MOTORIZED SEAT BELT DOES NOT LOCK, AND IT CLICKS CONTINUOUSLY. SEAT LIGHT FLASHES. PROBLEM IS OCCURRING ALL THE TIME. HAS NOT CONTACTED DEALER YET.*AK
1993 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1993 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
Limited mileage data: 22 of 379 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.
- Seat Belts. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Seat Belts complaints
109 reportsOPERABLE SHOULDER HARNESS FAILED. DEALER CHARGED FOR REPLACEMENT. *AK
EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT IN RELATION TO THIS PROBLEM, DOESN'T NOT COMFORT ME.THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT I COULD HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE DONE TO MYSELF IF I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT.IN FACT, WHEN I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN APRIL, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE RECEIVED BACK INJURIES. I DID HAD I BEEN ABLE TO HAV…
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EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT IN RELATION TO THIS PROBLEM, DOESN'T NOT COMFORT ME.THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT I COULD HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE DONE TO MYSELF IF I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT.IN FACT, WHEN I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN APRIL, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE RECEIVED BACK INJURIES. I DID HAD I BEEN ABLE TO HAVE IT ON WITH MY LAP BELT. MOSTLY, I'M JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE IS EXPERIENCING MY PROBLEM.*AK
AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS WOULD GO HALF WAY ON TO TRACK. WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO GET IN OR OUT OF VEHICLE. EMERGENCY BYPASS WOULD LOCK UP. CANNOT TURN THE HANDLE. HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. BEEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR THE 1ST REPLACEMENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED AGAIN.*AK
THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S SIDE RESTRAINT BELT IS STICKING, THE LAP BELT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WON'T COME UP FOR THE CONSUMER TO FASTEN, SOMETIMES THE SHOULDER RESTRAINTS COME FORWARD WHEN THEY SHOULDN'T. *SLC
DRIVER HAD LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE, POSSIBLY FELL ASLEEP AND RAN OFF THE ROAD , CAR WENT OVER ENBANKMENT AND HIT HEAD-ON AGAINST ROCKS. DRIVER WAS THROWN FROM VEHICLE THROUGH WINDSHIELD ABOUT 30-35 FEET DUE FAILURE OF AUTOMATIC SEATBELT. AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT WAS IN FORWARD POSTION ON THE AUTOMATIC RAIL, AND BOTH DOORS WERE…
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DRIVER HAD LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE, POSSIBLY FELL ASLEEP AND RAN OFF THE ROAD , CAR WENT OVER ENBANKMENT AND HIT HEAD-ON AGAINST ROCKS. DRIVER WAS THROWN FROM VEHICLE THROUGH WINDSHIELD ABOUT 30-35 FEET DUE FAILURE OF AUTOMATIC SEATBELT. AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT WAS IN FORWARD POSTION ON THE AUTOMATIC RAIL, AND BOTH DOORS WERE COMPLETELY CLOSED. ALSO BATTERY WAS THROWN FROM THE VEHICLE . DEFECT RESULTED IN DEATH OF DRIVER.*AK
BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT SHOULDER SEAT BELTS HAVE SEPERATED FROM THE TRACK AND MOTORIZED ASSEMBLY. SEAT BELTS WILL ARE NOT SECURED PROPERLY TO VEHICLE. CONTACTED FORD IN JUNE 2000 AND REQUESTED REPAIR. FORD DECLINED TO REPAIR SEAT BELTS WITHOUT CHARGING THE CUSTOMER. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD AND I HAVE NOTED MANY FORD ESCOR…
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BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT SHOULDER SEAT BELTS HAVE SEPERATED FROM THE TRACK AND MOTORIZED ASSEMBLY. SEAT BELTS WILL ARE NOT SECURED PROPERLY TO VEHICLE. CONTACTED FORD IN JUNE 2000 AND REQUESTED REPAIR. FORD DECLINED TO REPAIR SEAT BELTS WITHOUT CHARGING THE CUSTOMER. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD AND I HAVE NOTED MANY FORD ESCORTS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. ALSO, THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS LISTED FROM OTHER ESCORT OWNERS ON YOUR WEBSITE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS SAFETY HAZARD.
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE DRIVERS SIDE MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT DOES NOT TRAVEL FORWARD WHEN OPENING THE DOOR, OCCASIONALLY IT WILL GO PARTIALLY FORWARD OR COMPLETELY FORWARD WHILE CONSUMER IS STILL SEATED IN THE VHEICLE. THERE WAS A RECALL (96S48)ON THE COMPONENT BUT CONSUMERS VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED DUE TO MODEL OF VEHICLE. NLM
SEAT (SHOULDER STRAP) WILL NOT RETRACT FORWARD WHEN DOOR IS OPENED, DOES NOT ALWAY RETRACT BACK, LAP BELT HAS BROKEN TWICE, REPLACE ONCE, LAP BELT SOMETIMES GET STUCK, BUZZER GOES OFF WHEN THE BACK DOORS OPENS WHICH IS NOT SUPPOSE TO HAPPEN.
Official recalls
194V055000 · Seats
Mar 26, 1994
THE LOCK PLATE OF THE DRIVER SIDE INBOARD SEAT TRACK ADJUSTERS WERE MANUFACTURED WITH AN UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATION TO THE FABRICATION PROCESS WHICH CAUSES THE SEAT NOT TO FULLY ENGAGE IN CERTAIN SEATING POSITIONS NEAR THE MID-POINT OF THE SEAT TRACK TRAVEL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH THE SEAT CAN MOVE, WHICH WOULD RESULT IN REDUCED OCCUPANT PROTECTION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER SIDE INBOARD SEAT TRACK.
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
1EA94002 · Fuel Pump Wiring Shortage
Opened Jan 28, 1994 · Closed Jan 31, 1995
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:linkages
There is no summary currently available
Illustration