What breaks most · 1998 to 2003 model years
Ford ZX2 (Escort) problems by year
Owners have filed 66 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford ZX2 (Escort) across model years 1998 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2001 for engine and cooling complaints, 1999 for engine and cooling complaints and 2002 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 1998.
- Years to check closely: 2001, 1999, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 1998
- Complaints on file
- 661998 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200118 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 70 fires · 7 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 73kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 15 | 3 | 0 | Engine and cooling (6) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 18 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (10) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) |
What fails on the 2001 Ford ZX2 (Escort)
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 56% |
10 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 22% |
4 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Equipment and infotainment | 11% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
2 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Vehicle slowly developed a low, rough idle and will now sometimes stall while at idle. This produced a safety concern as it has stalled while slowing down in moving traffic, making turns, etc. Apparantly there is a tsb (03-15-15) addressing this issue.
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Dt: caller stated pcv valve had a hole in it. When she went to buy the part she was told it was discontinued. Caller could not find the part even in a a junk yard. Manufacturer had not been contacted yet. *ak
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We bought a new 2002 zx2, one month after we had it the transmission started slipping. Now the transmission won't shift into 3rd or 4th. We were told we need to rebuild ours.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford ZX2 (Escort) years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2001, 1999, 2002 carry the most filings on the Ford ZX2 (Escort). The 2001 alone has 18 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Ford ZX2 (Escort) problem?
On the 2001 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 10 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford ZX2 (Escort) problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford ZX2 (Escort) complaints that include mileage is about 73,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.