1998 Ford Escort: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 470 complaints
470
Total Complaints
76,100mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Top Issue
102
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

51,950 25th Percentile
76,100 Median Mileage
95,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
59
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
26
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
24
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
19
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
15
SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS
15
AIR BAGS
14
SUSPENSION
11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10

Severity Assessment

102
Crashes
17
Fires
94
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY."
"CONSUMER COMPLAINS THAT THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR DOES NOT LIGHT UP AT NIGHT."
"WHEN PULLING OUT FROM A STOP, VEHICLE MAY LOSE POWER. *AK CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION SLIPS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN PULLING FROM A STOP, ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON 4 OCCASIONS, DEALER CAN NOT FIND A REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM. *SLC"

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