Most common 1998 Ford Escort problems
Share of the 375 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Escort complaints by model year
Best Escort years: 2003, 2002, 2001. Years to avoid: 1997, 1995, 1998, 1999. Compare all years →
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 1998 Ford Escort:
Air bag non-deployment
What 1998 Ford Escort owners say
Air bags all 75 →
Dt: the consumer states that the 1998 Ford Escort crashed into a light pole. The driver hit the pole and the air bag deployed and broke. The inside of the air bag sprayed the chemicals on the driver, the chemicals burnt her hands and arm. She said that she could not find a lawyer in her town to take case. The lawyers and the insurance company were working together against her. She said that she had a boil on her hand and a bruise on her chest. The consumer has pictures of the air bag. She wanted someone to reimburse her for the car because she lived in low income housing. She said vehicle was totaled and the junk dealer came and got it. And she did not get paid for it. A police report was taken.
Tl 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 sustained injuries to the head and face. A police report was filed. The vehicle was partially destroyed and the front bumper, bumper support, radiator and support, air conditioner condenser, and power steering reservoir were damaged. The failure and current mileages were 81,756.
Engine & cooling all 50 →
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 not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 144,998.
There have been many problems with my 1998 Ford Escort since I purchased it new in August, 1998. The most severe and recent problem was repaired in December, 2002. The head gasket blew, causing major overheating problems in my vehicle. The vehicle had less than 40,000 miles. I am not certain if the head gasket became faulty while vehicle was being built, or if fullerton Ford damaged the gasket while doing work on my vehicle, and then attempted to sodder the part together. According to corbo's auto service in somerville, the gasket had a "soddered" hole in it which caused the gasket to blow. Fullerton form was the only repair facility I had taken my vehicle to be repaired before it was taken to corbo's. I have called Ford on several occasions to complain about the service work at fullerton. …
Suspension all 50 →
I was sold a 1998 Ford Escort zx2 for 800 dollars, from but behind a local dealership. The dealership did the notary, and they were the ones who signed off on the car and gave me a hand written receipt with someone else's name on it. They also did the inspection later on after we replaced one of the ball joints. We had the car looked at by another official inspection station and they said the car was a death trap. We contacted a state trooper. He did an inspection, failed the car, and took the sticker. There was a long list of problems. I tried to get a refund before I got the cops involved and he refused. This was also before the 10 days were up for the inspection. I paid for the car on the 13th of feb. 2008.
Dt: 1998 Ford Escort. The consumer took the vehicle to dealer to be serviced, and the service department noticed the rear coil springs were broken , approximately 1 turns from the top. The consumer contacted Ford, and they told him the part was not under warranty. The coil springs were replaced. There had been no noticeable problems before this. The caplipers were replaced due them being frozen. The crank pulley and serpentine belt were replace.
1998 Ford Escort engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 24 / 34 / 28 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 22 / 30 / 25 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Ford Escort a good car?
Based on 375 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 Escort rates avoid: 2.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Escort at the same age. It is one of the Escort years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Ford Escort?
The air bags — 75 complaints, 20% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal. Next are the engine & cooling (50) and suspension (50).
How many recalls does the 1998 Ford Escort have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1998 Ford Escort. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Escort?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2003, 2002 and 2001. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1997, 1995, 1998 and 1999. See the full Ford Escort years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford Escort problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 75,000 miles; 28% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.