1994 Ford Escort: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 351 complaints
351
Total Complaints
80,180mi
Median Mileage
SEAT BELTS
Top Issue
65
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

45,000 25th Percentile
80,180 Median Mileage
97,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEAT BELTS
46
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
36
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
16
AIR BAGS
16
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
15
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
14
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
13
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
8

Severity Assessment

65
Crashes
18
Fires
57
Injuries
5
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FRONTAL COLLISION, IMPACT 12:00 POSITION, SPEED 50 MPH, AIR BAG PARTIALLY DEPLOYED. TT"
"ENGINE RAN OUT OF CONTROL BECAUSE TRANSMISSION GOT STUCK IN PASSING GEAR. TT"
"REAR DOOR HINGE HAD MISSING BOLT. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28