IllustrationTRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL.
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 reportsCONSUMER COMPLAINED OF ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE NOT STARTING. VEHICLE BEEN IN/OUT DEALER SHOP ON SIX OCCASIONS. VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED & PARTS REPLACEMENT MADE, BUT PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. *AK
CONSUMER EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE INTTERMITTENTLY POPPING NOISE WHICH APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. WHEN MAKING A TURN IT APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE FRAME. VEHICLE BEEN IN/OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON FIVE OCCASIONS, AND WAS INFORMED CAUSE CANNOT BE FOUND/DUPLICATED/OR IF PROBLEM GET WORTH, BRIN…
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CONSUMER EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE INTTERMITTENTLY POPPING NOISE WHICH APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. WHEN MAKING A TURN IT APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE FRAME. VEHICLE BEEN IN/OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON FIVE OCCASIONS, AND WAS INFORMED CAUSE CANNOT BE FOUND/DUPLICATED/OR IF PROBLEM GET WORTH, BRING THE VEHICLE BACK IN. *AK
WIRING ASSEMBLY FAILED.
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
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
WHILE DRIVING SOUTH ABOUT 35-40MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE TURNED THE CORNER, HEADING NORTH & SPEEDING, DRIFTED INTO ESCORT'S LANE. ESCORT DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES TO AVOID VEHICLE, & VEHICLE PULLED LEFT. IT SKIDDED ACROSS THE ROAD & HIT A POLE. ABS DID NOT WORK. RIGHT BRAKES HAD DISINTERGRATED. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, BUT SEAT BELT …
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WHILE DRIVING SOUTH ABOUT 35-40MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE TURNED THE CORNER, HEADING NORTH & SPEEDING, DRIFTED INTO ESCORT'S LANE. ESCORT DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES TO AVOID VEHICLE, & VEHICLE PULLED LEFT. IT SKIDDED ACROSS THE ROAD & HIT A POLE. ABS DID NOT WORK. RIGHT BRAKES HAD DISINTERGRATED. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, BUT SEAT BELT HELD. DRIVER HAS BRUISED KNEE. VEHICLE TOTALED BY INSURANCE CO.
OWNER TALL; HEADREST DOES NOT COME UP TO MEET HEAD, REACHES NECK AREA ONLY. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE CAR JUST LOST POWER, THE ENGINE WENT TO IDLE AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THROTTLE. WHEN DRIVER TURNED OFF THE KEY IT WORKED FINE. ABOUT ONE MONTH LATER, WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE JUST IDLED. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR PROBLEM LA…
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WHILE DRIVING THE CAR JUST LOST POWER, THE ENGINE WENT TO IDLE AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THROTTLE. WHEN DRIVER TURNED OFF THE KEY IT WORKED FINE. ABOUT ONE MONTH LATER, WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE JUST IDLED. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR PROBLEM LAST WEEK. THE VEHCLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP, AND THE COMPUTER MODULE WAS REPROGRAMMED. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS CAUSED INJURY (NECK & BACK) TO DRIVER DURING VEHICLE COLLISION.
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.