"How reliable is the 2002 Ford Escort?"

"Based on 41 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Ford Escort has a median complaint mileage of 51600 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Ford Escort?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Ford Escort is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 41 total complaints filed."

2002 Ford Escort: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 41 complaints

Total Complaints

51,600mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

33,975 25th Percentile

51,600 Median Mileage

97,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

STEERING

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

TIRES

SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS

STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE STEERING WHEEL/COLUMN SHAKES AND VIBRATES. THIS HAPPENS USUALLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IDLING. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS NORMAL, IT IS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAS RUBBER MOTOR MOUNTS, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP 5 TIMES AND ..."

"THE ALARM SYSTEM GOES OFF WITHOUT ANYTHING GETTING NEAR THE VEHICLE. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP AT LEAST 4 TIMES NOW THE ALARM WONT GO OFF AT ALL. THERE WAS A POPPING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS CAUSED BY THE BRAKE CLIPS COMING OFF BRAKE CHAMBERS. THE DEALERSHIP DAMAGED MY VEHICLE WHEN IT W..."

"CONSUMER STATES WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL, IT GETS REALLY HARD, CONSUMER HAS TO USE LOTS OF FORCE TO STOP. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*JB"

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