Most common 2000 Ford Escort problems
Share of the 98 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 →
2000 Ford Escort recalls (1)
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began October 26, 2000.
What 2000 Ford Escort owners say
Engine & cooling all 22 →
Transmission is slipping and does not shift correctly. Timing chain broke while driving and almost caused an accident. Had to have the car towed. Tensioner arm broke while driving shredding the belt. Had to have the car towed.
I would like to reference odi cases # 8016196, 1451010 and particularly 881231 in reference to my Ford Escort. While driving at low speed, my power steering, ac and alternator went out when the serpentine belt broke. The belt was wrapped around the water pump tensioner, which literally snapped away from the water pump housing and broke the water pump housing in 3 pieces. My mechanic also said he had never seen anything like this - but he found it very interesting that Ford had the water pump housing in stock in their parts department. The water pump, the housing, the tensioner and the serpentine belt were all replaced at the consumer's cost.
Air bags
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Ford Escort. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the contact attempted to change lanes and crashed into a van. The air bags deployed with such an extreme force that the contact sustained injuries to the face, chest, and right arm that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an unknown location where it was not diagnosed or repaired. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 179,000. The VIN was not available.
Dt*: the contact stated the airbags did not deploy in an accident causing the driver to hit and fracture the windshield at 35 MPH. The accident was a rear end collision. The driver was wearing a seatbelt. The airbag warning light was not on prior to the crash. Pictures were available and a police report was taken.
Transmission & drivetrain
Transmission is slipping and does not shift correctly. Timing chain broke while driving and almost caused an accident. Had to have the car towed. Tensioner arm broke while driving shredding the belt. Had to have the car towed.
On June 21, 2003, I was operating the vehicle at approx. 30 MPH. I attempted to speed up and found that the accelerator was no longer functioning. Due to the fact that the car failed to accelerate I was forced to coast to the side of the road, where a tow truck picked it up and towed it to the dealership. Approx. 6 months prior to this time I began noticing a "spasmodic hesitating motion" in the car whenever I attempted to accelerate from an idle position. I assumed that a tune-up was needed and took it to a Ford dealership for inspection. I was told that the hesitation could not be detected, nothing was wrong with the vehicle, and based on the make and model of the vehicle I was not required a tune-up until 100,000 miles had been reached. I continued to drive the vehicle and the problem persisted. For a while I even relented and decided that perhaps the problem was in my head. …
2000 Ford Escort engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 24 / 32 / 27 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 22 / 31 / 26 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Ford Escort a good car?
Based on 98 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2000 Escort rates better than average: 62% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Escort at the same age. 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 2000 Ford Escort?
The engine & cooling — 22 complaints, 22% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine › gasoline. Next are the air bags (18) and transmission & drivetrain (18).
How many recalls does the 2000 Ford Escort have?
There is 1 recall for the 2000 Ford Escort, the most recent from August 18, 2000 (seat belts). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the 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 2000 Ford Escort problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 59,000 miles; 44% 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.