Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1996 Ford Escort, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Seat belts77
- Engine and engine cooling30
- Power train19
- Air bags18
- Electrical system14
- Suspension13
- Steering10
- Service brakes, hydraulic10
- Fuel system, gasoline8
- Unknown or other6
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 26 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 3 1996 Escort vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 3 people died inside them. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1996 Ford Escort failed the safety check 6.67% of the time — 355% more often than the average 1996 passenger car (1.47%). Median odometer at inspection: 85,066 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
138 first registered in 1996 are on Dutch roads; 14% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €15,187.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde12
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen11
- Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af10
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect9
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld9
- Roestschade van 1,5 t/m 2,0E of meer dan 15% dikteafname7
- Remslang beschadigd, wapeningsmateriaal zichtbaar6
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm5
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
297 cars built in 1996 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 2,027 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 650 of these cars first registered in 1996 took their annual MOT test. 66% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1996 the figure was 65%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1996 |
|---|---|---|
| Body, chassis, structure | 15.1% | 9.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.2% | 16.1% |
| Suspension | 12.2% | 11.5% |
| Brakes | 11.4% | 11.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| Visibility | 6.3% | 6.7% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
73 of these cars first registered in 1996 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 54,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
9 1996 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 6 variants: combined 7.9–10.5 L/100 km (about 22–30 mpg US), CO₂ 182–242 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escort · Compact · Regular gasoline | 8.8 | 6.8 | 7.9 |
| Escort Wagon · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 8.8 | 6.8 | 7.9 |
| Escort · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.8 | 8.1 | 9.6 |
| Escort Wagon · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.8 | 8.1 | 9.6 |
| Escort · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.9 | 8.5 | 9.8 |
| Escort · Compact · Regular gasoline | 11.8 | 8.8 | 10.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 1996 Ford Escort.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 1996 Ford Escort: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 630515 | ENGINE OIL SYSTEM PRIMING PROCEDURES, SERVICE TIPS FOR REPORTS OF PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE. *TT |
| 630001 | SOME ENGINE ASSEMBLIES WITH ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEADS REPAIRED IN-VEHILE HAVE BEEN FOUND TO LEAK COOLANT AND/OR OIL FROM THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AREA. *TT |
| 625715 | BRAKE SHIFT INTERLOCK.*JB |
| 624517 | 07-NOV-2001 |
| 623988 | INFORMATION REGARDING TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE CHARTS. *SLC |
| 623944 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT HEATER CORE LEAKS. *SLC |
| 622804 | SOME VEHICLES PRODUCED THROUGH JULY 1999 MAY EXHIBIT REAR SUSPENSION SPRING FAILURE WITH NO RESULTING OPERATIONAL CONCERN. *TT |
| 618599 | CONCERNS WITH PREMATURE FAILURE OCCURING ON THE 1.9L MOTORCRAFT REMANUFACTURED LONGBLOCK ASSEMBLY AND SHORTBLOCK ASSEMBLY DUE TO INGESTION OF FOREIGN OBJECTS REMAINING IN THE TRANSFERRED INTAKE SYSTEM FROM THE ORIGINAL FAILED ENGINE. *JB |
| 618596 | SUBJECT PERTAINING TO REVISED DOOR LATCH SWITCH SERVICE PROCEDURE. *JB |
| 615541 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT ON, STALL AT TIP-IN FROM IDLE, ENGINE HESITATION, AND / OR SURGE CAUSED BY THE MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) SENSOR. *TT |
| 615540 | SUBJECT REGARDING THE NGS FUEL ECONOMY TEST. *TT |
| 615454 | BRIEF INFORMATION STATING THAT THE NGS FUEL ECONOMY TEST ON SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *TT |
| 615335 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A HARD START / LONG CRANK, COLD START STALL, COLD ROUGH IDLE CONCERN. *TT |
| 615270 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT BRIEF SPARK KNOCK ON ACCELERATION DURING HOT WEATHER ONCE THE ENGINE HAS THOROUGHLY WARMED UP. *TT |
| 614752 | ENGINEERING IS REVIEWING PASSIVE RESTRAINT (MOTORIZED SEATBELT) SYSTEMS IN CERTAIN VEHICLES. *TT |
| 613910 | SUBJECT REGARDING PASSIVE RESTRAINT SYSTEM SERVICE INFORMATION. *TT |
| 613860 | THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES REVISED PASSIVE RESTRAINT SYSTEM INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE WORKSHOP MANUAL AND THE ELECTRICAL AND VACCUM TROUBLESHOOTING MANUAL (EVTM). *TT |
| 613224 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A HARD START/LONG CRANK, COLD START STALL, COLD ROUGH IDLE CONCERN. *MJS |
| 612739 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH COMPACT DISC CHANGER MAY EXHIBIT A 6 DISC CD CHANGER THAT IS NOT EJECTING THE MAGAZINE OR IS NOT RESPONDING TO COMMAND FROM THE RADIO. |
| 612203 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE NEW TRANSMISSION COOLER FLUSHER- SERVICE TIP. *MJS |
| 610796 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT GRINDING NOISE, OR GREATER THAN NORMAL BRAKE ROUGHNESS, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY AFTER INSTALLING MOTORCRAFT FRONT BRAKE PAD PART NUMBER BR-18 (XU2Z-2V001-RA). *T |
| 610688 | BRIEF INFORMATION ON PASSIVE RESTRAINT (MOTORIZED SEATBELT) SYSTEMS. *TT |
| 609692 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT GRINDING NOISES, OR GREATER THAN NORMAL BRAKE ROUGHNESS WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY AFTER INSTALLING MOTORCRAFT BR-18 FRONT BRAKE PAD. *TT |
| 6090087 | INFORMATION ON IDENTIFYING NON-APPROVED / ALTERNATE REFRIGERANTS WHICH COULD CAUSE SAFETY, AND PERFORMANCE CONCERNS IF INSTALLED IN FORD A/C SYSTEMS. *TT |
| 6090085 | SERVICE INFORMATION FOR MUSTY AND MILDEW TYPE ODORS COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING / HEATING SYSTEM. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)