LOUD CHIRPING NOISE IN FRONT OF CAR. THE FIRST INSTANCE WAS UNDER W…
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SPEEDOMETER AND IT'S CABLE ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN 14 MONTHS. 02/15/1999 (JUST UNDER 36,000 ODOMETER) SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE BOUNCED BETWEEN 60 AND 90MPH. 5/08/00 (48,702 ODOMETER) SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE VIBRATED UNDER 50 MPH AND SPEEDOMETER CABLE CAUSED LOUD CHIRPING NOISE IN FRONT OF CAR. THE FIRST INSTANCE WAS UNDER WARRANTY - THE SECOND, I COMPLAINED TO DEALER AND AM PAYING A $100 WARRANTY DEDUCTIBLE OF SOME SORT(?) I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING AS THE SPEEDOMETER AND IT'S CABLE ARE DEFECTIVE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING CAR, THE VEHICLE STOPPED PULLING. WHEN CHECKED, I WAS TOLD BY THE INSPECTOR THAT THE CLUTCHES IN THE TRANSMISSION WERE BURNT OUT. HE TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $27OO TO REPAIR. I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED ON THE CAR WAS NO GOOD BECAUSE I SURPASSED THE MILEAGE. WHAT THEY DIDN'T TELL ME WAS …
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WHILE DRIVING CAR, THE VEHICLE STOPPED PULLING. WHEN CHECKED, I WAS TOLD BY THE INSPECTOR THAT THE CLUTCHES IN THE TRANSMISSION WERE BURNT OUT. HE TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $27OO TO REPAIR. I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED ON THE CAR WAS NO GOOD BECAUSE I SURPASSED THE MILEAGE. WHAT THEY DIDN'T TELL ME WAS THAT THE CAR IS INITIALLY COVERED FOR THE FIRST 100,000 MILES AND THE EXTRA WARRANTY I PURCHASED WAS TO GIVE ME AN EXTENSION OF 60, 000 MILES OR WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. I FEEL AS THOUGH FORD SHOULD REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION AT NO COST TO ME BECAUSE THE LIFE OF THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE LONGER THAN IT LASTED. I HAVE EVEN FINISHED PAYING FOR THE CAR YET. *AK
IN FEBRUARY OF 1999 STARTED NOTICING A CLICKING SOUND FROM THE SPEEDOMETER. PROBLEM PERSISTED AND NOISE STARTED BECOMING A GRIND. TOOK IN FOR SERVICE MARCH 1999 WITH MILEAGE AT 37962. REPLACED SPEEDOMETER CABLE. NOISE STOPPED AND THEN SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE STARTED AGAIN TO ACT ERRATICALLY. *AK
WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 50MPH SPEEDOMETER STARTS TO JUMP UP TO80-90MPH,EVEN IF VEHICLE IS NOT GOING THAT FAST. DEALER SAYS THE HEAD NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.