1998 Ford Escort

1998 ESCORT NOT GETTING ENOUGH GAS INTO THE ENGINE. CHANGED FUEL FILTER, HAD FUEL INJECTORS LOOKED AT, GOT PREMIUM GAS, NO LUCK. THE CAR IDLES EXTREMELY ROUGHLY AND SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY. IT FEELS LIKE IT WANTS TO STALL AND BUCKS WHEN IDLING AND EVEN WHILE DRIVING. THE IDLE IS BECOMING WORSE AND WORSE TO THE POINT WHERE I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THIS USED TO HAPPEN PERIODICALLY, NOW SHAKES AND BUCKS EVERYTIME I DRIVE THE CAR. I AM A POOR COLLEGE STUDENT AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO CONTINUE TAKING IT TO A MECHANIC. *JB

HELLO, MY COMPLAINT CONCERNS THE REAR COIL SPRINGS OF '98 ISH ESCORTS. IN MY CASE, THE FIRST SPRING FAILED AT ABOUT 80,000 KMS AND THE SECOND WAS CONFIRMED JUST TODAY WHILE HAVING A TIRE REPLACED DUE TO A PUNCTURE. THREE GARAGES HAVE MADE UNSOLICITED COMMENTS CONCERNING THE AWFUL COILS DELIVERED WITH THE CAR WONDERING IF THEY (THE REAR COILS) HAD FAILED YET. INITIALLY I WAS SKEPTICAL OF THE MECHANICS MOTIVES; NOW I JUST FUME WHEN I HEAR THESE COMMENTS. IF THIS IS SUCH A PROBLEM, WHY ISN'T FORD MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO REDRESS THIS PROBLEM? NOW I'M WONDERING WHETHER THAT BUSTED COIL WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR YESTERDAY'S PUNCTURED TIRE - THE GARAGE THOUGHT THIS WAS CERTAINLY NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION.

I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, AS YOU ARE DRIVING THE BACK OF THE SEAT WILL DROP DOWN. I HAD TAKEN IT IN TO THE SERVICE CENTER AND MADE COMMENT OF THIS TO WHICH I WAS TOLD I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. WHAT I HAVE FOUND OUT OVER THE YEARS AND MILES, IS THAT THE SEATBELT STRAP AT THE LAP CAN CATCH ON THE RELEASE LEVER OF THE SEAT AND ANY SHIFTING IN POSITION WILL PULL ON THE LEVER AND RELEASE THE SEAT BACK. THIS IS JUST A WARNING TO OTHERS AS IT CAN CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT AS IT CATCHES THE UNSUSPECTING DRIVER OFF GUARD WHEN THE BACK OF YOUR SEAT FALLS. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN OVER A DOZEN TIMES SINCE OWNING THE VEHICLE.

ON DECEMBER, 17TH, IN THE EVENING, MY HUSBAND WAS ON ROUTE 20, IN MARLBOROUGH, MA. HE HAD MADE A WRONG TURN AND WAS GOING 2 MPH, DOING A K-TURN, WHEN BOTH THE AIRBAGS IN HIS 1998 FORD ESCORT INFLATED. HE HAS A STANDARD SHIFT CAR. AT THE TIME OF THE FAULTY INFLATION, AS HE WAS STRUCK BY THE AIRBAG IN THE HEAD, HIS FEET CAME OFF THE PEDALS AND THE CAR STALLED, ROLLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HITTING A CURB. WE ARE VERY LUCKY THAT HE WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THESE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. HAD HE NOT MADE THE WRONG TURN, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY. AT A SPEED OF 65 MPH ON ROUTE 495, I DON'T BELIEVE HIS OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD, AFTER THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. HE SUFFERS STILL FROM NECK AND BACK PAIN FROM THE INCIDENT. THE IMPORTANT POINT TO NOTE HERE IS THAT HE DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. THE AIRBAGS JUST DEPLOYED ON THEIR OWN, WHILE HE WAS DRIVING. WE CALLED FORD THE NEXT DAY TO REPORT THIS. THEY SAID THAT SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT US WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. TWO AND A HALF WEEKS WENT BY, AND NO ONE CALLED. MY HUSBAND CALLED FORD AGAIN. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. MY HUSBAND THEN CALLED OUR LOCAL FORD DEALER. A REGIONAL REP. WAS GOING TO BE AT THAT LOCATION THE FOLLOWING DAY. HE CALLED US, STATING THAT WITHIN A FEW DAYS FORD WOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH US. A FEW DAYS WENT BY, AND HE TOLD US THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO, WE HAD TO FILE CERTAIN PAPERWORK FIRST BEFORE FORD WOULD TALK TO US. THE PAPERWORK ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY. IT REQUESTS SUCH THINGS AS "COMPLETE HISTORY OF OIL CHANGES AND ANY WORK PERFORMED ON THE CAR". IT IS A GENERIC FORM, NOT APPLICABLE TO FAULTY AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. I AM WRITING TO YOU BECAUSE I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR LACK OF CARING ABOUT CONSUMER PROTECTION. WHAT FORD SHOULD HAVE DONE, WAS TO IMMEDIATELY TAKE POSSESSION OF THE CAR FOR AS LONG AS THEY NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHY THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. FORD APPARENTLY HAS NO INTEREST IN ASSESSING THE REASON FOR THE FAULTY AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *CB

CAR WILL LOOSE POWER ABOUT 1 TO 2 MILES AFTER SLOWING DOWN FROM HIGH SPEEDS (55-75 MPH) TO PASS THROUGH AN AUTOMATED EPASS SYSTEM (35MPH). THERE IS NO BUCKING OR SURGING, SIMPLY A LOSS OF POWER. YOU CAN PUT THE ACCELATOR TO THE FLOOR TO NO AVAIL. ONCE DOWN BELOW 10 MPH THE CAR WILL STALL OUT. AFTER WAITING 1/2 HOUR THE CAR CAN BE RESTARTED. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURED THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SUN STATE FORD. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED TO NO AVAIL. THE SECOND TIME THE CAR WAS ALLOWED TO SIT AND THEN DRIVEN TO CAR MAX (PLACE OF PURCHASE) WHERE THE IGNITION COIL AND WIRES WHERE REPLACED. THE 3RD OCCURENCE WAS TODAY. THE CAR WILL BE TAKEN BACK TO CAR MAX. ALL OF THESE OCCURENCES HAVE TAKEN PLACE OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS.