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1998 Ford Escort Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

470 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.36 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious04E048000

Seat Belts:Front

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM MAY NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT, WHICH MAY raises the risk of PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy & full details

TRW WILL NOTIFY THE CUSTOMERS WHO PURCHASED THE REPLACEMENT SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 27, 2004.

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.

Complaint volume

470 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

102Crashes
17Fires
94Injuries
1Deaths

Across 470 complaints. Severity Index 1.36.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Air Bags · Frontal59 · 13%Engine And Engine Cooling…26 · 6%Power Train · Automatic T…24 · 5%Electrical System19 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…15 · 3%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…15 · 3%Suspension · Rear · Sprin…15 · 3%Air Bags14 · 3%
  1. Air Bags:Frontal — 59 reports
  2. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 26 reports
  3. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 24 reports
  4. Electrical System — 19 reports
  5. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 15 reports
  6. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 15 reports
  7. Suspension:Rear:Springs — 15 reports
  8. Air Bags — 14 reports
  9. Suspension — 11 reports
  10. Unknown Or Other — 10 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (5) · 1996 (1) · 1997 (2) · 1998 · 1999 (2) · 2000 (2) · 2001 (1) · 2002 (1) · 2003 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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