IllustrationVEHICLE DOESN'T GO INTO OVERDRIVE ABOUT 60%OF THE TIME. VEHICLE IN A HIGH SPEED AND IT WILL DROP OUT OF OVERDRIVE AND DRIVE. SHE HAS TO PULL OVER TO THE SGOULDERS TO MANUALLY PULL THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE. *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
Power Train complaints
43 reportsSENSOR LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC FIXED VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP MECHANIC REPLACED WIRING IN FRONT OF VEHICLE, AND PROBLEM CAME BACK THREE MONTHS AGO.DEALER TOLD HER TO RIDE WITH SENSOR LIGHT ON. *AK SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON STEADY DUE TO POWERTRAIN CONTROL…
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SENSOR LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC FIXED VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP MECHANIC REPLACED WIRING IN FRONT OF VEHICLE, AND PROBLEM CAME BACK THREE MONTHS AGO.DEALER TOLD HER TO RIDE WITH SENSOR LIGHT ON. *AK SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON STEADY DUE TO POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) FAILURE. *YH
FUEL GUAGE FAILS TO REGISTER THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL. ALSO, TRANSMISSION WOULD JUMP/JERK FORWARD IF PLACED INTO GEAR. WHENEVER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JERK. REAR PASSENGER DOOR CANNOT BE OPEN FROM THE INSIDE. TOOK TO DEALER & HAD TRANSMISSION REPLACED. MECHANIC INDICATED NOTHING WAS WRONG.*AK
ALL THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED OUT AFTER DRIVING CAR FOR 2 DAYS. DEALERSHIP INSISTED ONLY LOSE CLAMP, TRANS OK. ON 4/30/00 BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE WITH 1ST GEAR. HAD TO HAVE COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF TRANSMISSION. *AK
VEHICLE STARTED, ENGINE RATTLED UPON ACCELERATION AT ALL SPEEDS AT 2300 MILES. AFTER NUMEROUS FAILED REPAIR ATTEMPTS BY DEALER,I SENT COMPLAINT TO FORDS DSB BOARD.WORKING THROGH ARBITRATION VEHICLE LOOKED AT BY ENGINEER.THEY REPLACED PCM.PROBLEM GOT WORSE,ALONG WITH NEW PROBLEMS,LACK OF POWER,HARD START,TRANSMISSION HESITAING.TH…
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VEHICLE STARTED, ENGINE RATTLED UPON ACCELERATION AT ALL SPEEDS AT 2300 MILES. AFTER NUMEROUS FAILED REPAIR ATTEMPTS BY DEALER,I SENT COMPLAINT TO FORDS DSB BOARD.WORKING THROGH ARBITRATION VEHICLE LOOKED AT BY ENGINEER.THEY REPLACED PCM.PROBLEM GOT WORSE,ALONG WITH NEW PROBLEMS,LACK OF POWER,HARD START,TRANSMISSION HESITAING.THEN THEY REPLACED FUEL PUMP,DIDNT HELP, THEN IGNITION SWITCH, DIDNT HELP,THEN MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR AND AIR FILTER, DIDNT HELP.FINALLY VEHICLE STARTED STALLING WHILE DRIVING, DURING ACC. TOWED BACK TO SHOP, FORD HAD IT SIX WEEKS THIS TIME REPLACED PCM TWO MORE TIMES.I HAVE VEHICLE BACK,STILL PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION HESITATING.VEHICLE IN SHOP EIGHT TIMES FOR SAME OR RELATED PROBLEMS AND TOTALLING ALMOST THREE MONTHS IN SHOP. STILL IN ARBITRATION, CONSDERING CLOSING CASE AND TAKING TO DSB. PERSONALLY. *AK
LEASED VEHICLE: WHILE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIRS SHOP. MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THATE DRIVESHAFT BUSHING WAS DETERIORATING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.ALSO, DEALER REPLACED POWER STEERING RACK BUSHING *AK
WHILE DRIVING TANSMISSION DISENGAGES.THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FUTHER INFORMATION. *AK
THE TRANSMISSION FAILS TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. WOULD BE MAKING LOUD NOISES. VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN. WAS RUNNING ON 2 CYLINDERS (25 AUG 99). HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. THE MECHANIC & WAS INFORMED TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WOULD NEED TO ORDER A ENGINE. SO FAR NO ENGINE.
INTERMITTENTLY TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *AK
VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE. WOULD START REVVING AT STOP LIGHT/SIGN. MANUA CLUTCH MAKES NOISE. SPEED NOT A FACTOR. THE BRAKES WOULD JERK & JIGGLE WHEN APPLIED. HAD RATTLE IN RIGHT FRONT AFTER REPAIRS. WAS INFORMED THAT WAS NORMAL. *AK
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.