IllustrationWHEN VEHICLE PURCHASED ENGINE VIBRATED WHILE HEATING AND AC SYSTEM ON. BROUGH TO DEALER 4-5 TIMES STATE NORMAL. FINALLY ENGINE REMOVED PLACED ON MOUNT AND AS A RESULT ENGINE KNOCKS AT START UP. BROUGHT TWICE TO DEALER, CLAIM IT IS NORMAL CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. STILL UNDER WARRANTY.
1999 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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
110–25K
1625–50K
2650–75K
1875–100K
18100–150K
3150K+
92 reports with mileage · 233 unknown
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 66 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 62 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
79 crash reports11 fire reports42 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
62 reportsAFTER MY 3RD APMT FOR ENGINE CLUNKING NOISE IT IS STILL CLUNKING!*AK
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO DEPRESS GAS PEDAL TO FLOORBOARD TO GAIN HIGHWAY SPEED. WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT AIR WAS GETTING IN ENGINE WHICH CAUSED IT TO LOSE POWER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
OCCASIONAL LOSS OF POWER, THEN SURGES FORWARD AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, SOMETIMES RUNS ROUGH AND STALLS. SOMETIMES IDLES ROUGH AND STALLS AT IDLE.
DEALER AGREES TO REPLACE ENGINE. I BOUGHT A NEW CAR NOT ONE THAT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE AT 12000 MILES
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY VEHICLE COMPLETELYSHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKES AND CONTROL. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER COULD NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
ENGINE SHUTS DOWN WHEN AC IS ON AT STEADY HIGHWAY SPEEDS, VEHICLE ALSO EXPERIENCES SURGING INTERMITTENTLY, UNABLE TO RECTIFY PROBLEMS. MJS
VIBRATION OCCURRED AT IDLE WHILE STOPPED AT RED LIGHTOR STOP SIGN WITH TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE GEAR. VIBRATION IS FELT IN DRIVER'S SEAT/STEERING WHEEL AND FLOORBOARD. VIBRATION APPEARS TO BE CAUSED BY ENGINE IDLE BEING TOO SLOW AND VIBRATING THROUGH DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT. ENGINE WA SCLOSE TO STALLING ONA COUPLE OF OCCASIONS. *AK
ON-GOING / INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH ENGINE STALLING WHENEVER VEHICLE CAME DOWN TO A SLOW SPEED OR AT A STOP AND PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR PEDAL. VEHICLE BEEN IN / OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. *AK *ML
THE VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT AND DIE INTERMITTENTLY, AND WILL START UP IMMEDIATELY AFTER. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE, AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
Official recalls
199V276000 · Power Train:manual Transmission:shift Pattern Indicator
Oct 12, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE S/R OPTION. THE S/R OPTION INCLUDES, AMONG OTHER FEATURES, A 5-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. ON THESE VEHICLES, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT PATTERN IS NOT DISPLAYED IN THE OCCUPANT COMPARTMENT IN VIEW OF THE DRIVER. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE TRANSMISSION POSITION OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH AN ADHESIVE BACKED PLAQUE CONTAINING THE SHIFT PATTERN, ALONG WITH MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOCATING AND AFFIXING THE PLAQUE TO THE VEHICLE CENTER CONSOLE, JUST FORWARD OF THE SHIFT LEVER. OWNERS WILL ALSO BE ADVISED THAT THEIR DEALER CAN AFFIX THE PLAQUE IF THEY PREFER.
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.