1992 FORD ESCORT — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 160 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: FUEL SYSTEM (33 complaints · 20.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 7
  • Fires 17
  • Injuries 6
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 1991 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution FUEL SYSTEM appears in 33 of 160 owner complaints (20.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. FUEL SYSTEM: 33 complaints, 20.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 33 · 20.6% · 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 31 complaints, 19.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 31 · 19.4% · 13 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 22 complaints, 13.8% of reports SEAT BELTS 22 · 13.8% · 4 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 20 complaints, 12.5% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 20 · 12.5% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 12 complaints, 7.5% of reports ENGINE 12 · 7.5% · 2 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 9 complaints, 5.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 9 · 5.6% POWER TRAIN: 8 complaints, 5.0% of reports POWER TRAIN 8 · 5.0% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 6 complaints, 3.8% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 · 3.8% SUSPENSION: 3 complaints, 1.9% of reports SUSPENSION 3 · 1.9% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 132 complaints, 82.5% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 132 · 82.5% · 3 crash reports 17 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
FUEL SYSTEM 33 20.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 31 19.4% 0 crashes · 13 fires
SEAT BELTS 22 13.8% 4 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 20 12.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 12 7.5% 0 crashes · 2 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 9 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 8 5.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 3.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 3 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 132 82.5% 3 crashes · 17 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 1992. 1995-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 1995-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 1995-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1995-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 1996-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 1996-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 1996-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 1996-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1997-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 1997-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1997-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 1998-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1999-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2001-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 1992 Apr 2022 Recall campaign 92V103000 ◆ Recall campaign 92V103000 Recall campaign 92V117000 ◆ Recall campaign 92V117000 Recall campaign 94E019000 ◆ Recall campaign 94E019000 Investigation EA94002 ● Investigation EA94002
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 7
1995-Q2 Owner reports 11
1995-Q3 Owner reports 5
1995-Q4 Owner reports 4
1996-Q1 Owner reports 7
1996-Q2 Owner reports 11
1996-Q3 Owner reports 8
1996-Q4 Owner reports 7
1997-Q1 Owner reports 10
1997-Q2 Owner reports 2
1997-Q3 Owner reports 4
1997-Q4 Owner reports 6
1998-Q1 Owner reports 2
1998-Q2 Owner reports 3
1998-Q3 Owner reports 5
1998-Q4 Owner reports 7
1999-Q1 Owner reports 6
1999-Q2 Owner reports 4
1999-Q3 Owner reports 5
1999-Q4 Owner reports 3
2000-Q1 Owner reports 3
2000-Q2 Owner reports 3
2000-Q3 Owner reports 2
2000-Q4 Owner reports 8
2001-Q1 Owner reports 2
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 3
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 2
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 2
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 92V103000
Recall campaign 1 92V117000
Recall campaign 1 94E019000
Defect investigation 1 EA94002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 92V103000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD RESULT IN FOLLOWING MOTORISTS NOT BEINGSIGNALED THAT THE VEHICLE IS BRAKING, AND COULD RESULT IN A COLLISION.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE THE FAULTY STOP LAMP SWITCHES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 92V117000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    SHOULD A CRACK DEVELOP, FUEL VAPOR CAN ESCAPE FROM THETANK WHEN THE TANK IS FULL, AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL CAN LEAK FROM THE CRACK.FUEL LEAKS CAN RESULT IN FIRE WHEN EXPOSED TO A SOURCE OF IGNITION.
    Remedy:
    INSTALL A NEW FUEL PUMP SENDING ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 94E019000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    THIS CAN RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE STEERING CONTROL ANDAN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DANA WILL PAY FOR REPLACEMENT AND LABOR COSTS OF THE ADJUSTMENT PIN WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE INSTALLING FACILITY AND THE VEHICLE OWNER. THESE PINS SHOULD BE REPLACED BY A FORD ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PIN ASSEMBLY. OWNER OR INSTALLER INQUIRIES CONCERNING THIS RECALL CAMPAIGN SHOULD CONTACT DANA SERVICE CENTER AT 1-800-248-9606.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 160 complaints · page 1 of 7

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources