U.S. public vehicle records

2000 Ford ESCORT problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

98 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

57,811 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2000 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 34 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags:Frontal is the most frequently named component, appearing in 13 of 98 complaints (13.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Transmission and shifting	14	14.3%
Braking behavior	12	12.2%
Steering behavior	11	11.2%
Engine operation	8	8.2%
Electrical and battery issues	2	2.0%
Fuel system concerns	2	2.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags:Frontal

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Air Bags

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Air Bags:Frontal	13
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	12
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	7
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	7
Air Bags	5
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	5
Vehicle Speed Control	4
Engine And Engine Cooling	3

Air Bags:Frontal: 13; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 12; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 7; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 7; Air Bags: 5; Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly: 5; Vehicle Speed Control: 4; Engine And Engine Cooling: 3

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 4; 25,000 to 49,999: 11; 50,000 to 74,999: 10; 75,000 to 99,999: 4; 100,000 to 149,999: 3; 150,000 and above: 2

25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (11). 64 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2012

2015

2016

2000: 15; 2001: 13; 2002: 21; 2003: 14; 2004: 20; 2005: 4; 2006: 2; 2007: 1; 2008: 1; 2009: 2; 2010: 1; 2012: 1; 2015: 2; 2016: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags:Frontal leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 14 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 12 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 11 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10020516 · 2003-05-23 (May 23, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 62,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10020516 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10023105 · 2003-06-15 (June 15, 2003)

THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2000 FORD ESCORT ZX2 NEEDED TO REBUILT AT APPROXIMATELY 40,000 MILES AND THREE MONTHS BEYOND THE NORMAL WARRANTY. I SPOKE WITH FORD MOTOR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE AND THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY THERE IS NO OBLIGATION TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER ANY TYPE OF WARRANTY. HOWEVER, I FEEL SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD THIS MAJOR TYPE OF PROBLEM SHORTLY AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED FORD SHOULD CONSIDER THIS AND REPAIR THE VEHICLE. FORD'S UNWILLINGNESS TO ASSIST ME LEAVES A VERY SOUR TASTE FOR ME. I …

Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10023105 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10004028 · 2003-01-24 (January 24, 2003)

CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE MASTER CYLINDER FAILED, CAUSING CONSUMER TO REAR END THE VEHICLE AHEAD. *JG

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10004028 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10048159 · 2003-11-18 (November 18, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WHENEVER THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED THE VEHICLE REVVED, BUT DID NOT ACCELERATE. THE CONSUMER HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE BUYING THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW. ONE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALER. *AK THE TRANSMISSION HESITATED AND SHIFTED HARSHLY, THERE WAS A POPPING NOISE WITH THE BRAKING AT ALL TIMES, THE PLASTIC MOLDING INTERIOR OF THE DRIVER MIRROR WAS LOOSE, THERE WAS A SLOW START WHEN COLD OR DAMP WEATHER IS PRESENT,THE VEHICLE WOULD EXPERIENCE ROUGH IDLE AT THE STOP POSITION, THE CD PLAYER HAD B…

Owner-reported narrative. 48,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10048159 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10049212 · 2003-12-04 (December 4, 2003)

1 WEEK AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT RAN ROUGH WHEN THE HEATER OR AIR WASS ON. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND THE TACHOMETER CONTINUALLY MOVES UP AND DOWN FROM LESS THEN 1RMP TO 2 RMP. RUNS REALLY ROUGH DOESN'T WANT TO DRIVE. FEELS LIKE A VERY OLD CAR. THE CLUTCH IS FUNNY. THE CAR IS A LEMON!!!! I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER APPROX. 4 TIMES. LAST TIME THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ARROW SETTING ON THE HEATER TAKES MORE OF A DRAW ON THE ENGINE HOW STUPID WAS THIS ANSWER. THE OTHER SCENARIO THEY GAVE ME WAS THE GAS I WAS USING. WHAT YEAR ARE WE I…

Owner-reported narrative. 47 miles reported. Look up ODI 10049212 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10065527 · 2004-04-29 (April 29, 2004)

WHILE THE VEHICLE IS SITTING IDLING, THERE IS A SEVERE VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND REPLACED THE THROW OUT AND MAIN BEARING ON THE CRANK SHAFT. *NM THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE MORE OPTIONS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *SC *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 20,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10065527 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10054794 · 2004-01-24 (January 24, 2004)

FORD ESCORT I WAS HAVING RUNNING A MISS DURING WARRANTY ALSO WHEN ON A LONG TRIP WE HAD A LOSS OF POWER WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY LOOKED AND DID NOTHING. SO THEY SAID IT WAS JUST THE CAR. AT 36,000 MILES WE HAD STALLING AT INTERSECTIONS AND HARD STARTING I HAD REPLACED FUEL PUMP AND EVERYTHING WAS OK NOW. WE AT NO TIME RUN FUEL BELOW 1/4 OF A TANK. I CONTACTED FORD THEY SAID THEY DID NOT CARE BECAUSE IT WAS BEYOND WARRANTY. I FEEL THAT DURING WARRANTY THEY COULD HAVE FIXED IT FORD DID NOT. NEXT WE WERE IN CLOSE CALLS FOR ACCIDENTS WITH …

Owner-reported narrative. 36,855 miles reported. Look up ODI 10054794 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10056781 · 2004-02-08 (February 8, 2004)

ON NUMEROUS OCASSIONS FROM AUGUST, 2002 THROUGH THE PRESENT (FEBRUARY 7, 2004), WE HAVE HAD THE FUSES LABELLED "STOP" AND "HAZARD" HAVE BLOWN WHILE DRIVING. THIS RESULTS IN THE FOLLOWING FAILURES: (1) WHEN THE "STOP" FUSE BLOWS, THE STOP LIGHTS DO NOT FUNCTION (WHICH IS UNKNOWN TO THE DRIVER AND MAY RESULT IN A CRASH IF THE PERSON FOLLOWING DOES NOT REALIZE WHEN THE CAR HAS ITS BRAKES APPLIED); (2) THE "STOP" FUSE BLOWING ALSO CAUSES THE SHIFT LOCK TO NOT FUNCTION, RENDERING THE CAR UNDRIVABLE UNLESS THE OVERRIDE IS APPLIED; (3) WHEN THE "HAZA…

Owner-reported narrative. 71,050 miles reported. Look up ODI 10056781 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10039390 · 2003-09-23 (September 23, 2003)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM UNDER DASHBOARD BURNT UP

Owner-reported narrative. 56,495 miles reported. Look up ODI 10039390 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10069164 · 2004-01-15 (January 15, 2004)

I AM EXPERIENCING STALLING PROBLEMS WHEN I STOP AT LIGHTS OR THE VEHICLE IS IDLING. IT LOOSES COMPRESSION. I HAD IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY AROUND 35,000 MILES..NOW AT 47,000 MILES I'M EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. ORIGINALLY THEY REPLACED WIRING HARNESS AND AIR INTAKE VALVE SO FAR PROBLEM HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED AS TO WHY IT'S STALLING AGAIN.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10069164 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 720796 · 2000-03-30 (March 30, 2000)

CAR STARTS DRIVING ROUGH AND SHAKING. FIRST TIME AT 350 MILES AND THEY REPLACED FUEL PUMP AND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO WITH GAS. SECOND TIME AT 1215 THEY REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS. THIRD TIME AT 1600 MILES THEY COULDN'T DETERMINE WHAT WAS HAPPENING OR CAUSING BUT QUESSED SOMETHING TO DO WITH 3RD CYCLINDER. THEY DROVE IT TILL IT HAPPENED AGAIN AROUND 1900 WITH A BLACK BOX AND IT SHOWED EVERYTHING IT WAS DOING. THEY HAVE DECIDED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE MOTOR. WE WANT A DIFFERENT CAR BUT THEY SO FAR WON'T DO THAT. THIS STARTED AT 350 MILES AND SEEMS …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 720796 at NHTSA ↗