1999 Ford Escort problems & reliability
325 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford Escort. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
42 complaints report injuries (56 injured, 4 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Ford Escort vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 12 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 66 | 20% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 62 | 19% |
| Suspension | 42 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 39 | 12% |
| Power Train | 35 | 11% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 24 | 7% |
| Seat Belts | 16 | 5% |
| Steering | 16 | 5% |
| Equipment | 15 | 5% |
| Tires | 14 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 68,000 miles (middle 50% between 46,514 and 98,858 miles), based on 91 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford escort. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and no occupant inside, the vehicle rolled backwards and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the gear shift lever was in the park position at the time. The vehicle was not…”
Power Train · filed May 28, 2019
“Vehicle airbag light came on and is still activated, won't turn off. There has been no collisions or activity that caused light to be activated.”
Air Bags · filed Oct 6, 2017
“While driving , the car lost power and the steering wheel was hard to turn, after coming to a stop, we tried to start the car up again it bsounded like it wanted to turn over but didn't after a few tries it stopped making any noise. A mechanic said the engine blew and that it was a on going problem for this year and…”
Engine · filed May 29, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- AIR BAG NON-DEPLOYMENT
Defect Petition DP01001 · opened Apr 19, 2001 · closed Nov 1, 2001
Technical service bulletins
95 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford Escort. The 10 most recent:
Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001 vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in the state of maine, certified for sale in california-federal emission…
CSP-08B01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2008
Replace timing belt idler pulley during 2.0l zetec engine cylinder head replacement - service tip. *tt
19016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
04189 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Trw vehicle safety systems, inc. Is recalling certain service replacement seatbelt retractors (driver's side front retractor in gray) manufactured in december 2002 and sold as a service replacement part between december…
04V09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 12, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
041514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2004
Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt
031501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 2004
Rough idle, low power and / or stall at idle, a malfunction indicator lamp illuminated and diagnostic trouble codes p0300 through p0304 stored in memory. *tt
020901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 17, 2004
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Idle vibration on vehicles equipped with 2.0l spi or zetec engine only. *tt
031515 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2003
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1999 Ford Escort in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Ford Escort?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 68,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.