10 of the 257 complaints about the 1996 Ford Escort are about the steering — 4% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 105,317 miles.
10
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:POWER STEERING FLUID
WHILE DRIVING IT WAS HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM PERTAINED TO THE STEERING FLUID LEAKAGE. THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BE RESOLVED.
NHTSA complaint #10065056 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
TIE ROD FAILURE ON THE LEFT SIDE. THE TIE RODS ON BOTH SIDES WERE REPLACED ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. WHEN TAKEN IN TO THE SHOP THEY FOUND THE RIGHT SIDE WAS VERY BAD ALSO. THIS CAR HAS 59,000 MILES. THE FAILURE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING. PRETTY SCARRY STUFF...
NHTSA complaint #10058366 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
THE LEFT, OUTER TIE ROD BROKE, TRAVELING ON A STAIGHT, SMOOTH ROAD AT ABOUT 35 MPH. A POLICE REPORT IS AVAILABLE. UNABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE, IT WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND LEFT THE ROAD. IT CAME TO A STOP AGAINST A TREE, CAUSING SLIGHT BODY DAMAGE.
NHTSA complaint #738141 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO OPERATE (15,000), SECOND SPEEDOMETER HAS NOW FAILED(35800MI).
NHTSA complaint #726025 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)
THEERE IS A LOUD CRACKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING GEAR. ALSO, CONSUMER IS HAVING PROBLEM WITH BRAKES, AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP TWO TIMES. DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #829798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT PITMAN
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY THE HARMONIC BALANCER CAME OFF, CAUSING STEERING TO MAKE LOUD NOISES.
NHTSA complaint #826336 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
TIE ROD FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #603162 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
RACK AND PINION HAS BEEN CHANGED TWICE AND THE VEHICLE STILL HAS PROBLEMS WITH STEERING AND PULLING TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT. *AK
NHTSA complaint #806732 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
DURING VEHICLE OPERATION A SEVERE PULL TO THE LEFT IS EXPERIENCED. THE RACK AND PINION, RIGHT FRONT SHOCKS, AND THE FRONT BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AS A RESULT.
NHTSA complaint #802857 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
BRAKE FAILURE, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, LOSS OF COMPLETE EFFECTIVENESS. *AK WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. CV JOINT FAILURE. STEERING WHEEL OFF CENTER. *SLC
NHTSA complaint #987058 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.