2000 Ford Escort

Typical pattern

16% of complaints about the 2000 Ford Escort came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2000 vehicle — around the middle of the 213 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 3.0 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (19 complaints), typically at 3.8 yr or about 35,900 miles.

Complaints: 106
Median age at failure: 3.0 yr
Median mileage: 50,800 n=42
Crash / fire / tow: 24.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

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.

00V228001 2000-08-18

Seat belts

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES, LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH TRW SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES. THE BUCKLE BASE OF THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND THEREFORE DO NOT PASS THE LOAD BEARING REQUIREMENT OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES."

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling mileage not reported 10 mo in service

VEHICLE CUT OFF SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO WARNING DURING ANY SPEED. DEALER HAS LOOKED AT THIS, TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT NOTHING WORKED. *YH

Engine cooling mileage not reported 1.3 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH POWER STEERING WENT OUT. DEALER FOUND SERPENTINE BELT HAD SNAPPED, CAUSING BRACKET TO WATER PUMP HOUSING TO BREAK. TENSION ROD AND WATERPUMP HOUSING WERE REPLACED AT COSNUMER'S COST. *AK

Engine cooling mileage not reported 1.3 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH POWER STEERING WENT OUT. DEALER FOUND SERPENTINE BELT HAD SNAPPED, CAUSING BRACKET TO WATER PUMP HOUSING TO BREAK. TENSION ROD AND WATERPUMP HOUSING WERE REPLACED AT COSNUMER'S COST. *AK

Air bags mileage not reported 8 mo in service crash / fire / tow

WHILE DRIVING ON A LOCAL ROAD TRAVELING 30MPH, RAN A STOP SIGN AT AN INTERSECTION WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE COMING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND HAVING THE RIGHT AWAY WAS REARENDED BY CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, HITTING IT ON THE SIDE. UPON IMPACT,NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *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.

2000 Ford Escort

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Escort model years

How to read this