IllustrationWHILE DRIVING IT WAS HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM PERTAINED TO THE STEERING FLUID LEAKAGE. THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BE RESOLVED. *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
Steering complaints
10 reportsTIE ROD FAILURE ON THE LEFT SIDE. THE TIE RODS ON BOTH SIDES WERE REPLACED ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. WHEN TAKEN IN TO THE SHOP THEY FOUND THE RIGHT SIDE WAS VERY BAD ALSO. THIS CAR HAS 59,000 MILES. THE FAILURE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING. PRETTY SCARRY STUFF...*JB
THE LEFT, OUTER TIE ROD BROKE, TRAVELING ON A STAIGHT, SMOOTH ROAD AT ABOUT 35 MPH. A POLICE REPORT IS AVAILABLE. UNABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE, IT WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND LEFT THE ROAD. IT CAME TO A STOP AGAINST A TREE, CAUSING SLIGHT BODY DAMAGE.*AK
SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO OPERATE (15,000), SECOND SPEEDOMETER HAS NOW FAILED(35800MI). *AK
THEERE IS A LOUD CRACKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING GEAR. ALSO, CONSUMER IS HAVING PROBLEM WITH BRAKES, AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP TWO TIMES. DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY THE HARMONIC BALANCER CAME OFF, CAUSING STEERING TO MAKE LOUD NOISES. *AK
TIE ROD FAILED.
RACK AND PINION HAS BEEN CHANGED TWICE AND THE VEHICLE STILL HAS PROBLEMS WITH STEERING AND PULLING TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT. *AK *JB
DURING VEHICLE OPERATION A SEVERE PULL TO THE LEFT IS EXPERIENCED. THE RACK AND PINION, RIGHT FRONT SHOCKS, AND THE FRONT BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AS A RESULT.*AK
BRAKE FAILURE, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, LOSS OF COMPLETE EFFECTIVENESS. *AK WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. CV JOINT FAILURE. STEERING WHEEL OFF CENTER. *SLC
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.