1999 Ford Escort

Typical pattern

14.5% of complaints about the 1999 Ford Escort came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 1999 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 3.2 yr in service. The most-reported system is air bags (63 complaints), typically at 2.2 yr or about 99,000 miles.

Complaints: 338
Median age at failure: 3.2 yr
Median mileage: 70,000 n=113
Crash / fire / tow: 30.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Air bags

63 reports · 99,000 mi

2.2 yr

93.7%

Engine cooling

51 reports · 70,000 mi

3.4 yr

3.9%

Electrical system

40 reports · 70,000 mi

2.0 yr

22.5%

Suspension

36 reports · 67,712 mi

6.8 yr

5.6%

Power train

28 reports · 66,292 mi

4.5 yr

10.7%

Service brakes, hydraulic

19 reports · 112,802 mi

1.3 yr

21.1%

Seat belts

15 reports · 76,000 mi

1.9 yr

53.3%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

04E048000 2004-07-12

Seat belts:front

CERTAIN TRW DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELTS MANUFACTURED ON DECEMBER 6 AND 9, 2002, FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR 1997 FORD ESCORT 4-DOOR AND STATION WAGON PLATFORM VEHICLES, FORD'S P/N F7CZ54611B09AAC. THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES EXHIBIT A NO-LOCK CONDITION WHICH DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES.

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM MAY NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT, WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

99V276000 1999-10-12

Power train:manual transmission:shift pattern indicator

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE S/R OPTION. THE S/R OPTION INCLUDES, AMONG OTHER FEATURES, A 5-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. ON THESE VEHICLES, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT PATTERN IS NOT DISPLAYED IN THE OCCUPANT COMPARTMENT IN VIEW OF THE DRIVER. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT."

THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE TRANSMISSION POSITION OF THE VEHICLE.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system mileage not reported 2 mo in service crash / fire / tow

CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH HORN. WHEN CONSUMER THEY APPLIES HORN, IT'S HARD TO MAKE IT MAKE A SOUND. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE CONSUMER WAS ALMOST INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. COULD NOT LET OTHER DRIVERS BE AWARE OF VEHICLE'S PRESENCE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. *AK

Electrical system mileage not reported 2 mo in service

WHENEVER THE HORN HAS TO BE USED IT FAILS TO OPERATE PROPERLY AFTER BEING HIT. THERE IS NO NOISE. JUST SILENCE. WILL BE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT, DESIGN OF THE HORN IS HAMPERED BY THE INSTALLATION OF THE AIR BAG. *AK

Electrical system mileage not reported 6 mo in service crash / fire / tow

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR A WHILE IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT CLAIMED IT WAS THE FUSE BOX THAT CAUSED THE FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

Air bags mileage not reported 4 mo in service crash / fire / tow

WHEN VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH, THERE WAS DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH AIR BAGS, BUT THE AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE STARTED SMOLDERING. NO ONE WAS SEATED ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. REPORTED BY DEPUTY CHIEF DONALD MCCARTHY. *AK

Other Escort model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.