Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Ford Escort, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags152
- Electrical system114
- Suspension67
- Engine and engine cooling66
- Service brakes, hydraulic39
- Visibility31
- Power train29
- Vehicle speed control28
- Steering22
- Unknown or other21
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 65 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 9 1997 Escort vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 8 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. 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 1997 Ford Escort failed the safety check 1.32% of the time — 18% less often than the average 1997 passenger car (1.60%). Median odometer at inspection: 96,624 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 1997 Ford Escort cars on Dutch roads are the 1.6 petrol (66 kW, 89 hp) and 1.6 petrol (65 kW, 87 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6 petrol | 66 kW 89 hp | 71 |
| 1.6 petrol | 65 kW 87 hp | 24 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
135 first registered in 1997 are on Dutch roads; 4% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde18
- Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af16
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen15
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt9
- Slijtage/beschadiging wiellager hoorbaar of voelbaar9
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm9
- Uitlaatsysteem niet gasdicht / onveilige afvoer uitlaatgasse8
- Remslang beschadigd, wapeningsmateriaal zichtbaar8
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
296 cars built in 1997 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 1,989 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, 635 of these cars first registered in 1997 took their annual MOT test. 59% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1997 the figure was 64%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 15.7% | 12.2% |
| Brakes | 15.6% | 11.8% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 15.0% | 16.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13.9% | 9.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 13.4% | 7.2% |
| Visibility | 6.8% | 6.6% |
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
111 of these cars first registered in 1997 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 46,000 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
58 1997 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 4 variants: combined 8.5–9.1 L/100 km (about 26–28 mpg US), CO₂ 196–209 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escort · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.8 | 7.0 | 8.5 |
| Escort Wagon · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.8 | 7.0 | 8.5 |
| Escort · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.4 | 7.5 | 9.1 |
| Escort Wagon · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.4 | 7.5 | 9.1 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 1997 Ford Escort.
| 2002236 9 Dec 2002 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the Integrated Air Bag Monitor (IABM) contaminated with water or other liquids may experience internal electrical shorting. This in turn m… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE INTEGRATED AIR BAG MONITOR (IABM) CAN BE CONTAMINATED WITH WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS AND COULD EXPERIENCE INTERNAL ELECTRICAL SHORTING.
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 1997 Ford Escort: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637615 | 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 |
| 636089 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.0L SPI ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ILLUMINATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) P0300 THROUGH P0304 STORED. *TT |
| 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 |
| 627927 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT VACUUM OR AIR LEAKS IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND / OR ENGINE SYSTEM CAUSING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0171 AND OR P0174. *TT |
| 625715 | BRAKE SHIFT INTERLOCK.*JB |
| 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 |
| 619329 | SOME VEHICLES WITH 2.0L SPI ENGINE ONLY, MAY EXHIBITA BURNING OIL SMELL NOTED FROM OUTSIDE OR FROM WITHIN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. *TT |
| 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 |
| 615477 | THIS BULLETIN MENTIONS THAT FOR ALL VEHICLES WITH ANTILOCK BRAKE MODULE CONCERNS THAT REQUIRE A MODULE REPLACEMENT, THE TECHNICIAN MUST CALL FOR APPROVAL BEFORE REMOVING AND / OR REPLACING THE MODULE. *TT |
| 615454 | BRIEF INFORMATION STATING THAT THE NGS FUEL ECONOMY TEST ON SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *TT |
| 615385 | INFORMATION CONCERNING CLICK NOISE FROM FRONT CALIPERS DURING BRAKE APPLICATION. *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 |
| 613790 | THE WORKSHOP MANUAL REFERENCE TO TRANSMISSION FLUID TEMPERATURE SENSOR RESISTANCE IS INCORRECT. THIS BULLETIN LIST THE CORRECT RESISTANCE. *TT |
| 613789 | INFORMATION ON THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEMS. *TT |
| 613779 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT CONCERNS CREATED BY WATER INGESTION INTO THE INTEGRATED RELAY CONTROL MODULE (IRCM). *TT |
| 613383 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A CUSTOME CONCERN OF STEADY OR INTERMITTENT MISS WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0300 AND P0304. *TT |
| 613224 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A HARD START/LONG CRANK, COLD START STALL, COLD ROUGH IDLE CONCERN. *MJS |
| 612956 | SUBJECT CONCERNING THE IDLE-VIBRATION- 2.0L AND ZETEC ENGINES- SERVICE TIP. *MJS |
| 612922 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A GRINDING NOISE WHILE BRAKING, BRAKE DRAG AND/OR UNEVEN FRONT BRAKE PAD WEAR MAY OCCUR. *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. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
WATER INTRUSION INTO AIRBAG MONITOR
INTEGRATED AIR BAG MONITOR WATER
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation