IllustrationWHILE TRAVELING ON A STRAIGHT PORTION OF HIGHWAY, DRIVER HEARD A CLICK SOUND FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE SWERVED TO RIGHT, DRIVER LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED.
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 reportsDRIVING ABOUT 25MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND A TRUCK IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE MADE A SUDDEN STOP AND THE VEHICLE HIT THE BACK OF THE TRUCK. THE AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. HEAVY DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. *AK
DURING REAR IMPACT AT 20 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT FRAME BROKE, CAUSING SEAT TO GO OFF SEAT TRACK. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
AFTER SLOWING TO TURN AND THEN ACCELERATING AGAIN, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND THE ENGINE REVS. VEHICLE MUST BE PUT IN REGULAR DRIVE TO MOVE. FEELS LIKE VEHICLE IS STILL IN OVERDRIVE AND IT NEVER DOWNSHIFTED. VEHICLE MOVES SLIGHTLY IF ENGINE IS REVED HIGH ENOUGH.
STEERING COLUMN LOCKED CAUSING A VEHICLE COLLISION.
WHILE TURNING AT 15 TO 20 MPH VEHICLE WAS STRUCK AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE ON PASSENGER'S SIDE, THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSEGERS SIDE AIRBAGS. ALSO DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN OCCUPANT. *AK
DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD, VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT, LOST CONTROL, OVERCORRECTED, AND HIT A GUARDRAIL ON LEFT SIDE OF ROAD, BECAME AIRBORN AND FLEW 60 FEET OVER CREEK. TWO WERE INJURED, AND VEHICLE SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.
VEHICLE ROUNDED A TURN AND LOST CONTROL. FIRST IT SWERVED TO THE RIGHT AND THEN TO THE LEFT, RESULTING IN A COLLISION AND INJURIES. IN ADDITION, VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK
TRANSMISSION SLIPS IN & OUT OF GEAR WHENEVER VEHICLE IS AT A DEAD STOP OR WHEN VEHICLE'S READY TO TAKE OFF. TOOK TO DEALER TWICE BECAUSE OF PROBLEM, BUT MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR IT. *AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *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.