IllustrationWHILE AT A STOP VEHICLE STALLS WHICH MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, HAS A NO START CONDITION. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK
1998 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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: 57 of 375 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
84 crash reports11 fire reports63 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
49 reportsRADIATOR LEAKING. *YC
ENGINE TIMING IS MISSING, SLIGHT HESITATION. MGM
ENGINE SENSOR FAILED. YH
THE ENGINE ON THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING BECAUSE OF A LOSS OF OIL IN THE VEHICLE. DEALER IS IN THE PRCESS OF REPLACING ENGINE. *AK
THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE REAR DEFROSTER, BUT THE REAR DEFROSTER IS INOPERABLE WHICH CAUSES VISUAL PROBLEMS IN THE REAR, MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER STATED THERE IS A KNOCK WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, AND DRIVING AT 60 MPH, ALSO ENGINE IS CONSUMING 4 QUARTS OF OIL, ALSO VEHI…
Read full complaint
THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE REAR DEFROSTER, BUT THE REAR DEFROSTER IS INOPERABLE WHICH CAUSES VISUAL PROBLEMS IN THE REAR, MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER STATED THERE IS A KNOCK WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, AND DRIVING AT 60 MPH, ALSO ENGINE IS CONSUMING 4 QUARTS OF OIL, ALSO VEHICLE OVERHEATED.*JB
THE DEFECTIVE FUEL CONTROL VALVE MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING FUEL LEAKAGE AND FUEL SMELL WHICH MAY CAUSE A FIRE. DEALER REPL.ACED VALVE TWICE. PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK
AIR CLEANER/FILTER AND INTAKE ARE LOCATED AT BOTTOM OF ENGINE. WHEN DRIVING THROUGH APPROXIMATELY SIX INCHES OF WATER ENGINE BLEW.
WHEN PULLING OUT FROM A STOP, VEHICLE MAY LOSE POWER. *AK CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION SLIPS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN PULLING FROM A STOP, ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON 4 OCCASIONS, DEALER CAN NOT FIND A REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM. *SLC
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
1DP01001 · Air Bag NON-DEPLOYMENT
Opened Apr 19, 2001 · Closed Nov 1, 2001
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags
No summary supplied.