IllustrationTHE POWER STEERING HOSE FAILED.*JB
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
What owners actually said
375 reportsINTERMITTENT STALLING WHILE DRIVING. DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM OR DETERMINE CAUSE. PH...*AK
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PROBLEMS WITH MY 1998 FORD ESCORT SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW IN AUGUST, 1998. THE MOST SEVERE AND RECENT PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED IN DECEMBER, 2002. THE HEAD GASKET BLEW, CAUSING MAJOR OVERHEATING PROBLEMS IN MY VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 40,000 MILES. I AM NOT CERTAIN IF THE HEAD GASKET BECAME FAULTY …
Read full complaint
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PROBLEMS WITH MY 1998 FORD ESCORT SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW IN AUGUST, 1998. THE MOST SEVERE AND RECENT PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED IN DECEMBER, 2002. THE HEAD GASKET BLEW, CAUSING MAJOR OVERHEATING PROBLEMS IN MY VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 40,000 MILES. I AM NOT CERTAIN IF THE HEAD GASKET BECAME FAULTY WHILE VEHICLE WAS BEING BUILT, OR IF FULLERTON FORD DAMAGED THE GASKET WHILE DOING WORK ON MY VEHICLE, AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO SODDER THE PART TOGETHER. ACCORDING TO CORBO'S AUTO SERVICE IN SOMERVILLE, THE GASKET HAD A "SODDERED" HOLE IN IT WHICH CAUSED THE GASKET TO BLOW. FULLERTON FORM WAS THE ONLY REPAIR FACILITY I HAD TAKEN MY VEHICLE TO BE REPAIRED BEFORE IT WAS TAKEN TO CORBO'S. I HAVE CALLED FORD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SERVICE WORK AT FULLERTON. I HAVE EXPRESSED TO THEM THAT I BELIEVE FULLERTON FORD WAS HURTING MY VEHICLE MORE THAN IT WAS HELPING IT. THE FORD COMPANY HAS NOT BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE IN MY EFFORTS TO INVESTIGATE FULLERTON FORDS SERVICE PRACTICES.
CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED, DUE TO ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE.*JB
SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT APPEARED ON DASH. THE CONSUMER STATED THE TROUBLE DATED BACK TO THE RECALL, PRIOR TO THE RECALL THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS. THE DEALER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO AN OVER SENSITIVE SENSOR OR AIR BEING IN THE GAS TANK. THE PROBLEM WAS DETERMINED TO BE A BOGUS CODE. *JB NAR 1/21/2003
WHILE DRIVING THE REAR LEAF SPRING BROKE. CONSUMER STATES DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH IN A FRONTAL COLLISON THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY ON IMPACT, CAUSING INJURIES TO THE DRIVER UPON VEHICLE IMPACT. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS
CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 50-60MPH THE ENGINE'S TIMING BELT BROKE CAUSING ENGINE TO STALL. TS
VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE 5 TIMES FOR TRANSMISSION, STILL LURCHES IN FIRST, HAS HEAVY SIDEWAYS VIBRATION UNTIL VEHICLE HITS HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HAVE BEEN CHARGED FOR REPAIR WHILE UNDER WARRANTY FROM FIRST REPAIR, FORD MOTOR COMPANY DID NOT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. DT
THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IT WOULD ONLY MOVE IN REVERSE AND WOULD SLIP IN ALL GEARS. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION FAILURE IS DUE TO MODIFICATION CONSUMER MADE TO PROTECT THE TRANSMISSION WHEN IN TOW. WARRANTY REPAIR IS DENIED BY THE DEALER. *JG
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.