IllustrationDRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER SAFETY BELTS WILL ONLY GO HALF WAY UP THE DOOR, THEN THEY APPEAR TO BE STUCK. THE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELT CABLE IS OUT SIDE OF THE TRACK AND APPEARS TO BE FRAYED. NEITHER SHOULD BELT WORKS PROPERLY AND WOULD NOT RESTAIN DRIVER OR PASSENGER IF A CRASH SHOULD OCCUR.
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 reportsDRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR DOES NOT WORK. IT GETS STUCK ON THE TRACK. VEHICLE REPAIRED BY DEALER, AND CURRENTLY THE PASSENGER SIDE RETRACTOR IS HAVING THE PROBLEM. OWNER BELIEVES A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *AK *ML
I HAVE HAD THE SEAT BELTS FIXED 3 TIMES NOW AND THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO TEAR UP. THEY ARE NOW STUCK THE DRIVERS SIDE IS STUCK IN THE BACK POSITION AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE IS NOW STUCK IN THE FORWARD POSITION. I DO NOT THINK THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND HIT A ROAD…
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I HAVE HAD THE SEAT BELTS FIXED 3 TIMES NOW AND THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO TEAR UP. THEY ARE NOW STUCK THE DRIVERS SIDE IS STUCK IN THE BACK POSITION AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE IS NOW STUCK IN THE FORWARD POSITION. I DO NOT THINK THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND HIT A ROAD SIGN WITH THE CAR HEAD ON AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAD A LOT OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT. AND NOW I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING FAN NOT COMING ON. I FEEL THAT THIS CAR SHOULD BE CHECKED OUT FOR THESE DEFECTS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT BAD OR EVEN KILLED. I AM JUST THANKFUL THAT MY CHILD WAS NOT INJURED IN THE CRASH. I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN SOONER BUT I JUST FOUND THIS WEB SITE.
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. NLM
THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER DEFECTIVE PASSIVE SEATBELT RESTRAINT MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING THE TRACK TO BE WORN OUT IN 41,000 MILES FOR RIGHT SIDE AND 51,000 MILS FOR LEFT SIDE, WHICH WILL NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF A CRASH.
DRIVER'S SIDE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT INOPERABLE WHICH RESULTED IN FAILURE TO PASS STATE REQUIRED SAFETY INSPECTION, AND CAR IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE EXCEPT FOR REPAIRS. DEALER REPLACEMENT COST: $600+. MANUFACTURER CONTACTED AND RELATED THERE IS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO AS WARRANTY IS 5 YR/50,000. *AK
I FILLED OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND MADE A MISTAKE IN THE VIN NUMBER.
MY DRIVERSIDE AUTOMATIC SEATBELT HAS COME OFF TRACK, THEREFORE LEAVING ME WITH NO DRIVERSIDE SEATBELT. IF I WAS TO GET IN AN ACCIDENT, I WOULD HAVE TO RELY ON THE AIRBAG ONLY. IF I GET STOPPED BY THE POLICE, THEN I WILL GET A SEATBELT TICKET. THEN I WOULD HAVE TO PAY A FINE FOR SOMETHING I COULDN'T CONTROL OR BETTER YET THAT …
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MY DRIVERSIDE AUTOMATIC SEATBELT HAS COME OFF TRACK, THEREFORE LEAVING ME WITH NO DRIVERSIDE SEATBELT. IF I WAS TO GET IN AN ACCIDENT, I WOULD HAVE TO RELY ON THE AIRBAG ONLY. IF I GET STOPPED BY THE POLICE, THEN I WILL GET A SEATBELT TICKET. THEN I WOULD HAVE TO PAY A FINE FOR SOMETHING I COULDN'T CONTROL OR BETTER YET THAT FORD COULDN'T CONTROL. I CALLED THEM AND SINCE MY 50,000 MILE SAFETY RESTRAINT WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO FOR ME. NOW ALL I CAN DO IS HOPE I DON'T GET IN AN ACCIDENT OR GET PULLED OVER BECAUSE NOW MY LIFE IS IN FORD'S HANDS (BY THEIR CHOICE, NOT MINE). I MEAN PLAIN AND SIMPLE, THAT'S A LIFESAVING DEVICE THAT'S JUST NOT THERE FOR ME.
AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT FAILED TO OPERATE. DEALER NOTIFED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE COST WOULD GO TO CONSUMER BECAUSE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK
PASSENGER WAS LEANING FORWARD WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THE SHOULDER BELTS DID NOT RETRACT OR EXTEND. THE BELTS LOCKED IN POSTION AFTER OCCUPANTS HEARD A LOUD RATTLE AND CLUNK SOUND FROM THE REAR CARGO COMPARTMENT.
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.