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1994 Ford Escort

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Escort years

Owner complaints for the 1994 Ford Escort are substantially higher than the model-year median of 101.

About this comparison →
279Owner complaints

Model-year median: 101

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
327
1991162
1992379
1993279
1994576
1995205
1996543
1997
Compare all Escort years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Seat Belts
79Air Bags
54Electrical System
30Engine And Engine Cooling
30Service Brakes, Hydraulic
21
All reported categories
Power Train
19Suspension
18Visibility
14Steering
11Fuel System, Gasoline
6Seats
6Tires
6Vehicle Speed Control
6Exterior Lighting
5Equipment
4Structure
4Fuel System, Other
2Interior Lighting
2Latches/locks/linkages
2Unknown Or Other
2Child Seat
1Parking Brake
1

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: 14 of 279 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 79 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 54 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

51 crash reports16 fire reports34 injury reports

What owners actually said

279 reports
Mileage unknown · May 18, 2001
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S SIDE MOTORIZED TRACK FOR SHOULDER BELT HAS FAILED. DEALERSHIP INFORMED THAT IT WOULD COST $350.00 TO REPAIR VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #888632

Mileage unknown · May 7, 2001
Seat Belts

BOTH FRONT SEATBELTS STOPPED WORKING, NEEDS TRACK AND MOTOR REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ODI #887619

Mileage unknown · May 2, 2001
Electrical System

CONSUMER HAS REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH TWICE. THIS WILL BE THIRD TIME REPLACING IGNITION SWITCH. FORD CLAIMS THERE IS NO RECALL OR COMPLAINTS. VEHICLE IS STALLING AND KEY DOESN'T WANT TO COME OUT OF IGNITION. *AK FIRST ONE WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *SLC

NHTSA ODI #887262

Mileage unknown · Mar 14, 2001
Seat Belts

DRIVER SIDE MOTORIZED SHOULDER RESTRAINT MECHANISM FAILED MIDTRACK. *AK

NHTSA ODI #742446

Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2001
Air BagsCrashInjury

CONSUMER WAS AT INTERSECTION WAITING FOR LIGHT TO CHANGE, AND VEHICLE IN BACK OF HER HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FROM BEHIND, CAUSING CONSUMER TO HIT VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DEPLOYED/PUNCTURED, AND CHEMICALS FROM AIRBAGS CAUSED THIRD DEGREE BURNS ON RIGHT SIDE OF HER FACE. HER EYE SIGHT WAS DAMAGED, A…

Read full complaint

CONSUMER WAS AT INTERSECTION WAITING FOR LIGHT TO CHANGE, AND VEHICLE IN BACK OF HER HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FROM BEHIND, CAUSING CONSUMER TO HIT VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DEPLOYED/PUNCTURED, AND CHEMICALS FROM AIRBAGS CAUSED THIRD DEGREE BURNS ON RIGHT SIDE OF HER FACE. HER EYE SIGHT WAS DAMAGED, AND VEHICLE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK

NHTSA ODI #881598

Mileage unknown · Feb 23, 2001
TiresCrash

I TOOK THEM BACK TO FIRESTONE AND THE PEOPLE WERE VERY RUDE. I HAVE NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH MY TIRES. ALL I WANTED WAS TO GET MY TIRES FIXED BUT THEY WERE VERY, VERY RUDE. I WILL NEVER RETURN TO FIRESTONE.*AK (TIRESIZE: P195/60R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P195/60R15 )

NHTSA ODI #741371

Mileage unknown · Feb 12, 2001
Power TrainSeat Belts

DRIVER AND PASSENGER AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RELEASE FROM RETRACTING MECHANISM. ALSO, GEARS WILL NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #880320

Mileage unknown · Feb 12, 2001
Seat Belts

MOTORIZED SEAT BELT ON DRIVER'S SIDE IS STUCK IN MIDDLE OF TRACK, SEAT BELT PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED DUE TO SAME PROBLEM. CJ

NHTSA ODI #559588

Mileage unknown · Feb 5, 2001
Seat Belts

SEAT BELT WIRES WERE BURNING WHILE BEING IN USE ON DRIVER'S SIDE. MOTOR HAS SEIZED UP, BUT IT HAD KEPT RUNNING. *AK

NHTSA ODI #879837

Mileage unknown · Jan 24, 2001
Air BagsCrashInjury

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING 30 MPH AND WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING INJURIES TO DRIVER'S SIDE OCCUPANT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

NHTSA ODI #878894

Official recalls

1

94V218000 · Air Bags:frontal

Nov 10, 1994

THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG MODULE CAN HAVE AN INADEQUATELY WELDED INFLATOR CANISTER.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION, THE WELD SEAM CAN SEPARATE, CAUSING THE AIR BAG TO FAIL TO DEPLOY PROPERLY AND HOT GASES TO BE EXPELLED FROM THE BACK OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS CAN RESULT IN AN INCREASED RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY FROM THE HOT GASES AND THE AIR BAG FAILURE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW AIR BAG MODULE.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.