Illustration2002 FORD ESCORT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE STOPPING AND DYING WHILE DRIVING *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WERE REPLACE THREE TIMES, AS WELL AS OTHER COMPONENTS. HOWEVER, THE STALLING CONTINUED. NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THE REASON FOR THE STALLING. *JB
2002 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Ford Escort are lower 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: 18 of 33 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
11 reportsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD ESCORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VIBRATED WHEN IDLING. AS OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. NHTSA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 042410 REGARDING THE ENGINE WAS REFERENCED. THE FAILURE MILEA…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD ESCORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VIBRATED WHEN IDLING. AS OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. NHTSA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 042410 REGARDING THE ENGINE WAS REFERENCED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,000. UPDATED 12/12/07 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED SHE BEGAN HEARING SQUEAKING NOISES COMING FROM THE ENGINE. UPDATED 12/12/07
NO WARNING LIGHT WHEN OIL PUMP FAILED. THIS NON-ACTION LED TO MY ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDING TO BE REPAIRED. MILEAGE WAS AT APX. 45,000. WARRANTY RAN OUT, MUST PAY ON MY OWN. I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY WITH THIS SINCE MY WARNING LIGHT DID NOT INFORM ME OF THE PROBLEM. *NM
CAR HAS A HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING UNDER LOAD. THIS IS MOST NOTICABLE WHEN THE CAR IS WARM AND ESPECIALLY WHEN USING THE AIR CONDITIONING. AUTOMOBILE WAS TAKEN TO A GENERAL MECHANIC AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. ON THIS DATE, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THERE …
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CAR HAS A HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING UNDER LOAD. THIS IS MOST NOTICABLE WHEN THE CAR IS WARM AND ESPECIALLY WHEN USING THE AIR CONDITIONING. AUTOMOBILE WAS TAKEN TO A GENERAL MECHANIC AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. ON THIS DATE, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THERE ARE NO SERVICE BULLETINS REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES IN THE COMPUTER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY BELIEVED THIS TO BE A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR AND IT IS DUE TO THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR TEMPORARILY REDUCING ENGINE POWER WHEN CYCLING ON AND OFF. THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION AS THE CAR CAN LOSE POWER DURING THE ACT OF PASSING A VEHICLE OR MERGING ONTO A HIGHWAY.*AK
ENTIRE CAR VIBRATES NOTICEABLY AT IDLE. DEALER STATED THAT IT IS CHARACTERISTIC OF VEHICLE, BUT SINCE THERE WAS AN EXISTING TSB ON THE PROBLEM, ATTEMPTED A FIX. (TO NO AVAIL.) *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATED AND SHOOK VIOLENTLY, THEN STALLED. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN TO THE DEALER TEN TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHICLE REMAINED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM. *SC
2002 FORD ESCAPE STALLED WHILE GOING DOWN-HILL AT 35-40 MPH. ENGINE STOPPED. LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. ENGINE RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER PLACING IN "NEUTRAL" POSITION. FUEL TANK WAS ABOUT 1/4 FULL. THIS IS THE THIRD SUCH EVENT WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE LAST SUCH FAILURE WAS ON THE SAME ROAD AND AT EXACTLY THE SAME LOCA…
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2002 FORD ESCAPE STALLED WHILE GOING DOWN-HILL AT 35-40 MPH. ENGINE STOPPED. LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. ENGINE RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER PLACING IN "NEUTRAL" POSITION. FUEL TANK WAS ABOUT 1/4 FULL. THIS IS THE THIRD SUCH EVENT WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE LAST SUCH FAILURE WAS ON THE SAME ROAD AND AT EXACTLY THE SAME LOCATION!! GIVEN THE SIMILARITY OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THE NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS, I SUSPECT THERE MUST BE A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER CONTROL SYSTEM OR SOFTWARE. *LA
SHAKING IN STEERING WHEEL. MOST NOTICABLE DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. WAS MENTIONED TO SALESPERSON AT TIME OF TEST DRIVE. HE STATED HE WOULD HAVE THE TIRES BALANCED AND AN ALIGNMENT DONE. AT NO TIME PRIOR TO PURCHASE DID ANYONE STATE IT WAS A BUILT IN DEFECT. WHEN WE MET THE SERVICE PEOPLE THEY WERE TOLD THE TYPE OF VE…
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SHAKING IN STEERING WHEEL. MOST NOTICABLE DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. WAS MENTIONED TO SALESPERSON AT TIME OF TEST DRIVE. HE STATED HE WOULD HAVE THE TIRES BALANCED AND AN ALIGNMENT DONE. AT NO TIME PRIOR TO PURCHASE DID ANYONE STATE IT WAS A BUILT IN DEFECT. WHEN WE MET THE SERVICE PEOPLE THEY WERE TOLD THE TYPE OF VEHICLE BEING PURCHASED AND THE FACT WE WOULD BE BRINGING IT IN FOR THE SHAKING. THIS WAS INTENTIONALLY DISHONEST. WE ATTEMPTED TO TRADE IN ON ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE SAME DEALERSHIP OFFERED US $7500. THIS IS AFTER 3 MONTHS AND 3 THOUSAND MILES FOR A DEFECT THEY KNEW ABOUT. THE TSB DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM.
STALLS AT RED LIGHTS WON'T IDLE VIBRATION AT IDLE SHAKES THE WHOLE CAR. DT
PLEASE ADD MORE INFORMATION. MR
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.