Ford Escort
Owners filed 3,481 complaints across 14 model years of the Ford Escort. The 1995 drew the most (576); the 2003 the fewest (10).
Model years14
Complaints3,481
Recalls30
Fires290
Deaths20
Every Ford Escort model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 10 | 1 | — | 1 | Vehicle Speed Control | Routine | |
| 2002 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2001 | 68 | 1 | 3 | 14 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 2000 | 98 | 2 | 2 | 22 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1999 | 325 | 2 | 11 | 79 | Air Bags › Frontal | Fatalities reported | |
| 1998 | 375 | 1 | 11 | 84 | Air Bags › Frontal | Fatalities reported | |
| 1997 | 543 | 2 | 83 | 67 | Air Bags › Frontal | High concern | |
| 1996 | 205 | 1 | 7 | 23 | Seat Belts | Above average | |
| 1995 | 576 | 5 | 20 | 75 | Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly | Fatalities reported | |
| 1994 | 279 | 2 | 16 | 51 | Seat Belts | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 379 | 3 | 16 | 31 | Seat Belts | Fatalities reported | |
| 1992 | 162 | 3 | 17 | 7 | Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly | Fatalities reported | |
| 1991 | 327 | 4 | 61 | 20 | Electrical System › Ignition › Switch | Fatalities reported | |
| 1990 | 101 | 2 | 42 | 5 | Electrical System › Ignition › Switch | High concern |
Which Ford Escort years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 1995 is the weakest year on record, with 576 complaints concentrated in the fuel system, gasoline › storage › tank assembly. It carries 5 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.