Ford Aspire Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 211 consumer complaints across the 4 model years of the Ford Aspire (1994–1997) that have at least 5 complaints. 1995 has the most, with 64. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (52 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Aspire model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 60 | 96,500 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 33 | 83,000 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 64 | 84,124 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 54 | 83,750 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags52 25%
- Electrical system30 15%
- Transmission and drivetrain28 14%
- Engine cooling25 12%
- Fuel system20 9.8%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)19 9.3%
- Brakes17 8.3%
- Steering14 6.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1997: “During a crash into a light pole at 25 MPH the air bags in our 1997 Ford Aspire exploded into the face of my 15 year who was fully restrained in the passenger seat. He is 5'11" and 168 lbs. He is suffering from "burns" bruising, sever mouth lacerations (he has braces). He is also unable to see in the eye that was hit, due to the imprint of the bag scored into his cornea. The 17 year old driver has a cracked rib.”
NHTSA complaint #10070184, filed 2004-01, 101,000 miles1995: “On a 1995 Ford Aspire with 101,847 miles, the clutch pedal was getting harder to push down and getting closer to the floor upon release even though a new clutch was put in a year earlier. Also the brake pedal seemed to move around slightly. Both the clutch and brake pedals are on the same bracket. I was driving one day and there was a loud pop and the clutch pedal went to the floor. I thought the cable had broken but the bolts holding the bracket had come through the firewall. A new bracket had to be fabricated and the firewall strengthened.”
NHTSA complaint #10229674, filed 2008-06, 101,847 miles1994: “I was entering the outerbelt at cleveland avenue & I-270w, and as I started to accelerate the car got up to about 45 miles per hour on the entrance ramp and the speedometer started to slow. I had my two children, whitney age 8 and brittany age 15 in the car with me. This could have been a terrible accident, but I realized that something was wrong. …”
NHTSA complaint #737118, filed 2000-12Other Ford models
38,897 complaintsFord Explorer
34,624 complaintsFord Escape
27,530 complaintsFord Fusion
22,441 complaintsFord Focus
22,107 complaintsFord Taurus
18,162 complaintsFord Windstar
14,152 complaintsFord Edge
14,106 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology