1988 Ford Escort: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1988 Ford Escort. The newest campaign is 96V071000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Apr 1996. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition. NHTSA has 143 complaints on file for this model year. 5 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 96V071000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the ignition switch.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

2 campaigns, newest first. 11,500,000 units in total.

96V071000Received 25 Apr 1996. 7,900,000 units.
Electrical System / Ignition
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could cause overheating, smoke, and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Jun 1996.
87V139000Received 4 Sep 1987. 3,600,000 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Spring lock fuel line coupling may not be properly engaged.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Coupling could disengage due to fuel pressure,vibration, and engine movements; this would cause loss of fuel which, inpresence of an ignition source, creates a fire risk.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install retainer clips over the couplings to prevent coupling separation and fuel leakage.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 12 Oct 1987.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

143 complaints, 206 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1988 Ford Escort
All 1988 vehicles

1988 Ford Escort: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1988 Escort	All 1988 vehicles	Escort, all years	Mentions
Electrical System	412.6	159.4	174.1	85
Engine and Engine Cooling	135.9	119.1	110.3	28
Seat Belts	82.5	116.5	130.6	17
Exterior Lighting	72.8	23.4	22.3	15
Steering	53.4	59.3	34.4	11
Fuel System, Gasoline	53.4	67.4	77.9	11
Suspension	38.8	29.2	62	8
Power Train	34	64.5	64.2	7
Visibility	19.4	32.7	27.8	4
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	19.4	97.2	53.9	4

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 18.

Complaints that report a crash: 6
Complaints that report a fire: 56
Injuries in the complaints: 8
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 3 Oct 2003

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1988 Ford Escort, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 60 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1988 Ford Escort
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed
PE90063	Preliminary evaluation	SAFETY BELT D-RING	Seat Belts	21 Mar 1990	31 Jul 1990
EA90008	Engineering analysis	FAILED PASSIVE RESTRAINT	Seat Belts	27 Dec 1989	31 Dec 1991
PE89143	Preliminary evaluation	PASSIVE BELT FAILURE	Seat Belts	18 Jul 1989	27 Dec 1989
EA88038	Engineering analysis	REAR SAFETY BELT FIT	Seat Belts / Rear/Other	29 Aug 1988	11 May 1990
DP88007	Defect petition	REAR SEAT BELT COMPLIANCE	Seat Belts / Rear/Other	11 Jan 1988	24 Aug 1988

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Follow by RSS:Ford recallsVehicle recalls

Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1988 Ford EscortThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1988 Ford Escort: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/escort/1988/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1988 Ford Escort?: 11,500,000 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Escort have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 35 recall campaigns for the Ford Escort, model years 1981 to 2003. 2 of them name the 1988 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Ford Escort name most often?: Electrical System: 85 of 206 component mentions, or 412.6 per 1,000. For all 1988 vehicles the figure is 159.4 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Ford Escort open?: No. Each of the 5 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.