1998 Ford Escort

DRIVER/PASSENGER HEADRESTS HAVE STAPLES AT BOTTOM & THEY ARE COMING OUT. PART OF HEADREST IS SEWN. BOTTOM OF HEADREST IS NOT COMING APART EVEN THOUGH IT WAS LOSING STAPLES. HAVE NOT TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER. HAD CONTACTED DEALERSHIP & WAS INFORMED TO BRING VEHICLE IN TO BE CHECKED. TOOK VEHICLE A FEW MONTHS LATER, AND REPRESENTATIVE CHECKED IT OUT. TOOK DOWN SOME INFORMATION & NOTHING ELSE. *AK

ENGINE VIBRATES, AND HAS A HIGH IDLE. ENGINE RUNS ROUGH AND SHAKES. ENGINE SURGES AND HESITATES. CAR STALLS. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE IN FOR THIS SAME REPAIR SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE PURCHASE OF IT. THE MECHANICS HAVE REPLACED SPARK PLUGS, FUEL GUAGE, FUEL FILTER, VALVE IDLE AIR CONTROL, VAPOR MANAGEMENT, MOTOR MOUNTS. THE DEARLERSHIP IN HILLSBOROUGH REPLACED A CABLE SOMETHING (THE SERVICE MANGER QUIT AND A TICKET WAS NOT FOUND FOR THIS REPAIR.) THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO HAVE SAME PROBLEM WITHOUT BEING TOTALLY FIXED. THE LAST TIME I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR STALLING, THE REPAIR WAS DONE, BUT THE NEXT MORNING THE CAR CONTINUED TO STALL. AS OF THIS DATE, I AM TAKING THE CAR IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. PLEASE NOTE: IN REVIEWING THE INFORMATION AFTER SUBMITTTING I NOTICED THAT IN # OF FAILURES PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED 8 TIMES WITH THE DATE OF 7/24/98. THIS IS INCORRECT, CAR WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT AND AIR BAGS WERE NOT USED.*AK

ENTERED EXPRESSWAY AND THROTTLE LINKAGE STUCK OPEN. GOT VEHICLE SLOWED FROM UPWARDS TO 75 MPH BY SMASHING BRAKES AND SLOWED ENOUGH TO EXIT. WAS NOT ABLE TO SLOW DOWN TO A STOP SO TURNED RIGHT ON EXITED STREET AND ONCE STRAIGHTENED OUT, WHILE STILL MOVING AT APPROX. 30MPH, SHIFTED IN NEUTRAL, LETTING THE MOTOR RACE UNCONTROLLABLY WHILE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A STOP. AT THAT TIME LEVER WAS PUT INTO PARK AND MOTOR TURNED OFF. DRIVER SHAKEN UP AND VEHICLE MOTOR MAY BE COMPROMISED DUE TO STUCK ACCELERATOR OVER-REVVING. LOOKED FOR A RECALL FOR MODEL TYPE FOR STUCK THROTTLE LINKAGE-NONE FOR ESCORT BUT THERE IS ONE FOR FORD LIKE MODEL, THE CONTOUR, RECALL # 99V194000. ESCORT WAS BUILT IN 3/1998 WHICH FALLS UNDER TIME OF RECALL FOR OTHER FORD PRODUCT.*AK

I LIVE IN BURLINGTON ONTARIO CANADA, YET FELT THAT THIS ISSUE NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED BEYOND CONTACTING THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION IN CANADA, (OF WHICH I AM IN THE PROCESS OF DOING). I BELONG TO A LARGE GROUP OF ESCORT ZX2 OWNERS WHO ARE ON THE SECOND AND EVEN 3RD TRANSMISSION! THIS MODEL WAS FIRST INTRODUCED IN 1998(THE YEAR OF MY CAR) AND SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH OUR TRANSMISSIONS. IT IS EXTREMELY WEAK AND HAS FREQUENT MIS-SYNCING SHIFTS. I FEEL THIS IS NOT ONLY A SAFETY ISSUE, YET ONE THAT DESERVES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. PLEASE HAVE FORD DO A STUDY ON THIS TRANSMISSION AND COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF "FIX" AS THE PRESENT IS UNACCEPTABLE. I HAVE GONE THROUGH EVERY OTHER CHANNEL OF WHICH I COULD IN CANADA AND AM NOW COMING TO YOU. PLEASE HELP.*AK