VehicleVerdict

1999 Ford Escort engine problems

The 1999 Ford Escort has 64 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 15% of the year's total, and roughly flat versus the prior model year.

64

Engine complaints

15%

Share of year

2

Crash-involved

0

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Escort engine complaints by model year75 complaints1984: 6 complaints1985: 5 complaints1986: 11 complaints1987: 14 complaints1988: 28 complaints1989: 30 complaints1990: 12 complaints1991: 17 complaints1992: 16 complaints1993: 37 complaints1994: 37 complaints1995: 62 complaints1996: 36 complaints1997: 75 complaints1998: 57 complaints1999: 64 complaints2000: 24 complaints2001: 13 complaints2002: 11 complaints2003: 2 complaints
Escort engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

What owners report

“A GRINDING NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA OF THE VEHICLE, THEN WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 25 MPH, GRINDING NOISE OCCURRED AGAIN, AND DRIVER LOST ALL STEERING CONTROL OF VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A CRASH WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE, INSURANCE COMPANY DEEMED VEHICLE AS A TOTAL LOSS. *AK”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · October 3, 2001 · crash

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 1999 Ford Escort have?

NHTSA has 64 complaints about the 1999 Ford Escort engine — 15% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.