THE IGNITION SWITCH BURNED AND SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
1991 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 1991 record →
ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH CAUSED THE SWITCH TO BURN. *AK
DRIVER TRIED TO START VEHICLE, SWITCH GOT STUCK, COULD NOT TURN IT OFF, THE SWITCH SUDDENLY CAUGHT ON FIRE *AK
WHILE DRIVING, AT APPROX. 60MPH, SUDDENLY AUTOMATIC SHOULDER HARNESS BEGAN TO TIGHTEN, STRPPING TO BACK OF SEAT, TO RELEASE HAD TO OPEN DOOR. *AK
FAILURE OF DRIVER'S SEAT BELT, CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. *AK
VEHILE CAUGHT ON FIRE CAUSED BY SHORT IN THE WIRING HARNES.PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
EXPERIENCED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FIRE, WHEN ALTERNATOR AND FRONT WIRING HARNESS BURNED AND EXTINQUISHED ITSELF. *AK
EXPERIENCED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FIRE WHEN ALTERNATOR AND FRONT WIRING HARNESS BURNED AND EXTINQUISHED IT'S SELF.
ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING THE WIRING HARNESS TO BURN. *AK
ELECTRICAL SHORT, WIRING BURNED WHILE DRIVING, SMELL OF SMOKE. *AK
THE BRAKE LIGHT MELT. PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
IGNITION FIRE. *AK
INTERIOR VEHICLE FIRE AROUND THE IGNITION SWITCH.*AK
THE CAR STARTS ALL BY ITSELF WHILE SITTING IN THE CAR WITHOUT THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION. *AK CONSUMER STATES ENGINE AND STARTER COULD NOT BE STOPPED WITH THE KEYS, CONSUMER HAD TO GO TO NEAREST DEALER TO ULL THE BATTERY CABLE TO STOP THE ENGINE, IGNITION SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED,THE STARTER WAS BURNED OUT, RELAY SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED AND STARTER COIL.*JB
VEHICLE WAS PARKED, IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE, TOOK THE BATTERY OUT, PANEL LIGHT STAYED ON. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE FRONM THE IGNITION SWITCH. PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
FUEL TANK; FUEL IS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL TANK,EMITTING A VERY BAD ODOR/FUMES IN THE VEHICLE. *AK
ON COUNTRY ROAD, HIT A PATCH OF ICE, CAR SLID AND ROLLED OVER; SHOULDER BELT CAME LOOSE DURING ACCIDENT. *AQK
ON COUNTRY ROAD, HIT ICE, LOST CONTROL OF CAR, CAR ROLLED, DRIVER WAS THROWN; SHOULDER BELT CAME LOOSE DURING ACCIDENT. *AK
VEHICLE UNDERCARRIAGE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY THE FUEL PUMP SHORTING OUT THE WIRING HARNESS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE,CAUSED BY THE FUEL PUMP ELECTRICAL WIRING.PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
OWNERS GT SERIES HAS HAD (3) COMPLETE TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED. VEHICLE HESITATES/STUMBLES SEVERLY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
DRIVER'S SEAT BACK REST IS BROKEN, WON'T LOCK UPRIGHT, BACK REST LAYS BACK. TT
THE GAS PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR CAUSED CONSUMER TO HAVE A NEAR ACCIDENT. TT
WIRING HARNESS CORRODED; SHORTED OUT; CAUSED ELECTRICAL FIRE. TT
PURCHASE CAR NEW THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STOPPED WORKING . TT
PURCHASE CAR NEW THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STOPPED WORKING. TT
DRIVER AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT TRACK STOPPED MID DOOR, NEED TO REPLACE TRACK. TT
DRIVER SEATBELT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DOOR TRACK, SEATBELT DOES NOT FUNCTION. TT
THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS DO NOT WORK. TT *JB
DRIVERS AND PASSENGER SIDE LAP/SHOULDER BELT WILL NOT RETRACT, LOCK IN THE GUIDE LOOP. TT
WIRING UNDER REAR SEAT CAUGHT FIRE. TT
BRAKE FAILURE, WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED EXPERIENCE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, IMPACT 12:00 POSITION SPEED UNKNOWN. TT
HORN FUNCTIONS INTERMITTENTLY.
STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE, CARPETING IN PASSENGER SIDE AND TRUNK AREA HAS BURNT, POSSIBLE GASOLINE LEAKING FROM THE TANK. TT IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED BY A PRIVATE AUTO REPAIR SHOP THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE FULE LINE WHICH WAS LEAKING ONTO EXHAUST AND CATCHING FIRE, DUE TO THIS FAILURE THE ENGINE IS INOPERATIVE AND CARPET IN TRUNK HAS TO BE REPLACED.*JB
FUEL GAUGE FAILURE, DRIVER DOES NOT KNOW HOW MUCH GAS IS IN VEHICLE. TT
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS MALFUNCTION AT 73K, GEARS WILL NOT ENGAGE. TT
SCREW AT BASE OF STEERING COLUMN CAME LOOSE. CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. PLEASE DESCRIBE OTHER PROBLEMS. TT
UPON TURNING ON IGNITION, AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT MOVES FORWARD ONLY MIDWAY THEN STOPS, WON'T GO AROUND DRIVER, ALSO WIRES ARE HANGING OUT. TT
THE AIR CONDITIONER BLOW OUT HOT AIR TOOK TO DEALER THREE TIMES. TT
CRUISE CONTROL LOCKED UP. CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *AK
PURCHASE CAR NEW HAD TO REPLACE THE HEAD LIGHT TEN TIMES ON BOTH SIDE . TT
AUTO KEEPS CATCHING ON FIRE-THIS IS THE 2ND TIME. TT
AT 39K THE VEHICLE JUST STOPPED, THE ENGINE KEPT RUNNING BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE, THE TRANSMISSION FROZE UP. TT
LAP/SHOULDER BELT WILL NOT RETRACT. TT
THE DRIVERS SHOULDER BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN DRIVER IN AN ACCIDET/HIT STEERING WHEEL WITH CHEST. TT
HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AT NIGHT WITHOUT WARNING DUE TO DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. *AK
THE GAS TANK IS LEAKING WHEN TANK IS FILLED. *AK
THIRD BRAKE LIGHT MELTED DOWN AROUND THE BULB, RELEASING SMOKE INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. *AK
ROLL PINS FELL OUT, AND IGNITION CAME OFF THE STEERING COLUMN. 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 1991 Ford Escort → · Every Escort year → · How the figures are calculated →