DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BROKE, SEAT TRACK AND ANCHORS FAILED. *AK
1990 Ford Escort complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1990 record →
ON ONE OCCASION THE SEAT TRACK BROKE. PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
ENGINE FIRE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
IGNITION SWITCH FIRE. *SD
FUEL TANK LEAK. *SD
THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER HOOD. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
OWNER HEARD FUNNY NOISE AND PULLED OVER AND SHUT VEHICLE OFF. SAW SMOKE FROM UNDERNEATH HOOD. FEW MINUTES LATER VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. PLEASE DESCRIBE *AK
IGNITION SWITCH SHORTED, CAUSING FIRE. *DSH
IGNITION FAILED. *SD
DRIVING VEHICLE, NOTICED SMOKE FROM UNDER HOOD, PARKED VEHICLE NEXT DAY AT JOB, TURNED TO GO TO BLDG, INFORMED VEHICLE WAS IN FLAMES. *AK
THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN OR THE DASH. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
WHILE PARKED IN FRONT OF HOUSE, VEHICLE SUDDENLY BLEW UP; MADE LOUD SOUND, SUDDENLY FIRE WAS EVERYWHERE. OWNER WILL PROVIDE MORE DETAILS; VEHICLE TOTALED. *AK
AFTER PARKING OVERNIGHT, FOUND VEHICLE IN GARAGE ON FIRE, COMING FROM DASH. *AK
THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE BEING DRIVEN. SOURCE UNKNOWN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND IT WENT UP IN FLAMES DUE TO THE IGNIITON SWITCH. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
VEHICLE PARKED FOUR HOURS AND THEN BURST INTO FLAMES. *AK
WHILE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDERHOOD; ACCORDING TO FIRE DEPARTMENT, COULD HAVE BEEN ELECTRICAL FIRE; EVERYTHING UNDERHOOD BURNT. *AK
IGNITION FIRE. *AK
VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
IGNITION SHORT RESULTING IN A FIRE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING OWNER NOTICED BURNING SMELL FOLLOWED BY SMOKE. FLAMES GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE THEN STOPPED. VEHICLE FAILED TO START UNTIL NEW SWITCH INSTALLED.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ON HWY VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN, WILL NOT RESTART BECAUSE OF IGNITION SWITCH. *AK
WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD AUTO CUTS OFF-NO ACCIDENTS YET. *AK
WHILE DRIVING, NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN, THEN FLAMES FROM BEHIND INSTRUMENT PANEL, RESULT INTERIOR FIRE. *AK
THE CAMSHAFT THAT HOLDS THE GEAR BROKE. PLEAS DESCRIBE . *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING TO WORK PARKED CAR STARTED TO SMOKE AND CAUGHT ON FIRE . TT
IGNITION MODULE FAILED, RESULTING IN ENGINE CUT-OUT REPEATLY, REPLACED THE OLD MODULE. TT
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BACK FRAME BROKE, SEAT FULLY RECLINED BACKWARDS. TT
FRONT INNER TIE ROD BROKE ON THE DRIVER SIDE. TT
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE HOOD FLEW OPEN AND DAMAGED THE WINDSHIELD, PASSENGER SIDE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT HAS FAILED. TT
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, UNDER THE HOOD, EA95-002 ACTIVE, DASH WAS COMPLETELY BURNED. TT
DRIVER'S SIDE BELT BROKE UPON IMPACT AT 35 MPH. TT
SEAT BELT SLIPS OUT OF HARNESS WHEN USING CHILD SAFETY SEAT. *TT
# EA95-002 WHEN DRIVING SMOKE CAUSED FROM THE STEERING CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE CAR WAS TOTALED . TT
VEHICLE ACCELERATED CAUSING LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. TT
FUEL PUMP FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *AK
ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION PLASTIC BREATHER FELL OFF ONTO HOT ENGINE WHILE DRIVING/MELTED. *SD
PULLED UP IN DRIVEWAY AND SAW LEFT FRONT WHEEL ON FIRE/REPLACED BRAKE CALIPER PISTONS. *AK
DRIVER/PASSENGER LAP BELTS INOPERATIVE, MALE TO FEMALE BUCKLE WON'T LOCK IN. TT
COMPUTER FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *AW
FIRE IN GLOVE COMPARTMENT AREA, FIRE DEPT STATED THAT FIRE WAS POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL RELATED. TT
UPON BEING REAR ENDED, DRIVERS SHOULDER BELT DIDN'T RESTRAIN. DRIVER NOTICED BELT MOVING ALONG TRACK. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
UNDER THE HOOD FIRES, VEHICLE WAS SMOKING WHILE DRIVING CAUGHT ON FIRE, WILL PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION./ TT
VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAUGHT ON FIRE AFTER BEING PARKED FOR 5 MINTUES DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. TT
WHILE DRIVING, NOTICED SMOKE/ODR, PULLED TO SIDE, FOUND FRONT BRAKESCAUGHT ON FIRE, DEALER REPLACED FRONT CALIPERS. TT
WHILE DRIVING, BRAKE CALIPERS WERE DRAGGING, GOT HOT, CAUSING DIFFICULTY IN DRIVING, SEEMED AS THOUGH FOOT WAS ON BRAKE, CAUSED PLASTIC HUB CAPS TO MELT. TT
ROCK HIT GAS TANK CAUSING TANK TO LEAK. TT
CAR WAS PARK IN A LOT AND CAR CAUGHT FIRE. TT
ELECTRICAL FIRE. *AK
SEAT BELTS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. TT
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1990 Ford Escort → · Every Escort year → · How the figures are calculated →