IllustrationENGINE CHECK LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*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 reportsWHEN HAZARD FLASHERS ARE ON CONSUMER CAN SHIFT GEARS WITHOUT APPLYING THE BRAKES. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK
REAR SPRINGS BROKE AT 25,000 MILES. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT FORD DESIGNED THE SPRINGS TOO THIN. FORD WOULD NOT REIMBURSE THE COST TO ME. *TT
DURING A SAFETY INSPECTION FOR MY 1998 FORD ESCORT, I WAS ADVISED THAT BOTH REAR SPRINGS WERE BROKE, WHICH CAUSED BOTH REAR STRUTS TO WEAKEN. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON THIS TYPE VEHICLE. *TT
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION YET NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOY. *NLM
WHEN THE CONSUMER PLACED HER DAUGHTER INSIDE OF THE CHILD INTERGRATED CAR SEAT, THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE STRAP HAD SEPARATED. *JB
BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS ON MY 1998 FORD ESCORT SE WAGON WERE FOUND TO BE BROKEN (EACH CRACKED AND BROKE IN TWO PIECES BENEATH THE PLASTIC SLEEVE). VEHICLE HAD 52,715 MILES AT THE TIME, BUT FROM CORROSION EVIDENCE OF BROKEN SPRINGS, IT APPEARS THEY MAY HAVE BEEN BROKEN FOR AWHILE PRIOR TO DISCOVERY. FOUR OTHER INCIDENTS NOTED ON…
Read full complaint
BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS ON MY 1998 FORD ESCORT SE WAGON WERE FOUND TO BE BROKEN (EACH CRACKED AND BROKE IN TWO PIECES BENEATH THE PLASTIC SLEEVE). VEHICLE HAD 52,715 MILES AT THE TIME, BUT FROM CORROSION EVIDENCE OF BROKEN SPRINGS, IT APPEARS THEY MAY HAVE BEEN BROKEN FOR AWHILE PRIOR TO DISCOVERY. FOUR OTHER INCIDENTS NOTED ON SAME YEAR/MAKE/MODEL VEHICLE WITHIN THIS DATABASE. *JB
WHEN THE KEYS WERE IN THE IGNITION , THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO THE MOVE GEAR SHIFT LEVER FROM THE PARK POSITION. *JB
THE VEHICLES GEAR SHIFT LOCKED AND COULDN'T BE MOVED FROM PARK TO DRIVE. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *NLM
I READ THAT THAT NHTSA CONDUCTED A STUDY ON TIE ROD END FAILURE IN FORD CARS AT SOME POINT. I HAVE JUST HAD TWO SETS OF TIE ROD ENDS REPLACED ON MY FORD ESCORT (98 MODEL YEAR) WITHIN A SPAN OF A YEAR AND A HALF. IF YOU ARE STILL COLLECTING DATA FOR THIS ISSUE, I RESPECTFULLY SUBMIT MY CASE. *JB
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.