"How reliable is the 1997 Ford Escort?"

"Based on 729 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Ford Escort has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is Frontal."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Ford Escort?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Ford Escort is Frontal, accounting for a significant portion of the 729 total complaints filed."

1997 Ford Escort: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 729 complaints

729

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

Frontal

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

52,000 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

102,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Frontal

Air Bags

Electrical System

Wiring

Sensor/Control Module

Engine

Horn

Vehicle Speed Control

Heater Core

Springs

Severity Assessment

Crashes

133

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THERE IS A BAD ODOR IN THE CAR , PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"

"FAILURE ON THE ENGINE, CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED AND THE VEHICLE CUT OFF WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *AK"

"VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR COLLISION IN WHICH BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSING THE WINDOW SHIELD TO BREAK. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Frontal 63 complaints

25th: 79,239 mi Median: 92,220 mi 75th: 113,250 mi

Air Bags 55 complaints

25th: 66,250 mi Median: 78,000 mi 75th: 116,661 mi

Electrical System 51 complaints

25th: 80,250 mi Median: 88,750 mi 75th: 93,125 mi

Wiring 34 complaints

25th: 90,375 mi Median: 96,250 mi 75th: 98,250 mi

Sensor/Control Module 30 complaints

25th: 72,179 mi Median: 103,500 mi 75th: 147,606 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 79 NY: 59 PA: 46 MI: 41 TX: 40 OH: 40 FL: 36 GA: 30 NJ: 30 NC: 25

Who Files Complaints?

35.1%

Original Owners

64.9%

Second+ Owners

Ford Escort — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	128	-	Switch	8
1991	413	128,375	Switch	22
1992	222	106,619	Tank Assembly	7
1993	480	48,000	Seat Belts	37
1994	351	80,180	Seat Belts	65
1995	725	99,500	Tank Assembly	106
1996	257	87,767	Seat Belts	30
1998	470	76,100	Frontal	102
1999	413	70,000	Frontal	99
2000	128	50,800	Frontal	31
2001	85	40,300	Automatic Transmission	17
2002	41	51,600	Engine And Engine Cooling	6

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