IllustrationBOTH REAR SEAT BELTS ARE BROKEN AND WON'T MOVE OR LOCK INTO PLAC. DEALER HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *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
What owners actually said
205 reportsAUTOMATIC FRONT SEAT BELTS DON'T WORK PROPERLY. THE BELTS ARE ATTACHED TO DOOR. WILL NOT MOVE ALONG DOOR TRACK. SHORTED OUT AFTER FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE THEM CHECK IT. *AK
NO SUMMARY.
DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER SAFETY BELTS WILL ONLY GO HALF WAY UP THE DOOR, THEN THEY APPEAR TO BE STUCK. THE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELT CABLE IS OUT SIDE OF THE TRACK AND APPEARS TO BE FRAYED. NEITHER SHOULD BELT WORKS PROPERLY AND WOULD NOT RESTAIN DRIVER OR PASSENGER IF A CRASH SHOULD OCCUR.
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR DOES NOT WORK. IT GETS STUCK ON THE TRACK. VEHICLE REPAIRED BY DEALER, AND CURRENTLY THE PASSENGER SIDE RETRACTOR IS HAVING THE PROBLEM. OWNER BELIEVES A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *AK *ML
SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING AN INCORRECT READING WHICH IS HIGHER THAN IT SHOULD BE. DEALER REPLACE SPEEDOMETER 3 TIMES. ALSO ENGINE PROBLEMS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
I HAVE HAD THE SEAT BELTS FIXED 3 TIMES NOW AND THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO TEAR UP. THEY ARE NOW STUCK THE DRIVERS SIDE IS STUCK IN THE BACK POSITION AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE IS NOW STUCK IN THE FORWARD POSITION. I DO NOT THINK THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND HIT A ROAD…
Read full complaint
I HAVE HAD THE SEAT BELTS FIXED 3 TIMES NOW AND THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO TEAR UP. THEY ARE NOW STUCK THE DRIVERS SIDE IS STUCK IN THE BACK POSITION AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE IS NOW STUCK IN THE FORWARD POSITION. I DO NOT THINK THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND HIT A ROAD SIGN WITH THE CAR HEAD ON AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAD A LOT OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT. AND NOW I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING FAN NOT COMING ON. I FEEL THAT THIS CAR SHOULD BE CHECKED OUT FOR THESE DEFECTS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT BAD OR EVEN KILLED. I AM JUST THANKFUL THAT MY CHILD WAS NOT INJURED IN THE CRASH. I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN SOONER BUT I JUST FOUND THIS WEB SITE.
ENGINE BLEW OUT RESULTING IN VEHICLE SMOKING. NLM
RADIO CONTROLS HAVE BEEN CHANGED FROM DIAL TO A KEY PAD, DESIGN PROBLEM CAUSING DRIVING TO REMOVE EYES FROM ROAD.
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON, INDICATING BRAKE FAILURE AND LEAKING FUEL LINE. LIGHT STILL ON AFTER BRAKE CYLINDER REPAIR. *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.