IllustrationBRAKES PULL TO THE LEFT WHEN ENGAGING. *YC
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 reportsAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT TO CHANGE GEARS ONCE IT HAS WARMED UP A BIT. HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER & IT WAS TEST DRIVEN FOR OVER A WEEK. MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF NON DOWNSHIFTING. *AK
RADIO DOES NOT WORK.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE SERVICE CENTER 3 TIMES FOR THIS VIBRATION AND 1 SPECIAL SERVICE BULLETIN.I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AFTER HAVING MY IAT SENSOR REPLACED IN MY TRANSMISSON AND HE TOLD ME SOMETIMES THEIR SERVICE TECHNICIANS REPLACE PARTS THAT. *AK
TRANSMISSION MOUNTS BROKE, CAUSING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. NLM
I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON JULY 15TH AND STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT BEFORE CROSSING THE TRACKS AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I ATTEMPTED TO GO FORWARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. I FLAGGED THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME TO BACK UP AND I COULDN'T GO BACKWARDS. I PANICKED BECAUSE IT WAS EARLY MORNING RUSH HOUR AND MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGH…
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I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON JULY 15TH AND STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT BEFORE CROSSING THE TRACKS AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I ATTEMPTED TO GO FORWARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. I FLAGGED THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME TO BACK UP AND I COULDN'T GO BACKWARDS. I PANICKED BECAUSE IT WAS EARLY MORNING RUSH HOUR AND MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS WITH ME BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES THE CAR SLOWLY WENT FORWARD. I CALLED SERVICE AND MADE THE APPOINTMENT TO TAKE THE CAR IN ON JULY 22 WHICH WAS THE EARLIEST THEY COULD GET ME IN. ON THE MORNING I WENT TO TAKE THE CAR IN I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AT 30 MILES PER HOUR AND THE CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND I LOOKED AT THE DASHBOARD AND REALIZED THAT THE INDICATOR LIGHTS WERE ALL ON. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND HAD MY FIANCE' WITH ME. I TOOK THE CAR IN AND NEEDLESS TO SAY IT TOOK TWO WEEKS TO GET A REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WHICH THEY SAID WOULD BE BRAND NEW AND ON THE RECEIPT IT SAYS REMAN TRANSMISSION AND THAT THERE WAS ALSO A LEAK AT THE EMV VALVE WHICH THE
TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL.
CONSUMER HAS A 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION AND WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED, IT SLIPS OUT OF GEAR, CAUSEING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND LOOKING IN THE MIRROR TO SEE IF ANY ONE WAS COMING, ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE FLEW FORWARD AND HIT FENCE. THEN WHEELS TURNED TO THE RIGHT, MISSING THE TELEPOLE. VEHICLE ENDED UP HITTING TREES AND STOPPED. AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. HAD SEAT BELT ON. *AK
AFTER SLOWING TO TURN AND THEN ACCELERATING AGAIN, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND THE ENGINE REVS. VEHICLE MUST BE PUT IN REGULAR DRIVE TO MOVE. FEELS LIKE VEHICLE IS STILL IN OVERDRIVE AND IT NEVER DOWNSHIFTED. VEHICLE MOVES SLIGHTLY IF ENGINE IS REVED HIGH ENOUGH.
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.