1999 Ford Escort Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1999 Ford Escort most often describe broken rear coil springs discovered at inspection, and air bags that did not deploy in frontal crashes. The sample also contains repeated reports of automatic transmission and engine failures, often at moderate mileage, plus cooling and electrical faults such as non-working horns and headlight sockets.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Broken rear coil springs found at inspection

   Mentioned in 16 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe one or both rear coil springs cracking, sometimes on a low-mileage, well-kept car, and often found during a state safety inspection or oil change rather than noticed by the driver. Owners describe suspension noise when turning, a looser rear end, a bouncy or unstable ride afterwards, and in a few accounts a broken spring contacting a tire. Several say they were told the repair was not covered and paid for replacement themselves, and a number say they were told no recall applied. Reported from roughly 9,000 to 156,000 miles, including several vehicles still under 40,000 miles.

   What to check: Have the rear springs inspected from underneath before buying, looking for cracks at the lowest coil and heavy rust, and ask whether either rear spring has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Took vehicle in for service, and technician found that both rear springs were broken. I was unaware of this damage, though I had noticed some suspension noise when turning. Also, the handling of the vehicle was much looser in the rear. Technician informed me that the springs could further deteriote and the body of the vechicle could collapse onto the chassis. The estimate for repairs was $750.00, though no repairs have been made to date.”

   NHTSA complaint #10125143, filed 2005-06, 136,000 miles

   “I bought a used 1999 Ford Escort stations wagon with only 16k miles on it. At 30k miles I took it to a local Ford dealer for an oil change and they gave me an estimate for $585 to replace the rear coil springs that are broken, saying it was a safety hazard. Note I never asked for more than a simple oil change. In reading all the complaints here for broken springs I believe Ford has gotten away with a major safety defect that even its dealers are well aware of.”

   NHTSA complaint #10357495, filed 2010-09, 30,650 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Air bags did not deploy in a crash

   • 63 complaints (19%)
   • median 99,000 mi at 7.5 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 59 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2017

   Complaints describe frontal and side impacts, sometimes at highway speed, in which the front air bags did not deploy even though seat belts were worn. Some owners mention injuries treated afterwards, and a few report no air bag warning light beforehand. Other complaints describe an air bag warning light that stays on with no crash involved, and one owner describes smoke coming from the passenger air bag area while driving. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 132,000 miles, in crashes at various speeds.

   What to check: Check that the air bag warning light comes on at start-up and goes out, and ask whether the vehicle has been in a collision with deployment history.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving smoke started to come out from the front passenger side air bag compartment. Consumer pulled over, and had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10079362, filed 2004-06, 26,000 miles

   “The vehicle was involved in a frontal collision while driving at 45 MPH. Upon impact, none of the frontal air bags deployed. Driver sustained back and neck injuries, and is currently in therapy.”

   NHTSA complaint #10087274, filed 2004-09, 98,716 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Automatic transmission slips, hesitates or fails

   • 37 complaints (11%)
   • median 66,292 mi at 6.0 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2019

   Complaints describe erratic shifting up and down while driving, whining, hesitation when pulling away from a stop, and in several cases a transmission that stopped working entirely and needed replacement or rebuild. Owners frequently mention difficulty getting a diagnosis, with shops reporting no fault found, and some report repeat failures after a replacement. Spread from very low mileage up to about 100,000 miles, with many reports in the 40,000-70,000 range.

   Recall 99V2760001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test drive from cold and at low speed, watching for delayed engagement, hunting between gears or slipping; ask for transmission service records and whether the unit has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ok, so I just bought my 1999 Ford Escort zx2 on december 1, 2008 at 82,000 miles. 2 months later I needed to replace my alternator in february 2009. In may 2009 my engine blew, apparently the #1 rod separated and went through the oil pan. I replaced the engine since I still have a loan on the car. It is now july 2009 and my transmission is slipping. I only have owned this car for less than 8 months and repair costs are more than what I paid for this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10277102, filed 2009-07, 95,000 miles

   “1999 Escort automatic transmission was completely replaced at 30,906 miles (6/8/2001). 35,386 miles later (3/30/2004), the differential assembly blew up and destroyed the automatic transmission. Ford's customer support cntr on 4/6/04 said I would be responded to within 3 business days. I tried e-mailing them again, and I still have no response. A total of 66,292 miles and two new transmissions broken. Today is six business days later. I feel I am now being ignored by Ford. They know I have bought 8 Ford cars/trucks since 1977. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10066116, filed 2004-04, 66,292 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalling, rough running or internal failure

   • 81 complaints (25%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 6.2 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2017

   Complaints describe stalling after the car has been driven a while, especially with the air conditioning or defroster on, along with shaking and loss of power. Some owners report timing belt trouble, a cracked piston or dropped valve seats leading to engine replacement, and motor mounts found bad. Several describe repeated visits to dealers and independent shops without a lasting fix. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 170,000 miles, with many under 60,000.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Listen for vibration or knocking at idle, check whether the timing belt has been changed, and ask about motor mount and cylinder head history.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 1999 Ford Escort se. It has less than 32,000 original miles. I was driving the car when it started making a loud vibrating noise from under the hood. As I had previously had to have the motor mounts replaced, when the car was still under warranty, I thought that was the problem. I took the car to my mechanic, not the dealership. On investigation, he discovered that my 4th piston is cracked. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10155266, filed 2006-04, 31,200 miles

   “Since the purchase of my car at 12,000 miles, it has shaken and vibrated violently. When I run my defrost or A/C the problem gets worse and my car stalls out. I have replaced the transmission at 30,000 miles and replaced everything the dealership instructed. On july, 18, 2003 I made my final attempt to correct the problem. I took the car to the Ford dealer and again specified the problem and showed them exactly what I was experiencing. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10028614, filed 2003-07, 16,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Horn and headlight wiring faults

   • 22 complaints (7%)
   • median 67,100 mi at 6.1 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2012

   Complaints describe horns that stop working or blow continuously, with the repair tied to the air bag assembly in the steering wheel, and blown fuses that left a car unable to move. Others report headlight sockets and connectors melting and headlight lenses clouding over, or smoke coming from the steering column area while driving. Mostly reported between about 40,000 and 76,000 miles, though lens clouding appears later in life.

   What to check: Test the horn, all lights and the cruise control, and inspect headlight connectors and lenses for melting, corrosion or haze.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased a 1999 Ford Escort from carmax in may of 2001. About 2-3 wks later I constantly had problems with the headlight going out. I got ticketed by the police several times because I was unaware of the problems. Then one day driving from work my engine died. Without any warning at all. I took it to carmax and they then took it to another repair shop. Whenever I put the AC on there is a rumbling coming from the front end of the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10131740, filed 2005-08, 70,000 miles

   “1) headlamps: originally thought there was a loose wire because right light would work periodically. Upon further inspection, my mechanic found the connection to which the bulb was plugged had melted some what. He suggested that I return to the dealer to ask if there were any recalls on this particular problem, which I intend to do tomorrow. 2) brake pedal: recently I found it necessary to have new brake pads installed. Part of the problem (for me) was the brake pedal was too soft and too low (the brakes were bad also). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10010716, filed 2003-03, 37,300 miles

Buying note. On this model year, inspect the rear springs and test the air bag warning light, horn and lights before buying, and get transmission and timing belt service records. With many reports at moderate mileage, a pre-purchase inspection by an independent shop is worth the cost.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.