IllustrationAIR CONDITIONER FAILED AFTER BEING TURNED ON. WAS BLOWING HOT AIR. TOOK TO DEALER & WAS INFORMED THE ELECTRICAL MODULAR WAS BROKEN. THE PART NEEDED TO BE ORDERED. THE PART FAILED THE TEST & VEHICLE'S AIR CONDITIONER WAS REPAIRED.*AK
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
What owners actually said
325 reportsWATER IS BLOWING OUT OF A/C AND AIR VENTS AND DROPPING ON FLOORBOARD. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS OR HOW TO CORRECT IT. *AK *ML
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND CAR WAS TOTALLY DAMAGED. ALSO, NEITHER DRIVER'SSIDE NOR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. CONSUMER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK
IN THE PROCESS OF STARTING VEHICLE IGNITION SWITCH CAUGHT ON FIRE. AS A RESULT, BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND INTERRIOR OF DASHBOARD WAS RUINED.*AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLED IN AN ACCIDENT. UPON IMPCT, AIRBAG DEPLOYED, BUT DID NOT INFLATE, THERE WAS NO AIR BAG CAUSING PASSENGER TO HIT WINDSHIELD AND CRACKING IT. *AK *SLC
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
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM IS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL PUMP,CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
HEATER CORE LEAKING, CAUSING WINDOWS TO FOG -DEALER HAS REPLACED IT ONCE STILL FOGS WINDOWS. *AK
BRAKES WORK INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER WAS TRAVELNG 40MPH WHEN SOMEONE TURNED IN FRONT OF CONSUMER, HE SLAMMED ON BRAKES, BUT THERE WERE NONE. 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS HAVE STATED TO BRING VEHICLE IN WHEN PROBLEM FIRST ACCURS. *AK
CONSUMER IS HAVING CONSTANT PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES. THERE IS NO NOISE. BUT IN ORDER FOR VEHICLE TO STOP, PEDAL MUST BE PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. AUTOMOBILE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A REMEDY TO THE PROBLEM. THIS IS CAUSING CONSUMER FEAR OF DRIVING, AN…
Read full complaint
CONSUMER IS HAVING CONSTANT PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES. THERE IS NO NOISE. BUT IN ORDER FOR VEHICLE TO STOP, PEDAL MUST BE PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. AUTOMOBILE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A REMEDY TO THE PROBLEM. THIS IS CAUSING CONSUMER FEAR OF DRIVING, AND COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *AK
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.