IllustrationFRONT SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED.CONSUMER STATED THAT SHE OWNED A ANOTHER FORD ESCORT OF A DIFFERENT YEAR AND THE SEAT BELTS FAILED. *AK
1996 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1996 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: 21 of 205 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 77 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
23 crash reports7 fire reports18 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
77 reportsCONSUMER COMPLAINED OF A SEAT BELT PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC RETRACTABLE SEAT BELTS, AND THE TECHNICIAN HAD TO DISCONNECT THE MOTOR OF THE RETRACTABLE SEAT BELTS BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING TOO HOT.*AK
MY SON OWNS A 1996 FORD ESCORT WHICH HAS A MOTORIZED SHOULDER HARNESS ASSEMBLY. THE SHOULDER HARNESS JAMMED AND HE COULD NO LONGER USE THAT PART, ALTHOUGH THE SEAT BELT WORKED. I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID PARTS & LABOR TO REPLACE THE TRACK & MOTOR WERE OVER $500! THIS IS PROBABLY HALF OF WHAT THE CAR IS…
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MY SON OWNS A 1996 FORD ESCORT WHICH HAS A MOTORIZED SHOULDER HARNESS ASSEMBLY. THE SHOULDER HARNESS JAMMED AND HE COULD NO LONGER USE THAT PART, ALTHOUGH THE SEAT BELT WORKED. I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID PARTS & LABOR TO REPLACE THE TRACK & MOTOR WERE OVER $500! THIS IS PROBABLY HALF OF WHAT THE CAR IS WORTH. HE WAS THEN STOPPED FOR A SEAT BELT VIOLATION AND TOLD BY THE WISCONSIN STATE TROOPER IT HAD TO BE FIXED. AFTER SEVERAL CALLS TO SALVAGE YARDS I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIND A USED ONE AT AT REASONABLE PRICE. HOWEVER I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM, AND MOST OF THE SALVAGE YARDS DIDN'T HAVE THEM BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND. I DON'T THINK SUCH AN IMPORTANT SAFETY ITEM SHOULD COST SO MUCH TO REPLACE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE APPARENTLY A POOR DESIGN AND COMMONLY NEED FIXING.*AK
TRIES TO ACCELERATE AND PUSH THROUGH STOPLIGHTS WHEN MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE. ACCELERATES WITH OUT ME AND EVEN TRYING TO BRAKE WON'T STOP. STOP AND PUT IT IN PARK AND IT REVS THE ENGING TO VERY HIGH RPM'S.
FAILED DRIVER SIDE RESTRAINT SYSTEM. *AK
ON 7/17/2003 THE DRIVER SIDE REAR SEAT BELT WAS PULLED OUT FOR USE AND WOULD NOT RETRACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO REPAIRED THE RETRACTOR. CURRENTLY, PASSENGER SIDE REAR SEAT BELT HAS DONE THE SAME THING. *AK *TS *NLM
REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED. THERE WAS NO UPPER BODY RESTRAINT FOR PASSENGERS. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN THE CONSUMER AS DESIGNED, THE CONSUMER WAS INJURED. *JB *SCC
CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT THE FRONT SEAT BELTS DO NOT HOLD THE DRIVER NEITHER THE PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. PH
RESTRAIN BELTS AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FRONT SEAT DRIVING SIDE IS NOT WORK PROPERLY, DEALER HAS REPLACED TWICE AND STILL REOCCURRING THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.