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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 →
375Owner complaints

Model-year median: 101

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

1Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
576
1995205
1996543
1997375
1998325
199998
200068
2001
Compare all Escort years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
75Suspension
50Engine And Engine Cooling
49Electrical System
43Power Train
43
All reported categories
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
32Fuel System, Gasoline
19Seat Belts
17Steering
17Visibility
16Structure
14Vehicle Speed Control
14Equipment
13Unknown Or Other
10Seats
9Tires
6Fuel System, Other
4Exterior Lighting
3Latches/locks/linkages
3Parking Brake
3Child Seat
2Engine
1

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 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 15, 1998
Air BagsCrashInjury

VIOLENT DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING COLLISION, CAUSING BURNS/NECK INJURY.

NHTSA ODI #528335

Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 1998
Air Bags

STEERING WHEEL LOCKED CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO A DEFECTIVE AIR BAG.

NHTSA ODI #527698

Mileage unknown · Dec 9, 1997
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

WHEN PULLING OUT FROM A STOP, VEHICLE MAY LOSE POWER. *AK CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION SLIPS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN PULLING FROM A STOP, ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON 4 OCCASIONS, DEALER CAN NOT FIND A REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM. *SLC

NHTSA ODI #819834

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 1997
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY.

NHTSA ODI #522471

Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 1997
Power Train

CONSUMER COMPLAINS THAT THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR DOES NOT LIGHT UP AT NIGHT.

NHTSA ODI #519516

Official recalls

0

No 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

1

DP01001 · Air Bag NON-DEPLOYMENT

Opened Apr 19, 2001 · Closed Nov 1, 2001

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags

No summary supplied.