IllustrationINTERMITTENTLY TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *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
What owners actually said
375 reportsVEHICLE 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
AIR CONDITIONER LEAKS ON THE FOOT OF THE DRIVER. IT HAS LEAKED TO THE POINT THAT IT HAS GAVE THE CARPET A MUSTY SMELL AND IT (THE CARPET) HAS WATER DAMAGE. I HAVE REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER TWICE AND THEY HAVE NOT PROPERLY FIXED THE PROBLEM. NOW IT HAS TO BE TAKEN IN AGAIN FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.
WHEN PUTTING ON BRAKES AND WHEN GOING FORWARD A LOUD POPING NOISE CAN BE HEARD. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING NO BRAKING ABILITY WHICH RESULTED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION WITH A CADILLAC. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY. THERE WAS "NO AIR IN THE BAGS" WHICH CAUSED INJURIES TO DRIVER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN# *AK
IN A CRASH, I WAS HIT BY A CAR GOING APPROX. 40 MPH, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HOWEVER, FOR 4 DAYS FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING ODOR OF PROPELLANT IN THE CAR. THIS ODOR BROUGHT ON A SEVERE ASTHMA ATTACK FOR ME. ALSO, THE CAR HESITATES AND LOSES POWER WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR KICKS IN. THE CA…
Read full complaint
IN A CRASH, I WAS HIT BY A CAR GOING APPROX. 40 MPH, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HOWEVER, FOR 4 DAYS FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING ODOR OF PROPELLANT IN THE CAR. THIS ODOR BROUGHT ON A SEVERE ASTHMA ATTACK FOR ME. ALSO, THE CAR HESITATES AND LOSES POWER WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR KICKS IN. THE CAR LOSES POWER ENOUGH SO THAT IT SLOWS ITSELF DOWN WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY. ALSO IT IS VERY ALARMING WHEN IT KICKS ON WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN OR STOPLIGHT. THE HESITENCY AND POWER LOSS CAUSES GREAT CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAR. *AK
NUTS THAT HOLD CLAMPS WHICH HOLD POWER STEERING UNIT HAVE COME OFF, CAUSING POWER STEERING TO BECOME LOOSE, AND WOULD NOT RETURN BACK TO THE CENTER. *AK
ENGINE TIMING GEAR CHAIN DROPS OFF WHEN IN THIRD GEAR AT 3300 RPM'S. DOZEN VISITS, NO REASON FOUND AS TO WHY. *AK
BRAKES PULL TO THE LEFT WHEN ENGAGING. *YC
AUTOMATIC 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
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.