1998 Ford Escort Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 1998 Ford Escort, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 90,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (25% of reports).
- 75air bags complaints
- 90,000median miles at failure
- 66mention a crash
- 43mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 15%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 19 of 75 complaints (25%)
- Upon impact: mentioned in 17 of 75 complaints (23%)
- Airbags deploy: mentioned in 12 of 75 complaints (16%)
- Consumer hit: mentioned in 8 of 75 complaints (11%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 6 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 75 complaints, 66 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 43 an injury.
Ford Escort air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Escort | 1 | 10% | 12,000 |
| 2002 Escort | 2 | 6% | 61,946 |
| 2001 Escort | 9 | 13% | 60,000 |
| 2000 Escort | 18 | 18% | 82,192 |
| 1999 Escort | 66 | 20% | 99,000 |
| 1998 Escort | 75 | 20% | 90,000 |
| 1997 Escort | 152 | 28% | 89,543 |
| 1996 Escort | 18 | 9% | 106,359 |
| 1995 Escort | 67 | 12% | 150,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists air bags for the 1998 Ford Escort. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My son was driving my 1998 ford escort lx on a 35 mph road when the driver in front of him slammed on his brakes. My son immediately tried to stop the car, but he rear-ended the other car before he could come to a complete stop. During the impact, the driver's seat belt did not lock in place and…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford escort. While driving between 35-40 mph, rear ended another vehicle. At the time of the crash, the air bags failed to deploy. Both occupants were wearing seat belts, but that did not prevent them from being thrown to the front of the vehicle and injured. The driver…
Tl* - the contact stated horn has not worked properly since she purchased the vehicle. The vehicle currently has 31,000 miles. The contact took the vehicle to dealer for repairs, and was told that the airbag was defective , and that itwas causing the horn not to work. The horn has been replaced…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Ford Escorts have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 75 owner complaints about air bags for the 1998 Ford Escort (20% of the 375 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Ford Escort air bags?
No recall currently lists air bags for this vehicle.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 90,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 1998 Ford Escort?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 19 of 75 complaints, followed by “upon impact” (17).
Other 1998 Ford Escort problems
- Suspension problems (50)
See all 1998 Ford Escort problems or air bags problems across all Escort years.