IllustrationDUE TO A DEFECTIVE BALANCER THAT CAME APART THROUGH THE SERPERTINE BELT, ENGINE HEAD GASKET TO BLEW OUT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO, STALL UNEXPECTLY WHICH MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH. *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
What owners actually said
375 reportsFUEL GUAGE FAILS TO REGISTER THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL. ALSO, TRANSMISSION WOULD JUMP/JERK FORWARD IF PLACED INTO GEAR. WHENEVER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JERK. REAR PASSENGER DOOR CANNOT BE OPEN FROM THE INSIDE. TOOK TO DEALER & HAD TRANSMISSION REPLACED. MECHANIC INDICATED NOTHING WAS WRONG.*AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK
CONSUMER HAS CAR TO DEALER 6 TIMES FOR A LOOSE AIRBAG, CONSUMER SAYS IT JIGGLES A LOT WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE STREET BECAUSE THE PANEL THAT AIRBAG IS IN IS VERY LOOSE. CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS VERY UNSAFE FOR PASSENGERS.*AK
AIR CONDITIONER LEAKED INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND MADE LOUD NOISE. LEARNED THAT VEHICLE INGESTS LEAVES AND OTHER MATTER INTO THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. FIX MADE AND CARPET LINER REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER CHEERFULLY AND COMPLETELY REPAIRED EACH TIME, BUT I WAS COUNSELLED TO NOT ALLOW LEAVES TO FALL ONTO VEHICLE…
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AIR CONDITIONER LEAKED INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND MADE LOUD NOISE. LEARNED THAT VEHICLE INGESTS LEAVES AND OTHER MATTER INTO THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. FIX MADE AND CARPET LINER REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER CHEERFULLY AND COMPLETELY REPAIRED EACH TIME, BUT I WAS COUNSELLED TO NOT ALLOW LEAVES TO FALL ONTO VEHICLE AS THEY ARE INGESTED. APPARENT DESIGN DEFECT. *AK
AT 40000 MILES BOLT THAT HELD THE CRANKSHAFT BECAME LOOSE WITHOUT A WARNING. A TECHNICIAN INDICATED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. *AK
FRONT END POPS. DEALER SAYS THEY CAN'T HEAR AND IF THEY DO HEAR IT NOTHING WRONG. MY WHOLE FAMILY CAN HEAR IT ALL THE TIME. NOW WHAT DO I DO?*AK
AC DRAINER AREA SOMEHOW CLOGGED AND WOULD NOT DRAIN PROPERLY. WAS DRAINING INSIDE CABIN CAUSING MUSTY ODOR AND WET CARPET. DEALERSHIP SAID NOT A COMMON PROBLEM, NOT COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY SINCE NO ACTUAL FAILURE, HAD TO REMOVE AC MOTOR, DRAIN AND REINSTALL, ALIGN AND SEAL. THIS SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN DEFECT. AC SHOULD NOT…
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AC DRAINER AREA SOMEHOW CLOGGED AND WOULD NOT DRAIN PROPERLY. WAS DRAINING INSIDE CABIN CAUSING MUSTY ODOR AND WET CARPET. DEALERSHIP SAID NOT A COMMON PROBLEM, NOT COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY SINCE NO ACTUAL FAILURE, HAD TO REMOVE AC MOTOR, DRAIN AND REINSTALL, ALIGN AND SEAL. THIS SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN DEFECT. AC SHOULD NOT SUCK UP DEBRIS LIKE IT DOES CAUSING CLOGS. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH AND ANOTHER VEHICLE BACKED OUT OF DRIVEWAY, CAUSING CONSUMER TO HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE IN THE REAR. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER WAS INJURED. *AK
THE BATTERY FAILED WITHOUT ANY WARNING ON THE DASH. THE CAR WAS JUMP STARTED AND RAN FOR ANOTHER 40MINUTES BEFORE THE CAR DIED AGAIN IN TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE THREE LANE HIGHWAY ONTO TO THE SHOULDER. I RECEIVED ANOTHER JUMP START TO THE BATTERY WITH A BATTERY PACK CONNECTED TO THE CAR BATTERY TERMINALS WHIC…
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THE BATTERY FAILED WITHOUT ANY WARNING ON THE DASH. THE CAR WAS JUMP STARTED AND RAN FOR ANOTHER 40MINUTES BEFORE THE CAR DIED AGAIN IN TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE THREE LANE HIGHWAY ONTO TO THE SHOULDER. I RECEIVED ANOTHER JUMP START TO THE BATTERY WITH A BATTERY PACK CONNECTED TO THE CAR BATTERY TERMINALS WHICH ENABLED ME TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY. IMMEDIATELY UPON REMOVAL OF THE BATTERY PACK ,THE CAR DIED AGAIN. I WAS TOWED TO A SAFE LOCATION. THE FOLLOWING DAY I INSTALLED A NEW BATTERY AND THE CAR STARTED IMMEDIATELY AND CONTINUED TO RUN AFTER REMOVING THE POSTIVE CABLE CONNEDTED TO THE CAR'S BATTERY. A CO-WORKER INFORMED ME TODAY HE REGULARLY HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY ON HIS ESCORT ABOUT EVERY TWO YEARS. HE ALSO HAD NO PRIOR WARNING OF IMMINENT BATTERY FAILURE. THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION. *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.