IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 35 MPH BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING NO BRAKING ABILITY WHICH RESULTED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION WITH A CADILLAC. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY. THERE WAS "NO AIR IN THE BAGS" WHICH CAUSED INJURIES TO DRIVER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN# *AK
1998 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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: 57 of 375 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
84 crash reports11 fire reports63 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
75 reportsIN A CRASH, I WAS HIT BY A CAR GOING APPROX. 40 MPH, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HOWEVER, FOR 4 DAYS FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING ODOR OF PROPELLANT IN THE CAR. THIS ODOR BROUGHT ON A SEVERE ASTHMA ATTACK FOR ME. ALSO, THE CAR HESITATES AND LOSES POWER WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR KICKS IN. THE CA…
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IN A CRASH, I WAS HIT BY A CAR GOING APPROX. 40 MPH, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HOWEVER, FOR 4 DAYS FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING ODOR OF PROPELLANT IN THE CAR. THIS ODOR BROUGHT ON A SEVERE ASTHMA ATTACK FOR ME. ALSO, THE CAR HESITATES AND LOSES POWER WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR KICKS IN. THE CAR LOSES POWER ENOUGH SO THAT IT SLOWS ITSELF DOWN WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY. ALSO IT IS VERY ALARMING WHEN IT KICKS ON WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN OR STOPLIGHT. THE HESITENCY AND POWER LOSS CAUSES GREAT CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAR. *AK
IN TWO FRONTAL IMPACT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THE CRASHES. DLR CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#.
CONSUMER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30MPH VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION, AND AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
CONSUMER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY.
WHEN DRIVING DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON AND WON'T GO OFF. CONSUMER STATES THAT THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE SPINNED OUT OF CONTROL, HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE BY THE PASSENGER'S SIDE RIGHT REAR WHEEL. BEFORE THE IMPACT, CONSUMER NOTICED SPEED OF 50 MPH. DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK IN PLACE, AND AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. MANUFACTURER. NOTIFIED. *AK
DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH CONSUMER HIT A VEHICLE HEAD-ON, DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING HEAD AND NECK INJURIES. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE HEAD-ON,AND DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *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
1DP01001 · Air Bag NON-DEPLOYMENT
Opened Apr 19, 2001 · Closed Nov 1, 2001
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags
No summary supplied.