Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Ford Escort owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving at 60 MPH both frontal air bags deployed inadvertently. Consumer drove vehicle to dealer. While talking to a manufacturer's representative via phone vehicle caught on fire less then 15 minutes while parked. The fire appeared to have started under the hood on the passenger's side. The local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical.
When the vehicle was parked, the consumer noticed smoke was coming from the vehicle, whic eventually caught on fire. The consumer called the fire department to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries. The fire department informed the consumer that the fire was electrical, and started under the dashboard.
While parked on dealer 's property for repairs the vehicle caught on fire. The cause was an electrical malfunction. Consumer stated she only owned the vehicle for three weeks, and dealer claimed no responsibility.
My late son's (robert d. Lawrence III) 1997 Ford Escort caught fire while sitting parked, with the engine turned off, on voters road in slidell, la. Mechanic advised fire started around the air conditioner. Contacted Ford dealer and the Ford company, but received no information or advice. Both ignored his complaintand stonewalled him.. Robert III's insurance company (safeway)paid off a total loss to Ford and left my late son with over $4,000 still due. Ford motor credit sued him for the balance just before he died on July 16, 2002. The vehicle is sitting in my yard if investigators from the NHTSA would like to see it in connection with the current investigation into sudden fires in 1997 Ford escorts. Ford should, at least, drop their lawsuit. They should have given the boy another car when that one caught fire.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Escort. When making a right turn at various speeds, the contact heard a clunking sound coming from the front end ball joints. The dealer stated that the brake pads, rotors, drums, and front wheel bearing on the passenger side needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the odometer and speedometer have both been replaced three times, but she does not trust that the speedometer is currently working properly. The failure mileage was 115,000. Updated 06-03/08. The tie rod end, rear spring, windshield, upper ball joint, odometer knob, real passenger seal were all replaced. Updated 05/30/08
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was in an idle position a smell of smoke was observed coming from underneath the dashboard. Upon inspection, the engine fuse box was found to be burnt. Before the smoke erupted, the airbag light illuminated for a few seconds and then blinked once. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer who determined that the condensation from the evaporator case May have dripped onto the airbag diagnostic monitor or wiring harness. The dealer refused to perform a second remedy repair under recall # 02s44. The manufacurer was contacted however they confirmed the dealer's consensus.
While parked horn went off on its own. Owner had taken fuse out to stop horn from blowing. Spoke to dealer & informed small plastic piece had worn away between horn & air bag module. It needed to be replaced. Seems to be a very common problem and was obviously a hazard (could possibly prematurely activate or fail to activate the airbag). No solution for this problem has been address by the manufature to my knowledge! Outside temperature is not a factor at all, occurs on hot, cold or rainy days.
Consumer noticed that airbag light was flashing on the dash panel Wednesday night. Then, next day the light was still flashing, and vehicle started smoking. She had vehicle parked, then she got inside of vehicle. Turned vehicle on, and it started smoking. Had moved the panel, and noticed that fire was comming from there. Another vehicle had a fre extinguisher, and put fire out. Vehicle was taken to dealership. Mechanic told her that it would take $1300 75 to fix vehicle.
Problems with wiring harness resulting in vehicle fire. While the consumer proceeded through a stop light the vehicle began to act erratically, the air bag light illuminated and the vehicle stalled out. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it later caught fire awaiting diagnosis and repair. There was a recall related to this failure but the consumer didn't received the noticed prior to the fire (recall # 02V323000). The consumer also requested reimbursement.
Vehicle's air bags deployed and dashboard caught on fire while parked in a local garage. The air bag light was coming on and off the remained on. Consumer allowed the vehicle to cool after smelling smoke. A trooper recommended having the vehicle towed. The vehicle was at a local garage locked up when the fire occurred. The windshield shattered due to the hot temperature. The fire dept. Found the vehicle was under recall for defective air bags.
Electrical complaints in other Escort years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1997 Ford Escort?
NHTSA has 114 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 Ford Escort, 21% of the model year's 543 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (34 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford Escort electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 1997 Ford Escort, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford Escort electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 83,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 58 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.