1996 Ford Escort: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 257 complaints
257
Total Complaints
87,767mi
Median Mileage
SEAT BELTS
Top Issue
30
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

62,250 25th Percentile
87,767 Median Mileage
112,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEAT BELTS
32
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
27
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
14
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
13
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
13
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
13
POWER TRAIN
12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
10
AIR BAGS
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
7

Severity Assessment

30
Crashes
11
Fires
33
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"HORN WILL BLOW ON ITS OWN DUE TO POOR GROUND WIRE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK"
"HORN WILL BLOW ON ITS OWN DUE TO POOR GROUND WIRE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK"
"ELECTRICAL SHORT, CAUSING HEAD LIGHTS AND ALL ELECTRICAL COMPOENTS TO FAIL WHILE DRIVING. *AK WHILE DRIVING, *AK"

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