IllustrationNO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS IN TWO ACCIDENTS. QCAW
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 reportsTHE DEFECTIVE FUEL CONTROL VALVE MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING FUEL LEAKAGE AND FUEL SMELL WHICH MAY CAUSE A FIRE. DEALER REPL.ACED VALVE TWICE. PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE IN AN ACCIDENT THE AIR BAG'S DID NOT DEPLOY, RESULTING INJURY TO THE CONSUMER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S AIR BAG DURING A COLLISION. ALSO DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. ENTIRE FRONT PART OF VEHICLE WA SCRUSHED WHEN VEHICLE HIT A POLE.
AIR CLEANER/FILTER AND INTAKE ARE LOCATED AT BOTTOM OF ENGINE. WHEN DRIVING THROUGH APPROXIMATELY SIX INCHES OF WATER ENGINE BLEW.
WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD, VEHICLE VEERED TO RIGHT, LOST CONTRO, OVERCORRECTED AND HIT GUARDRAIL ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD. VEHICLE BECAME AIRBORN AND FLEW 60 FEET OVER A CREEK. 2 PASSENGERS SUSTAINED INJURES, AND VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED.
BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND LOOKING IN THE MIRROR TO SEE IF ANY ONE WAS COMING, ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE FLEW FORWARD AND HIT FENCE. THEN WHEELS TURNED TO THE RIGHT, MISSING THE TELEPOLE. VEHICLE ENDED UP HITTING TREES AND STOPPED. AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. HAD SEAT BELT ON. *AK
VEHICLE REARENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT A SPEED OF 40MPH WHEN THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG HAD MELTED TO THE INSIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL, CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO NOT COMPLETELY INFLATE. DEALER HAS VEHICLE CURRENTLY. *AK
IN A 35MPH, DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT, THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THE ACCIDENT. NO PRIOR PROBLEMS. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK
WATER LEAKS UNDER THE FLOORMATS FROM NEAR THE FIREWALL INTO THE INTERIORS.
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.