IllustrationVEHICLE HAS HAD (3) TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED WITH ONE OF THE TRANSMISSIONS LOSING A PIN, RESULTING IN SYSTEM HAVING POWER FAILURE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
1997 Ford Aspire
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Ford Aspire do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 54.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Aspire 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: 6 of 60 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 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports2 fire reports4 injury reports
Power Train complaints
7 reports1997 FORD ASPIRE.50 MPH ON MAJOR ROUTE IN DENVER WHEN CAR SUDDENLY LOST ALL GEARS. 55,400 MILES ON CAR, I AM NOT A SPEEDRACER, NOR WAS PREVIOUS OWNER, TORQUE CONVERTER THOROUGHLY RUINED, $1000 TO FIX, POSSIBLY MORE IF WHOLE TRANNY IS SHOT. NARROWLY ESCAPED SERIOUS INJURY. CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRENTY OF ANY KIND. CAR NOT DRI…
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1997 FORD ASPIRE.50 MPH ON MAJOR ROUTE IN DENVER WHEN CAR SUDDENLY LOST ALL GEARS. 55,400 MILES ON CAR, I AM NOT A SPEEDRACER, NOR WAS PREVIOUS OWNER, TORQUE CONVERTER THOROUGHLY RUINED, $1000 TO FIX, POSSIBLY MORE IF WHOLE TRANNY IS SHOT. NARROWLY ESCAPED SERIOUS INJURY. CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRENTY OF ANY KIND. CAR NOT DRIVABLE AS IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO GEAR SELECTION.
CAR WILL NOT STAY IN 2ND GEAR WHEN TEMPERATURE IS LESS THAN 20 DEGREES..IT GOES INTO NEUTRAL WHEN PULLING OUT OF INTERSECTIONS. HAS DONE THIS SINCE NEW AND DEALER SAYS SORRY.
AFTER FRED FIRST MECHANIC REPAIRED TRANSAXLE, I EXAMINED THE FOUR SPIDER GEARS FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL. THEY WERE WORN COMPLETELY, AS IF FROM SEVERE ABUSE. HOWEVER, I AM THE SOLE DRIVER AND I KNOW THERE WAS NO ABUSE. EVEN THE MECHANIC COMMENTED THAT WHEN HE SEES ABUSE, SOME OTHER PARTS IN THE TRANSAXLE WILL ALSO SHOW ABUSE. HE…
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AFTER FRED FIRST MECHANIC REPAIRED TRANSAXLE, I EXAMINED THE FOUR SPIDER GEARS FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL. THEY WERE WORN COMPLETELY, AS IF FROM SEVERE ABUSE. HOWEVER, I AM THE SOLE DRIVER AND I KNOW THERE WAS NO ABUSE. EVEN THE MECHANIC COMMENTED THAT WHEN HE SEES ABUSE, SOME OTHER PARTS IN THE TRANSAXLE WILL ALSO SHOW ABUSE. HE SAID THAT ALL OF THE OTHER GEARS IN THE TRANSAXLE WERE VIRTUALLY PERFECT. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT IT WAS A DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL. HOWEVER, FORD(DETROIT) MADE ME PAY A $305 WARRANTY ADJUSTMENT FEE BECAUSE I WAS 3000 MILES PAST WARRANTY. I SAVED ABOUT $400 DOLLARS. I FEEL THAT THE PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING SUDDENLY HEARD ALOT OF LOUD NOISE AND CLUNKING. CONTACTED DEALER, THEY FIXED IT UNDER WARRANTY AND GAVE CONSUMER ANOTHER 12,000 MILES OF WARRANTY. IT HAPPENED AGAIN AFTER ABOUT 33,000 MILES. CONSUMER DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL WENT OUT. *AK
THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS MALFUNCTIONING CAUSING THE GEARS TO LOCK UP WHICH RESULTED IN A CRASH. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *YC
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED "LOOSE GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WHERE THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE GEARS. ALSO, AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, AND DEALER REPLACED IT, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. IN ADDITION, KEY BREAKS IN THE DOOR LOCKS/ VEHICLE IDLES AND STALLS UNEXPECTEDLY/DRIVER'S SEAT IS VERY LOOSE, DEALER TIGHTENED THE SEAT,BUT PROBLE…
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VEHICLE EXPERIENCED "LOOSE GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WHERE THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE GEARS. ALSO, AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, AND DEALER REPLACED IT, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. IN ADDITION, KEY BREAKS IN THE DOOR LOCKS/ VEHICLE IDLES AND STALLS UNEXPECTEDLY/DRIVER'S SEAT IS VERY LOOSE, DEALER TIGHTENED THE SEAT,BUT PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING/, AND ALL DOORS WERE NOT ALIGNED PROPERLY. OCCUPANT NEEDED TO SLAM THE DOOR AND CUT HER FINGER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *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
1PE98040 · Fuel Vapor Valve Leaks
Opened Jul 15, 1998 · Closed Nov 16, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:linkages
There is no summary currently available