1996 Ford Escort complaints

FUEL LINE TO THE FUEL PUMP HAS A PLASTIC CLIP THAT SECURES THE RUBBER FUEL LINE TO THE FUEL PUMP, PLASTIC CLIP FAILED CAUSING HIGH PRESSURE FUEL TO LEAK AND MASSIVELY. THE LEAK IS UNDER THE BACK SEAT WHERE THE CHILD SITS

AT 20,000 MILES SCHEDULE MAINTANICE SERVICE, REAR LEAF SPRING HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF BREAKAGE. AT THE 30,000 MILES SCHEDULE MAINTAINCE, RIGHT REAR SPRING WAS REPLACED BECAUSE OF BREAKAGE. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ESCORTS, AND IS SEEN ALL THE TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

SEAT BELT BECAME STUCK MIDWAY ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, FINALLY IT CAME OFF THE TRACK. I DO NOT HAVE A SEAT BELT TO WEAR NOW. ENGINE CHECK LIGHT PROBLEM BEGAN AT UNDER 10,OOO MI VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT INTO DEALER WAS REPAIRED (MAYBE? OR WAS IT ONLY RESET?) OXYGEN SENSOR' S (2 )HAD TO BE REPLACED TO PASS EMISSION TEST. NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. PASSENGER DOOR HAD PROBLEM TOOK TO DEALER WHO SORT OF FIXED IT. AT LEAST ONE COULD OPEN IT FROM THE INSIDE. BUT IT WAS DIFFICULT. EVENTUALLY PROBLEM RESURFACED. I HAVE NOTICED THAT MANY OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD WITH THE SEAT BELTS AND WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ARE NOT AN UNCOMMON OCCURENCE. I AM A CHICAGO POLICE OFFICER AND I NOTICE THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON IN THE FORD SQUAD CARS. THERE ARE PROBLEMS WHICH NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THE SEAT BELT ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. UNTIL I SAW YOUR WEB INFO IN A MAGAZINE, I WAS NOT AWARE THERE WAS ANY RECOURSE OTHER THAN TO COMPLAIN TO THE MANUFACTURER WHICH IS FRUITLESS. PERHAPS YOUR NUMBER AND INFORMATION NEED TO BE LISTED ON THE VEHICLE INFORMATION BOOKS THAT ARE SUPPLIED TO NEW CAR BUYERS. I ONLY WONDER HOW MANY OTHER CONSUMERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED OTHER THAN TO FORD'S CUSTOMER SERVICE. *AK .

FRONT WHEELS SEIZED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH WHICH RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT, POSSIBLY DUE TO FAUTLY TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK *ML

THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE BACKING OUT AND CAUSED SERIOUS ACCIDENT. YH

FIRE STARTED ON PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE AND BURNED THROUGH THE INSIDE, CLAIM 27-6082-040. *SLC

SEAT BELT TRACK MALFUNCTIONS INCONSISTENTLY. *AK

SPEEDOMETER AND IT'S CABLE ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN 14 MONTHS. 02/15/1999 (JUST UNDER 36,000 ODOMETER) SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE BOUNCED BETWEEN 60 AND 90MPH. 5/08/00 (48,702 ODOMETER) SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE VIBRATED UNDER 50 MPH AND SPEEDOMETER CABLE CAUSED LOUD CHIRPING NOISE IN FRONT OF CAR. THE FIRST INSTANCE WAS UNDER WARRANTY - THE SECOND, I COMPLAINED TO DEALER AND AM PAYING A $100 WARRANTY DEDUCTIBLE OF SOME SORT(?) I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING AS THE SPEEDOMETER AND IT'S CABLE ARE DEFECTIVE. *AK

WHEN I CLOSED THE DOOR TO MY CAR, THE SEATBELT ACTIVATION CABLE JUMPED THE TRACK AND QUIT HALF WAY. I CONTACTED SEVERAL FORD DEALERS IN OKLAHOMA CITY, AND THE FINAL ANSWER TO ME WAS THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I FORCED THE BELT TO THE END OF THE TRACK AND PULLED THE FUSE, DISABELING BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATBELTS. MY QUESTION IS HAVE THERE BEEN ANY FATALITIES DUE TO THIS CONDITION, AND IF THERE HAVE HOW MANY DOES IT TAKE TO WARRANT A SAFETY RECALL. *AK

WHILE DRIVING CAR, THE VEHICLE STOPPED PULLING. WHEN CHECKED, I WAS TOLD BY THE INSPECTOR THAT THE CLUTCHES IN THE TRANSMISSION WERE BURNT OUT. HE TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $27OO TO REPAIR. I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED ON THE CAR WAS NO GOOD BECAUSE I SURPASSED THE MILEAGE. WHAT THEY DIDN'T TELL ME WAS THAT THE CAR IS INITIALLY COVERED FOR THE FIRST 100,000 MILES AND THE EXTRA WARRANTY I PURCHASED WAS TO GIVE ME AN EXTENSION OF 60, 000 MILES OR WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. I FEEL AS THOUGH FORD SHOULD REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION AT NO COST TO ME BECAUSE THE LIFE OF THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE LONGER THAN IT LASTED. I HAVE EVEN FINISHED PAYING FOR THE CAR YET. *AK

DRIVER'S SHOULDER BELT DOES NOT PROPERLY RETURN INTO RETRACTING MECHANISM, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO BECOME INOPERABLE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

COIL SPRING BROKE, CAUSING THE BACK IN OF THE CAR TO SAG. THIS COULD CAUSE THE TIRES TO GO FLAT. DEALER HAD TO REPLACE COIL SPRING. *AK *ML

IN FEBRUARY OF 1999 STARTED NOTICING A CLICKING SOUND FROM THE SPEEDOMETER. PROBLEM PERSISTED AND NOISE STARTED BECOMING A GRIND. TOOK IN FOR SERVICE MARCH 1999 WITH MILEAGE AT 37962. REPLACED SPEEDOMETER CABLE. NOISE STOPPED AND THEN SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE STARTED AGAIN TO ACT ERRATICALLY. *AK

DRIVERS SIDE SHOULDER BELT MOTOR IS STUCK MIDWAY. THIS WILL NOT ALLOW THE BELT TO PROPERLY RESTRAIN A PASSENGER. 3FASP11J8T. *AK *ML

I STARTED UP THE VEHICLE AND THE RETRACTABLE SEAT BELT STOPPED HALF-WAY THROUGH ITS NORMAL TRACK. THE MOTOR IS AUDIBLE, HOWEVER, THE BELT CONTINUES TO STAY STATIONARY HALF-WAY THROUGH ITS TRACK. THE MOTOR IS CONSTANTLY "MAKING AN ATTEMPT" TO MOVE THE SEAT BELT THROUGH THE REST OF ITS TRACK, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT IS ON ALSO. *AK

BOTH REAR RETRACTOR BELTS WERE TWISTED ACROSS BODY, AND WAS UNABLE TO STRAIGHTEN THEM OUT. BELIEVED THIS PROBLEM WAS DUE TO PARTS INSTALLED BACKWARD. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND REFUSED TO REPAIR UNLESS COST GOES TO CONSUMER.*AK *ML

AS SOON AS CONSUMER TURNED ON ENGINE AIR BAG LIGHT WILL CAME ON, AND STAYED ON DASHBOARD UNTIL SHE TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. DEALER HAD TOLD CONSUMER THAT THE CAUSE WAS A SIGNAL CODE FOR THE AIR BAG. DEALER REPLACED WIRING HARNESS ANS SENSOR BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK *ML

THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION IN THE ENGINE, ROUGHLY WORK OF THE ENGINE 5 TO 10 SECONDS WITH METAL SOUNDS IN THE ENGINE, THEN THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. FOUND THE 3RD CODE, 2ND CODE (A/C HI-PRESSURE SWITCH INTERMITENT-DIRTY CONNECTOR). *AK

BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE MOTOR SEAT BELTS STOPPED WORKING. DRIVER'S SIDE MOTOR STOPPED MOVING. THE SEATBELT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRACK. SOMETIMES I GET HIT IN THE HEAD WHEN I GET OUT. THE TOOL THAT CAME WITH THE CAR TO MANUALLY MOVE THE SEAT BELT DOES NOT WORK. LUCKILY, THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT MOTOR STOPPED WHEN IT WAS IN THE NORMAL POSITION. WHEN GOING FASTER THAN 45 MPH THE SPEEDOMETER JUMPS TO 70 MPH OR FASTER AND MAKES A WEIRD NOISE. *AK

FIRST HEARD A EXPLOSION IN THE ENGINE, AFTER THET THE ENGINE RAN ROUGH 5-10 SEC AND SHUTDOWN. PERFORMED THE COMPRESSION TEST AND FOUND CYLENDER 4 COMPRESSION AT 0(ZERO) AND 30% LEAKED. REPLACED THE ENGINE WITH A NEW ONE. PROBLEMS REPETED WITH THE NEW ENGINE TWO TIMES( ONE TIME IN THE TOWN ROAD AND ANATHER TIME ON THE HIGHWAY). BOTH TIMES THE ENGINE WAS SHUTDOWN. *AK

WHILE STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY A VAN, UPON IMPACT, THE DRIVER'S SEAT BROKE IN HALF. VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

THE MOTOR DRIVEN SHOULDER HARNESS STOPPED IN A FORWARD POSITION, MAKING THE SHOULDER HARNESS UNUSABLE. IT STOPPED IN A POSITION WHERE YOU WOULD BUMP YOUR HEAD ON THE BELT LOCK AS YOU ENTERED THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TALKED WITH OTHER ESCORT OWNERS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME FAILURE. GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY PAID TO CRASH VICTIMS OF MUCH OLDER VEHICLES, I THINK IT IS INCUMBENT UPON THE MANUFACTURER TO GUARANTEE THE SAFETY OF PASSENGERS BY PROVIDING A RESTRAINT SYSTEM THAT WORKS CORRECTLY FOR AT LEAST THE AVERAGE LIFETIME OF A VEHICLE, NOT JUST THREE YEARS. BY THE WAY, AFTER BEING CHARGED $250 FOR A REPAIR, THE BELT WORKED ONCE BEFORE FAILING AGAIN. SHOULD I BE IN AN ACCIDENT BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY WHEN I CAN RETURN TO THE DEALERS, I WILL NOT BE PROTECTED BY A SHOULDER HARNESS. BEING THAT AN ESCORT IS SUCH A SMALL CAR, I BELIEVE I'M AT SIGNIFICANT RISK OF INJURY SHOULD AN ACCIDENT OCCUR. THESE KINDS OF FAILURES SHOULD BE FIXED FREE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

WOULD HAVE NO COMPRESSION IN FORD ENGINE CYLINDERS. THIS CAUSES ENGINE TO SPUTTER & FINALLY STALL OUT. COULDN'T RESTART VEHICLE & TOOK TO DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC INDICATED A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPRESSION TO ENGINE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON BEFORE VEHICLE STALLED OUT. *AK

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE IGNITION OFF, AIR BAGS ON DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 3 WEEKS WITHOUT ANY MOVEMENT. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *AK

DRIVER'S SHOULDER BELT GOT STUCK WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER'S SEATBELT TO BECOME INOPERATIVE AND WILL NOT PROTECT OCCUPANT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. THEN THE PASSENGER'S SEATBELT MALFUNCTIONED. CURRENTLY, THE DRIVER'S SEATBELT MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN. *AK

THE BELT STOPPED IN THE TRACK ON DRIVERS SIDE. IT IS STUCK. THE MOTOR CANT BE TURN AS INDICATED IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. *AK

BOTH SEATBELTS FAILED WITHIN A MONTH OF EACH OTHER. THEY JUST QUIT RETRACTING. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALER, THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE ANY MORE BECAUSE AFTER 36000 MILES, THE WARRANTY WAS OUT. I CANNOT TAKE MY CHILDREN IN THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE I CANNOT BELT THEM IN PROPERLY. WILL IT TAKE AN INJURY OR FATALITY BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE? NO ONE HAS BEEN HURT -YET. MANUFACTURERS SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR ANY SAFETY RELATED DEVICES TO AT LEAST 100,000 MILES ON VEHICLES THAT ARE BUILT TODAY. *AK

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 50MPH SPEEDOMETER STARTS TO JUMP UP TO80-90MPH,EVEN IF VEHICLE IS NOT GOING THAT FAST. DEALER SAYS THE HEAD NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *AK

SPEEDOMTER IS MALFUNCTIONING FOR 3RD TIME IN 3 YEARS. DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE WITHOUT CHARGING OVER $400. A SPEEDOMETER SHOULD LAST MORE THAN 1 YEAR!! PLEASE HELP ME AND OTHER ESCORT OWNERS WITH THIS PROBLEM. THANKS.

BOTH REAR SEAT BELTS ARE BROKEN AND WON'T MOVE OR LOCK INTO PLAC. DEALER HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

AUTOMATIC FRONT SEAT BELTS DON'T WORK PROPERLY. THE BELTS ARE ATTACHED TO DOOR. WILL NOT MOVE ALONG DOOR TRACK. SHORTED OUT AFTER FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE THEM CHECK IT. *AK

NO SUMMARY.

DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER SAFETY BELTS WILL ONLY GO HALF WAY UP THE DOOR, THEN THEY APPEAR TO BE STUCK. THE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELT CABLE IS OUT SIDE OF THE TRACK AND APPEARS TO BE FRAYED. NEITHER SHOULD BELT WORKS PROPERLY AND WOULD NOT RESTAIN DRIVER OR PASSENGER IF A CRASH SHOULD OCCUR.

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR DOES NOT WORK. IT GETS STUCK ON THE TRACK. VEHICLE REPAIRED BY DEALER, AND CURRENTLY THE PASSENGER SIDE RETRACTOR IS HAVING THE PROBLEM. OWNER BELIEVES A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *AK *ML

SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING AN INCORRECT READING WHICH IS HIGHER THAN IT SHOULD BE. DEALER REPLACE SPEEDOMETER 3 TIMES. ALSO ENGINE PROBLEMS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

I HAVE HAD THE SEAT BELTS FIXED 3 TIMES NOW AND THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO TEAR UP. THEY ARE NOW STUCK THE DRIVERS SIDE IS STUCK IN THE BACK POSITION AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE IS NOW STUCK IN THE FORWARD POSITION. I DO NOT THINK THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND HIT A ROAD SIGN WITH THE CAR HEAD ON AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAD A LOT OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT. AND NOW I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING FAN NOT COMING ON. I FEEL THAT THIS CAR SHOULD BE CHECKED OUT FOR THESE DEFECTS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT BAD OR EVEN KILLED. I AM JUST THANKFUL THAT MY CHILD WAS NOT INJURED IN THE CRASH. I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN SOONER BUT I JUST FOUND THIS WEB SITE.

ENGINE BLEW OUT RESULTING IN VEHICLE SMOKING. NLM

RADIO CONTROLS HAVE BEEN CHANGED FROM DIAL TO A KEY PAD, DESIGN PROBLEM CAUSING DRIVING TO REMOVE EYES FROM ROAD.

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON, INDICATING BRAKE FAILURE AND LEAKING FUEL LINE. LIGHT STILL ON AFTER BRAKE CYLINDER REPAIR. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THERE WAS A TIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. CONSUMER TURNED QUICKLY TO AVOID HITTING THE TIRE, AND LOST CONTROL. VEHICLE WENT INTO THE WOODS AND HIT A POLE. UPON IMPACT, NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. *AK

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED ACCELERATOR PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SURGE. THE DEALER HAS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE ON THREE OCCASIONS. *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. NLM

THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER DEFECTIVE PASSIVE SEATBELT RESTRAINT MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING THE TRACK TO BE WORN OUT IN 41,000 MILES FOR RIGHT SIDE AND 51,000 MILS FOR LEFT SIDE, WHICH WILL NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF A CRASH.

THE VEHICLE HAD THE TOP OF THE PISTON BRAKE OFF ON THE NO# 4 CYCLINDER, CAUSING A HOLE TO GO THROUGH THE ENGINE WHILE IN THE START UP MODE. THE FORD SERVISE MANAGER SAID IT WAS A MANUFACTER'S DEFECT IN THE ENGINE AND THAT HE SAID HE NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE IT. I CALLED FORD TO SEE ASSISSTANCE IN PAYING FOR THIS AND THEY SAID NO SINCE THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL. *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT INOPERABLE WHICH RESULTED IN FAILURE TO PASS STATE REQUIRED SAFETY INSPECTION, AND CAR IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE EXCEPT FOR REPAIRS. DEALER REPLACEMENT COST: $600+. MANUFACTURER CONTACTED AND RELATED THERE IS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO AS WARRANTY IS 5 YR/50,000. *AK

SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING THIS POPPING OR CRACKING SOUND AT LOW SPEEDS AND ON SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENTS AND ON UNEVEN TERRAIN. DEALER HAS NOT FOUND THE CAUSE BUT YET CHANGED ALL SHOCK ABSORBERS AND FINALLY INFORMED ME IT WAS DESIGN FLAW FOR 96 MODELS - CHASSIS AND BODY - WILL SEND ME A BULLETIN BUT NEVER RECEIVED ONE. THE NOISE PERSIST AND MUCH LOUDER.

MY DRIVERSIDE AUTOMATIC SEATBELT HAS COME OFF TRACK, THEREFORE LEAVING ME WITH NO DRIVERSIDE SEATBELT. IF I WAS TO GET IN AN ACCIDENT, I WOULD HAVE TO RELY ON THE AIRBAG ONLY. IF I GET STOPPED BY THE POLICE, THEN I WILL GET A SEATBELT TICKET. THEN I WOULD HAVE TO PAY A FINE FOR SOMETHING I COULDN'T CONTROL OR BETTER YET THAT FORD COULDN'T CONTROL. I CALLED THEM AND SINCE MY 50,000 MILE SAFETY RESTRAINT WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO FOR ME. NOW ALL I CAN DO IS HOPE I DON'T GET IN AN ACCIDENT OR GET PULLED OVER BECAUSE NOW MY LIFE IS IN FORD'S HANDS (BY THEIR CHOICE, NOT MINE). I MEAN PLAIN AND SIMPLE, THAT'S A LIFESAVING DEVICE THAT'S JUST NOT THERE FOR ME.

I FILLED OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND MADE A MISTAKE IN THE VIN NUMBER.

STARTED VEHICLE ON MORNING OF 1/28. REVVING AT EXTREMELY HIGH SPEED. THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING (THROTTLE?) WAS FROZEN. DROVE 2 MILES TO SERVICE STATION. TECH WORKED FOR 10 DAYS TRYING TO FIND ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. TOWED TO DEALER ON 2/8/99. DEALER COULD FIGURE OUT WHERE PROBLEM IS. CAR STILL WITH DEALER. *AK