IllustrationTHE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED 20,000 MILES AGO; DEALER WILL NOT HONOR WARRANTY. DT
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 reportsNO SUMMARY. DT
CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE FRONT BALL JOINTS WORN OUT THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE CAUSING IT TO BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR RIGHT LOWER BALL JOINT AND REAR COIL SPRING HAD TO BE REPLACED. LEFT BRAKE GRABBED. RATTLE NOISE AT RIGHT FRONT AT INITIAL STA…
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CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE FRONT BALL JOINTS WORN OUT THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE CAUSING IT TO BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR RIGHT LOWER BALL JOINT AND REAR COIL SPRING HAD TO BE REPLACED. LEFT BRAKE GRABBED. RATTLE NOISE AT RIGHT FRONT AT INITIAL START. HIGH IDLE AND CLICKING NOISE IN DASH. *TT
CONSUMER STATES WHILE SHE WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT, ANOTHER AUTO HIT HER FROM BEHIND, CAUSING THE BACK END OF THE AUTO TO COME IN THE FRONT SEAT. SHE STATES HER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. SHE WAS TOLD THAT BY AN INVESTIGATOR THAT AN IMPACT OF THAT MAGNITUDE THE AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. SHE AND HER PASSENGER WERE INJU…
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CONSUMER STATES WHILE SHE WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT, ANOTHER AUTO HIT HER FROM BEHIND, CAUSING THE BACK END OF THE AUTO TO COME IN THE FRONT SEAT. SHE STATES HER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. SHE WAS TOLD THAT BY AN INVESTIGATOR THAT AN IMPACT OF THAT MAGNITUDE THE AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. SHE AND HER PASSENGER WERE INJURIED. TS
CONSUMER'S DAUGHTER REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *JB
CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING SHE THERE WAS A THUMPING NOISE . AFTER INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE STEERING RODS WERE MISSING. THE DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. MR
THE DRIVER HEARD SOME SCRAPPING NOISE BUT WASN'T SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE OWNER HAD TO GO THROUGH INSPECTION WHICH HIS VEHICLE WAS REJECTED DUE TO THE REAR COIL SPRINGS BREAKING. HE IS ALSO AWARE OF SOMEONE ELSE WITH SIMILAR FAILURE. MRJLG
CONSUMER STATES INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 50 MPH. THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 70 MPH. THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT PASSENGER AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. MR
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 35 MPH THE POWER STEERING MECHANISM FAILURE CAUSING TO LOST THE CONTROL. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE PARKED AND WITH NO WARNING THE HORN WILL OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE HORN HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THE HORN WOULD NOT GO OFF. CONSUMER ALSO, STATES THAT THIS IS A REOCCURING PROBLEM. ALSO THE DIRECTIONALS ARE INOPERABLE. WHEN THE CONSUMER ACTIVATES THE DIRECTIONALS THEY WILL …
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CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE PARKED AND WITH NO WARNING THE HORN WILL OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE HORN HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THE HORN WOULD NOT GO OFF. CONSUMER ALSO, STATES THAT THIS IS A REOCCURING PROBLEM. ALSO THE DIRECTIONALS ARE INOPERABLE. WHEN THE CONSUMER ACTIVATES THE DIRECTIONALS THEY WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY GO OFF. DEALER NOTIFIED. BLN
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.