1998 Ford Escort Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Escort years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 375 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Ford Escort. That ranks 3rd out of 9 Escort model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (75 complaints, 20%), typically at around 90,000 miles. Complaints mention 84 crashes, 11 fires, 78 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 375owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 84complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Ford Escort problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 75 | 20% | 90,000 | “air bag” (25%) | — |
| Suspension problems | 50 | 13% | 55,000 | “rear coil” (28%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 49 | 13% | 81,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 43 | 11% | 51,950 | — | — |
| Power Train | 43 | 11% | 64,544 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 32 | 9% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 19 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 17 | 5% | 85,878 | — | — |
| Steering | 17 | 5% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 16 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 4% | 94,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 14 | 4% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 13 | 3% | 94,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 11 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 9 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 2% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 4 | 1% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 1% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 1% | 187,000 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 0% | 144,998 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Ford Escort recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 1998 Ford Escort.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Air bag non-deployment (DP01001) — opened Apr 19, 2001, closed Nov 1, 2001.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford escort. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle caught fire under the hood without warning. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. There were no injuries. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was…
I am concerned regarding rear bumper cover. This very important paft on tbis vehicle is made totally of fiberglass or a similar product which becomes more cracked with time and the main issue is that it has no hard metal bar for protection in the event of a rear impact . This bumper which i had…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford escort. The vehicle was equipped with kelly springfield tire size 185/65/14. The contact was driving approximately 5 mph and he heard a loud, abnormal noise coming from the rear tires. The contact detected that both rear tires had a defect within the inner liner and…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford escort. The tire brand was bridge stone insignia sl, tire size was p175/65r14. The dot was unknown. While driving approximately 67 mph, the contact stated that the front right passenger tire blew out without warning. The tires were on the vehicle when it was…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford escort. The contact stated that the rear coil springs broke in 2003 and were repaired. The vehicle was at a repair shop getting an oil change when the contact was informed that the rear coil springs had broken again. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired…
Other Ford Escort years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Escort | 10 | 0 |
| 2002 Escort | 33 | 0 |
| 2001 Escort | 68 | 0 |
| 2000 Escort | 98 | 1 |
| 1999 Escort | 325 | 1 |
| 1998 | 375 | 0 |
| 1997 Escort | 543 | 1 |
| 1996 Escort | 205 | 0 |
| 1995 Escort | 576 | 4 |
See all Ford Escort problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Ford Escort?
Owners most often report air bags, suspension, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 75 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Ford Escort?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 1998 Ford Escort a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Escort model years, the 1998 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.