1997 Ford Escort Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 114about this part
- Share
- 21%of 543 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 82,610miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 114 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 Ford Escort, 21% of the 543 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,610 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 58 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Air bag control diagnostic module shorted out due to ruptured heater core. When I spoke with the local dealership they told me to contact a local junk yard. There is a recall on this item. I never received a recall notice.”
NHTSA complaint #10372042, filed 2010-12, 233,000 miles“Initial problem was that heater blower would not operate. When brought to the dealer, they determined that there had been an electrical melt-down on a component and stated that we were fortunate that we had not had a fire. They removed and replaced the motor resistor and connector. I am reporting this because when I checked for complaints regarding escorts, there were many others that did have fires due to wiring/electrical problems.”
NHTSA complaint #10098670, filed 2004-11, 82,610 miles“The plastic light bulb socket for my center high mount stop lamp (chmsl) has repeatedly melted causing the chmsl to not work. I have gone through two (2) sockets and they have both failed in the same manner.”
NHTSA complaint #10010909, filed 2003-03, 87,000 miles“While driving at 60 MPH both frontal air bags deployed inadvertently. Consumer drove vehicle to dealer. While talking to a manufacturer's representative via phone vehicle caught on fire less then 15 minutes while parked. The fire appeared to have started under the hood on the passenger's side. The local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical.”
NHTSA complaint #10113814, filed 2005-03, 140,000 miles“When the vehicle was parked, the consumer noticed smoke was coming from the vehicle, whic eventually caught on fire. The consumer called the fire department to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries. The fire department informed the consumer that the fire was electrical, and started under the dashboard.”
NHTSA complaint #10080085, filed 2004-08, 72,000 milesElectrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2 | 6% |
| 2001 | 5 | 7% |
| 2000 | 5 | 5% |
| 1999 | 39 | 12% |
| 1998 | 43 | 11% |
| 1997 | 114 | 21% |
| 1996 | 14 | 7% |
| 1995 | 48 | 8% |
| 1994 | 30 | 11% |
| 1993 | 40 | 11% |
| 1992 | 36 | 22% |
| 1991 | 104 | 32% |
| 1990 | 46 | 46% |
| 1989 | 64 | 42% |
| 1988 | 75 | 52% |
| 1987 | 28 | 50% |
| 1986 | 19 | 42% |
| 1985 | 9 | 35% |
| 1984 | 11 | 52% |
| 1983 | 2 | 29% |
Other parts of the 1997 Ford Escort
152 complaintsSuspension
67 complaintsEngine cooling
66 complaintsBrakes
42 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
31 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
29 complaintsVehicle speed control
28 complaintsOther or unknown
22 complaintsSteering
22 complaintsFuel system
16 complaintsExterior lighting
12 complaintsSeat belts
12 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Ford Escort
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.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology