IllustrationVECHICLE WAS PARKED ON A HILL IN AN INCLINE POSITION AND EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS IN A UPRIGHT POSITION, VECHICLE ROLLED DOWN THE HILL AND HIT A TREE. *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 reportsWHILE DRIVING DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT NOT HIGH ENOUGH. DRIVER SUSTAINED SEVERE HEAD INJURIES BY GOING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. HOWEVER,AIR BAG ON PASSENGER SIDE DEPLOYED FULLY, AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED LESS SEVERE INJURIES. *AK
STEERING COLUMN COUPLING MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING HIGH SPEED BETWEEN 60 TO 65MPH AND ANOTHER VECHICLE JUMPED IN FRONT OF HIM. CONSUMER MADE A SUDDEN STOP TO AVOID HITTING VEHICLE. HE SWERVED AND FLIPPED OVER THREE TIMES. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. CONSUMER SUSTAINED INJURIES, SUFFERED A BROKEN LEG/ ARM AND PELVIC BONE. WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL.
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES RIGHT FRONT WHEEL GRINDS. THIS HAPPENS UNDER ANY KIND OF BRAKING SITUATION. BRAKE PADS AND SHOES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND ROTORS TURNED. THIS HELPED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 500 MILES, AND THEN PROBLEM STARTED OVER AGAIN. THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME THE VEHICLE WILL BE SERVICED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. *A…
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WHEN APPLYING BRAKES RIGHT FRONT WHEEL GRINDS. THIS HAPPENS UNDER ANY KIND OF BRAKING SITUATION. BRAKE PADS AND SHOES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND ROTORS TURNED. THIS HELPED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 500 MILES, AND THEN PROBLEM STARTED OVER AGAIN. THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME THE VEHICLE WILL BE SERVICED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK
BRIEF SUMMARY OF DEFECTIVE SAFETY GEAR: 09/26/98 THIS VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 35-40MPH AND REAR-ENDED A TRUCK, NEITHER AIR-BAG DEPLOYED. NOW, 9/17/99, ATRUCK TRAVELING 35-40MPH REAR-ENDED THIS VEHICLE CAUSING ABOUT A 20MPH SMASH TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT AND AGAIN, NO AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND THE FUEL PUMP CUT-OFF SWITCH FAILED TO F…
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF DEFECTIVE SAFETY GEAR: 09/26/98 THIS VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 35-40MPH AND REAR-ENDED A TRUCK, NEITHER AIR-BAG DEPLOYED. NOW, 9/17/99, ATRUCK TRAVELING 35-40MPH REAR-ENDED THIS VEHICLE CAUSING ABOUT A 20MPH SMASH TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT AND AGAIN, NO AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND THE FUEL PUMP CUT-OFF SWITCH FAILED TO FUNCTION. THIS TIME HOWEVER, THE DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE RECEIVED DOUBLE THE WHIP-LASH EFFECT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN KEPT TO THE SINGLE INFLICTRD IN A REAR-END COLLISION INVOLVING ONLY TWO VEHICLES. A NEEDLESS NECK INJURY HAS BEEN SUFFERED THIS TIME AND I FEEL THAT IF THE AIR-BAGS WERE DEPLOYED, THE ELIMINATION OF THE FORWARD WHIP WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR OF THE NECK INJURY.
THE MOTOR SEIZED UP WHILE AT A STOP . THE DEALER IS REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. *AK
DURING COLLISION NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG RESULTED IN INJURY TO CONSUMERS FACE WHEN HITTING THE WINDSHIELD AND MIRROR. MJS
VEHICLE HESITATES CONSISTENTLY DURING ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES SPARK-KNOCK AND SURGE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE FORWARD MOMENTUM. NLM
NO FAILURES LISTED.
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.