IllustrationCONSUMER STATES THAT FUEL IS LEAKING FROM TANK. VEHICLE WAS CHECKED BY DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE STRAPS FROM FUEL TANK NEAR HEAT SHIELD MOUNTING HAVE CAUSED STRESS ALLOWING THE GAS TANK TO LEAK GAS.*JB
1995 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1995 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: 81 of 576 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 152 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 129 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
75 crash reports19 fire reports53 injury reports
What owners actually said
576 reportsBOTH REAR SHOULDER HARNESS SEATBELTS HAVE STOPPED FUNCTIONING. *AK
CONSUMER HAD SEEN DRIPPING GAS FROM THE FUEL TANK. VEHICLE CHECKED BY LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO ADVISED CONSUMER THERE WERE CRACKS IN FUEL TANK. CURRENT RECALL 97V144 DID NOT INCLUDE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE DUE TO VIN. *AK CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE CHECKED AND WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC THAT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FUEL TANK AND THE SUPPORTING…
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CONSUMER HAD SEEN DRIPPING GAS FROM THE FUEL TANK. VEHICLE CHECKED BY LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO ADVISED CONSUMER THERE WERE CRACKS IN FUEL TANK. CURRENT RECALL 97V144 DID NOT INCLUDE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE DUE TO VIN. *AK CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE CHECKED AND WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC THAT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FUEL TANK AND THE SUPPORTING TABS FOR A HEAT SHIELD WAS CRACKED, CONSUMER IS REQUESTING THAT FORD REPLACE THE GAS TANK. *SCC
THERE WAS A GAS SMELL, THE NEXT DAY WENT IN FOR A ROUTINE CHECK. DEALER STATED THERE WAS A GAS LEAK. DEALER REMOVED HEAT SHIELD AND HELD DOWN THE END TABS, AND REPLACED THE GAS TANK. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE GAS TANK WAS CRACKED FROM THE TABS. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THERE WAS STILL A STRONG G…
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THERE WAS A GAS SMELL, THE NEXT DAY WENT IN FOR A ROUTINE CHECK. DEALER STATED THERE WAS A GAS LEAK. DEALER REMOVED HEAT SHIELD AND HELD DOWN THE END TABS, AND REPLACED THE GAS TANK. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE GAS TANK WAS CRACKED FROM THE TABS. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THERE WAS STILL A STRONG GAS SMELL. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT SMELL IT. (DEALER CHECKED COMPLETELY AND CLEANED PADS UNDER TANK AND SAID THAT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE SMELL) AS OF 7-31-02, THE SMELL STILL EXISTS. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THE PADS SHOULD CONTINUE TO DRY AND THE SMELL SHOULD GO AWAY, THEY FOUND NO LEAKS. *SCC
GAS TANK HEAT SHIELD THAT IS ATTACHED TO FUEL TANK IS WARPED AND LEAKING GASOLINE FROM GAS TANK. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK THE DEFECTIVE GAS TANK HEAT SHIELD WAS ON RECALL BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS UNWILLING TO COVER THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE BECAUSE THE VIN NUMBER WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. *YH
WHILE FILLING GAS TANK FUEL WAS SPILLING OUT FROM BOTTOM DUE TO A CRACK . CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
FUEL TANK HAS A CRACK ON THE INSIDE. THERE IS GASOLINE LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH OF VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY THERE IS A SMELL OF GASOLINE COMING THROUGHOUT VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK RIGHT OUTER TIE ROD WAS FIXED. VALVE COVER GASKET WAS REPLACED. *YH
BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE BROKEN. THE CAR DOES NOT CARRY HEAVY LOADS, AND THE ROADS TRAVELED UPON ARE NOT ROUGH. THE CAR HAS RELATIVELY LOW MILAGE, 88,000. WHEN INSPECTED, THE MECHANIC INVOLVED INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE FORD ESCORT. THIS COMMENT WAS FURTHER SUBSTANTIATED BY ANOTHER MEC…
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BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE BROKEN. THE CAR DOES NOT CARRY HEAVY LOADS, AND THE ROADS TRAVELED UPON ARE NOT ROUGH. THE CAR HAS RELATIVELY LOW MILAGE, 88,000. WHEN INSPECTED, THE MECHANIC INVOLVED INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE FORD ESCORT. THIS COMMENT WAS FURTHER SUBSTANTIATED BY ANOTHER MECHANIC AND THE AUTO PARTS DEALER WHERE THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE PURCHASED. WHEN CONTACTING A FORD DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE MANAGER I SPOKE WITH SEEMED FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM, STATING THAT IF THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 100,000 MILES, I WOULD BE COVERED. HOWEVER, SHE LATER CAME BACK AND SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL IN EFFECT. IF THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, I WOULD EXPECT THERE WOULD BE SOME SORT OF RECALL NOTICE. FURTHERMORE, I WAS TOLD, THAT IF THE SPRING SHIFTED WHILE DRIVING, IT COULD COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE TIRE, CAUSING A SEVERE BLOWOUT AND ACCIDENT.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Official recalls
497V144000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Sep 3, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.9L ENGINES, BUILT AT THE HERMOSILLO OR WAYNE ASSEMBLY PLANTS AND ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN NEVADA, FLORIDA, HAWAII, TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, LOUISIANA, GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, MISSISSIPPI, OKLAHOMA, ALABAMA AND ARKANSAS. CRACKS CAN DEVELOP IN THE FUEL TANK NEAR THE HEAT SHIELD ATTACHMENT RESULTING IN FUEL LEAKAGE IF THE CRACKS GO THROUGH THE FUEL TANK WALL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE HEAT SHIELD ATTACHMENTS. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT HEAT SHIELD LOCATION OR FUNCTION, AS THE ATTACHMENTS ARE INTENDED TO KEEP THE SHIELD IN PLACE UNTIL THE FUEL TANK IS INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. AFTER INSTALLATION, THE FUEL TANK STRAPS RETAIN THE HEAT SHIELD.
97V145000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Sep 3, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.9L ENGINES, BUILT AT THE HERMOSILLO ASSEMBLY PLANT AND ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN ARIZONA. CRACKS CAN DEVELOP IN THE FUEL TANK NEAR THE HEAT SHIELD ATTACHMENT RESULTING IN FUEL LEAKAGE IF THE CRACKS GO THROUGH THE FUEL TANK WALL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE HEAT SHIELD ATTACHMENTS. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT HEAT SHIELD LOCATION OR FUNCTION, AS THE ATTACHMENTS ARE INTENDED TO KEEP THE SHIELD IN PLACE UNTIL THE FUEL TANK IS INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. AFTER INSTALLATION, THE FUEL TANK STRAPS RETAIN THE HEAT SHIELD.
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.
94V197000 · Air Bags:frontal
Oct 11, 1994
TWO BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM MODULE TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ARE MISSING. IN THE EVENT OF A FRONTAL IMPACT, THE MODULE CAN COME OUT OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS WOULD NOT RESTRAIN THE PASSENGER AND WOULD RESULT IN AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, INSTALL AND TORQUE TO SPECIFICATION THE MOUNTING BOLTS FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG.
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
1RQ97010 · Fuel Tank Assembly
Opened Sep 11, 1997 · Closed May 22, 2000
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
There is no summary currently available