Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 13494 | 11/01/1999 | 610906 | Some vehicles with the 2.0l spi engine may exhibit a lack of heat and temperature gauge reading cold. *tt | 05/18/2000 | |
| 996877 | 08/01/1999 | 608808 | Some vehicles equipped with 2.0l spi engine may exhbit a lack of heat and temperature gauge reading cold. *tt | 12/06/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 13107 | 08/01/1999 | 6091913 | Concerns with lack of heat / thermostat contamination. *tt | 11/16/2000 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 031515 | 08/04/2003 | 022112 | 10003194 | Idle vibration on vehicles equipped with 2.0l spi or zetec engine only. *tt | 10/10/2003 |
| 99-3370 | 10/07/1999 | 607750 | Sublect regarding the valve body on some vehicles was revised to eliminate the oil pipe. *tt | 10/07/1999 | |
| 9874 | 04/13/1998 | 601343 | A new silicone gasket and sealant. *yc | 07/24/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 01246 | 12/10/2001 | 630515 | Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure. *tt | 04/18/2002 | |
| 0214 | 01/21/2002 | 630001 | Some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehile have been found to leak coolant and/or oil from the cylinder head gasket area. *tt | 04/11/2002 | |
| 01205 | 10/15/2001 | 627927 | Some vehicles may exhibit vacuum or air leaks in the intake manifold and / or engine system causing diagnostic trouble codes p0171 and or p0174. *tt | 02/26/2002 | |
| 14846 | 04/01/2001 | 619329 | Some vehicles with 2.0l spi engine only, may exhibita burning oil smell noted from outside or from within the passenger compartment. *tt | 05/23/2001 | |
| 12215 | 12/01/1998 | 615476 | Some vehicles may exhibit an engine idle vibration concern while in gear and loaded (a/c on, headlights on, and / or rear defroster on). *tt | 01/17/2001 | |
| 5294 | 12/01/1998 | 615400 | Information concerning vehicles experiencing an engine idle vibration while in gear and loaded (a/c on, headlights on, and / or rear defroster on). *tt | 01/16/2001 | |
| 11769 | 08/01/1998 | 615270 | Some vehicles may exhibit brief spark knock on acceleration during hot weather once the engine has thoroughly warmed up. *tt | 01/10/2001 | |
| 11502 | 04/01/1998 | 613759 | Some vehicles may exhibit an oil leak, most noticeable at cold ambient temperatures. *tt | 08/01/2000 | |
| 9811473 | 04/01/1998 | 613383 | Some vehicles may exhibit a custome concern of steady or intermittent miss with diagnostic trouble codes p0300 and p0304. *tt | 07/10/2000 | |
| 12174 | 11/01/1998 | 613224 | Some vehicles may exhibit a hard start/long crank, cold start stall, cold rough idle concern. *mjs | 06/19/2000 | |
| 0059 | 03/06/2000 | 612956 | Subject concerning the idle-vibration- 2.0l and zetec engines- service tip. *mjs | 06/14/2000 | |
| 99816 | 05/03/1999 | 606420 | Ford motor company now recommends sae 5w-30 viscosity grade for servicing any ford gasoline-powered vehicle regardless of model year. *tt | 08/19/1999 | |
| 982017 | 10/12/1998 | 603702 | Experiencing squeaking and / or rattling noises may occur during different driving characteristics and from varying points on the vehicle. *yc | 03/02/1999 | |
| 982471 | 04/01/1998 | 603533 | Some vehicles may exhibit an oil leak. *ak | 02/24/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 982010 | 10/12/1998 | 603695 | Experiencing a buzzing or rattling noise from the exhaust system. *yc | 03/02/1999 | |
| 9864 | 03/30/1998 | 601312 | Information on a buzzing or rattle noise from the exhaust system. *tt | 07/21/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||||
| 12295 | 12/01/1998 | 615541 | Some vehicles may exhibit malfunction indicator light on, stall at tip-in from idle, engine hesitation, and / or surge caused by the mass air flow (maf) sensor. *tt | 01/18/2001 | |
| 981512 | 08/03/1998 | 609551 | A direct replacement part for the evaporative emission canister and bracket assembly. ak | 04/03/2000 | |
| 982310 | 11/23/1998 | 603724 | Mass air flow (maf)- sensor contamination- service tip. *ak | 03/03/1999 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 05/08/2006 | 81000 | 1 | 11/20/1997 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the check engine light illuminated however the vehicle exhibited no problems. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 09/15/1998 | 1 | 09/09/1998 | |
| The vehicle is equipped with the rear defroster, but the rear defroster is inoperable which causes visual problems in the rear, may result in an accident. dealer cannot determine problem. *ak consumer stated there is a knock when starting the vehicle, and driving at 60 mph, also engine is consuming 4 quarts of oil, also vehicle overheated.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 06/02/2004 | 156000 | 2 | |
| At 123,00mi i noticed water leaking form behind water pump took it to ford dealer and they had to replace the water pump housing part #f8rz-8501-en it had eroded from the inside out resulting in a pinhole leak i also had the water pump, timing belt replased just in caseat a cost of 625 dollars. 13 months and 33,000mi later same problem with water pump housing eroding for inside out of corse it was out of warranty and the timing belt was failing do to a seized idler cost to repair 700 dollars. the idler you can chalk up to bad luck the housing on the other hand is ridiculous it has no moving parts other than antifreeze running through it and the mechanics have no idea what is causing this. i don't care to spend this kind of money every year for some bad casting on fords part 1 year or 12,00 mi should not apply to apart that should last a whole lot longer. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 11/01/1998 | 1 | 08/01/1997 | |
| Radiator leaking. *yc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 12/02/2002 | 1 | ||
| Service engine soon light appeared on dash. the consumer stated the trouble dated back to the recall, prior to the recall there were no problems. the dealer stated the problem was due to an over sensitive sensor or air being in the gas tank. the problem was determined to be a bogus code. *jb nar 1/21/2003 | |||
| 09/08/2004 | 135000 | 1 | 10/19/1999 |
| While driving vehicle shook and made noise. then, suddenly vehicle shut down. the engine was defective.*ak car shook and made noises. the vehicle refused to start or move after it shut off. the mechanic stated that the vehicle had engine problems. *tc updated 11/29/2005 - *nm updated 12/07/05. *jb | |||
| 08/19/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving, the vehicle stalled. the consumer tried to restart, the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver that the engine needed replacement. please fill in additional information. *jb | |||
| 09/08/2003 | 3 | ||
| Vehicle engine light stays on. parts has been repaired three times but problem still exist. please provide additional information. *ph | |||
| 07/16/2003 | 1 | ||
| Engine is failing prematurely. dealer notified.*ak | |||
| 06/27/2003 | 19095 | 1 | 11/07/1998 |
| I have a 1998 ford escort i only have 19.099 miles. i purchase this card on november of1998, therefore the driving time will be 4 years on this november. my engine went dead. the dealer is telling me that my car no longer has any warranty.*ak i have explained that i have expended $14.000 for the use of this new car for 4 years. an as far i cold see. the engine was already defective from the manufacturer. because if i have driven this car 20.000 miles on the first two years the defective engine would had gone long before that. and you would have recognized that this engines a lemon and i would have a replacement then. i have this car service by them. they have all service records of my vehicle engine checks. so my question is what went wrong when there were servicing my car all this time? i do not have a car now when i most need it.you see the reason i bought a new car was because my wife became disable and i need it a dependable car. my wife has ms. | |||
| 05/29/2003 | 1 | ||
| Engine check light is on all the time. dealer notified. please provide further information.*ak | |||
| 02/01/2003 | 1 | 10/01/1998 | |
| Intermittent stalling while driving. dealer has been unable to duplicate problem or determine cause. ph...*ak | |||
| 11/22/2002 | 39500 | 2 | 08/10/1998 |
| There have been many problems with my 1998 ford escort since i purchased it new in august, 1998. the most severe and recent problem was repaired in december, 2002. the head gasket blew, causing major overheating problems in my vehicle. the vehicle had less than 40,000 miles. i am not certain if the head gasket became faulty while vehicle was being built, or if fullerton ford damaged the gasket while doing work on my vehicle, and then attempted to sodder the part together. according to corbo's auto service in somerville, the gasket had a soddered hole in it which caused the gasket to blow. fullerton form was the only repair facility i had taken my vehicle to be repaired before it was taken to corbo's. i have called ford on several occasions to complain about the service work at fullerton. i have expressed to them that i believe fullerton ford was hurting my vehicle more than it was helping it. the ford company has not been very supportive in my efforts to investigate fullerton fords service practices. | |||
| 11/06/2002 | |||
| Consumer states while driving on highway at approximately 50-60mph the engine's timing belt broke causing engine to stall. ts | |||
| 08/17/2002 | |||
| While exiting a parking lot heard grinding noise and smelled something burning. consumer's vehicle suddenly came to a stop when crankshaft slid off, and went into steel frame of vehicle, causing vehicle to shut off. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 08/09/2002 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Harmonic balancer for the king pin broke.*ak consumer states while exiting parkway, there was a loud vibration coming from the front end, the harmonic balancer was hitting into the wall of the vehicle, consumers husband checked under the vehicle to see what the problem was, his hand slipped and got caught between the belt and the balancer, resulting in his finger having to be amputated. *slc | |||
| 12/01/1998 | 01/01/1998 | ||
| When you try to use the washer fluid it leaks on the hood of the car causing the hood to become discolored from the windsheild washer fluid. also whenever you are at a stop the car starts to shake, they ford say that it is from the engine mounts and that it is not hazardous so they will not do anything about. last their is problems with the transmision, whenever you are moving slow or in a stop position and start to move the car jerks really bad. it makes you feel like someone ran into you or that you ran something over. i have reported this to the company, but they can't do nothing about. i have heard other people with the ecaxt same car have the exact same problems | |||
| 08/07/2001 | 1 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Harmonic balancer separated/broke causing serpentine and timing belts to malfunction.no previous problems with vehicle and luckily it occurred while vehicle parked with engine running.original warranty expired less than 2 months prior.understand now that this is a common problem from mechanics and the nhtsa website. | |||
| 08/09/2001 | 1 | ||
| Crankshaft/ pulley came loose from mounting and shifting over, causing vehicle to lose all power. piece that broke off jammed gear, and timing belt was changed and reset. manufacturer and dealer did not know of a problem ,and didn't ofer to do anything. warranty was expired. part number and name is damper part# f7cz-6316-ba. *ak the pully was lose and shifted half inch causing the belt to shread. *yh | |||
| 07/29/2001 | 1 | 05/01/1999 | |
| Dampner pulley came apart from crankshaft. inside wall of vehicle was the only thing keeping it from falling out onto the ground. i notified ford company that a 3 year old vehicle should not have parts falling off. they informed me that there was nothing they could do since the warranty had ran out. i am very unhappy with the attitude they have towards their customers. *ak | |||
| 02/15/2001 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Because crankshaft dampner is defective serpentine belt was worn out and replaced. when it was worn out again in only 5000 miles the problem with the crankshaft dampner was found.*ak | |||
| 03/05/2001 | 2 | 05/08/1998 | |
| Pulley had frozen and serpentine belt had came off. it was frayed. it then shot up into the timing belt. this caused the timing belt to jump & caused vehicle to stop. this is the 2nd time this problem had happened. the mechanic had repaired it the first time at 24,000 miles.*ak the surpentine belts had to be replaced at 25000 miles and again at 54000 miles. *yh | |||
| 1 | 09/01/1998 | ||
| Vehicle experienced a motor mount problem which caused the vehicle to vibrate, the dealer was unable to remedy the problem after several attempts, so the consumer was rolled into another vehicle where a great deal of money was lost. *slc | |||
| 07/24/1998 | 8 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Engine vibrates, and has a high idle. engine runs rough and shakes. engine surges and hesitates. car stalls. i have had the vehicle in for this same repair several times since the purchase of it. the mechanics have replaced spark plugs, fuel guage, fuel filter, valve idle air control, vapor management, motor mounts. the dearlership in hillsborough replaced a cable something (the service manger quit and a ticket was not found for this repair.) the vehicle continues to have same problem without being totally fixed. the last time i brought the car in for stalling, the repair was done, but the next morning the car continued to stall. as of this date, i am taking the car in for the same problem again. please note: in reviewing the information after submittting i noticed that in # of failures passenger air bag deployed 8 times with the date of 7/24/98. this is incorrect, car was not in an accident and air bags were not used.*ak | |||
| 12/15/1999 | 1 | 12/01/1999 | |
| The engine mounts were apparently weakened and allowed the engine to vibrate excessively, beginning at the time of vehicle purchase and continuing, growing worse, through april 2000, when i had the parts replaced under warranty; i was told that there is a tsb involving them but no recall and no public notice... this could potentially be dangerous if the weakened mounts break! my problem has been solved but i would like to have had some warning from ford or nhtsa that this might occur. | |||
| 08/17/2000 | 09/01/1998 | ||
| While driving home from work a grinding ticking noise was heard from the engine compartment. the noise became louder and more constant the closer i got to home. when i got home i opened the hood to investigate and discovered that the outside portion of the crankshaft vibration dampner pulley had slid out and was rubbing on the inner fender well. the serpentine belt was destroyed from not being centered on the tensioner pulley and rubbing on the fender well. i am going to call the dealer tomorrow to report this and see if they will fix it. i just thought you might want to know about this. thank you. | |||
| 08/10/2000 | 0 | ||
| Cranshaft pulley broke, and then crankshaft pulley slid. consumer lost power steering, and there was a loud noise. *ak | |||
| 06/16/2000 | 1 | 04/14/1999 | |
| Due to a defective balancer that came apart through the serpertine belt, engine head gasket to blew out, causing vehicle to, stall unexpectly which may have resulted in a crash. *ak | |||
| 06/02/2000 | 0 | ||
| At 40000 miles bolt that held the crankshaft became loose without a warning. a technician indicated there was a recall on this problem. *ak | |||
| 01/05/1999 | 04/01/1998 | ||
| Engine timing gear chain drops off when in third gear at 3300 rpm's. dozen visits, no reason found as to why. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 04/26/2006 | 7 | ||
| I have had near accidents relating to car fuel pump or transmission shops couldn't find any problems but the drivablity of my 98 escort zx2 cost me more money in problem solving, 1,500 plus in recent repairs including emergency and repeat repairs and faulty repairs. my fuel economy is 160 miles per tank to almost 200 miles. no one can seem to find the problem(s). large thunking in rear trunk (scary)when im taking off and reaching a steady speed. take the car to major ford dealerships, to no avail. car doesn't always go from a complete stop in traffic,this has caused quite a scare as well. thank you for helping and making note of my account. debbie | |||
| 08/15/2001 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Dealer was unable to diagnose vehicle problem of high pitch whining sound that developed after the engine warmed up to normal operating temperature. in my observations i noted that the engine was not circulating the engine oil properly. when pulling out the oil dipstick it was apparent that a vacuum problem existed in the engine. also when taking off the oil filler cap a vacuum sound was detected. finally i removed the part at the top rear of the engine which is connected with hoses to the air filter housing. i immediately noted that the engine started to run smoother and after driving the vehicle for 2 hrs no noise was detected from the engine. it is obvious that the vacuum caused by the defective filter did not allow the engine to be properly circulated in the engine. the vehicle ran hot and the coolant had to be topped off. i feel the defective filter has caused engine damage. i took the part #f8cz-6a768-ab to the local ford dealership parts dept and have ordered a replacement. my complaint is that ford and their dealerships could not diagnose a problem that could lead to complete engine failure due to overheating.*ak | |||
| 2 | 03/21/1998 | ||
| Consumer states vehicle often hesitates at low speed, and on occassions will stall, possible engine problems.*jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The vehicle seens to be shaking, vibrating, stalling and high idle in the engine. nlm | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 3 | ||
| Engine would stall out while driving. would be no warning. was making weird noises. took to mechanic & was informed that engine was too big for vehicle. part of the engine was sticking out or overlapping. it would need to be replaced.*ak | |||
| 02/01/1999 | 1 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Engine timing is missing, slight hesitation. mgm | |||
| 09/12/1998 | 4 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Vehicle started, engine rattled upon acceleration at all speeds at 2300 miles. after numerous failed repair attempts by dealer,i sent complaint to fords dsb board.working throgh arbitration vehicle looked at by engineer.they replaced pcm.problem got worse,along with new problems,lack of power,hard start,transmission hesitaing.then they replaced fuel pump,didnt help, then ignition switch, didnt help,then mass air flow sensor and air filter, didnt help.finally vehicle started stalling while driving, during acc. towed back to shop, ford had it six weeks this time replaced pcm two more times.i have vehicle back,still problem with transmission hesitating.vehicle in shop eight times for same or related problems and totalling almost three months in shop. still in arbitration, consdering closing case and taking to dsb. personally. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle hesitates consistently during acceleration and sometimes spark-knock and surge causing the vehicle to lose forward momentum. nlm | |||
| 09/13/1999 | |||
| The motor seized up while at a stop . the dealer is repairing the vehicle. *ak | |||
| Consumer hears a loud noise everytime she starts the vehicle. dealer cannot find the cause. *ak | |||
| 03/06/1998 | |||
| While at a stop vehicle stalls which may cause an accident. also, has a no start condition. please provide further information and vin#. *ak | |||
| The engine on the vehicle started smoking because of a loss of oil in the vehicle. dealer is in the prcess of replacing engine. *ak | |||
| 06/09/1997 | 16 | 05/01/1997 | |
| When pulling out from a stop, vehicle may lose power. *ak consumer states transmission slips without warning when pulling from a stop, almost caused an accident on 4 occasions, dealer can not find a remedy for the problem. *slc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 07/25/2005 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Dt: 1998 ford escort. the consumer took the vehicle to dealer to be serviced, and the service department noticed the rear coil springs were broken , approximately 1 | |||
| 04/07/2003 | 3 | ||
| The vehicle's belt tenioner assembly broke 3 time. the consumer had to replace the housing for water pump, timing belt tenioner and mico v belt. *bf *nm | |||
| 11/11/2003 | 85000 | 4 | |
| Each time when vehicle splashes in a puddle of water the serpentine belt comes off. *ak | |||
| 02/15/2001 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Because crankshaft dampner is defective serpentine belt was worn out and replaced. when it was worn out again in only 5000 miles the problem with the crankshaft dampner was found.*ak | |||
| 03/05/2001 | 2 | 05/08/1998 | |
| Pulley had frozen and serpentine belt had came off. it was frayed. it then shot up into the timing belt. this caused the timing belt to jump & caused vehicle to stop. this is the 2nd time this problem had happened. the mechanic had repaired it the first time at 24,000 miles.*ak the surpentine belts had to be replaced at 25000 miles and again at 54000 miles. *yh | |||
| 06/16/2000 | 1 | 04/14/1999 | |
| Due to a defective balancer that came apart through the serpertine belt, engine head gasket to blew out, causing vehicle to, stall unexpectly which may have resulted in a crash. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 07/24/1998 | 8 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Engine vibrates, and has a high idle. engine runs rough and shakes. engine surges and hesitates. car stalls. i have had the vehicle in for this same repair several times since the purchase of it. the mechanics have replaced spark plugs, fuel guage, fuel filter, valve idle air control, vapor management, motor mounts. the dearlership in hillsborough replaced a cable something (the service manger quit and a ticket was not found for this repair.) the vehicle continues to have same problem without being totally fixed. the last time i brought the car in for stalling, the repair was done, but the next morning the car continued to stall. as of this date, i am taking the car in for the same problem again. please note: in reviewing the information after submittting i noticed that in # of failures passenger air bag deployed 8 times with the date of 7/24/98. this is incorrect, car was not in an accident and air bags were not used.*ak | |||
| 09/12/1998 | 4 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Vehicle started, engine rattled upon acceleration at all speeds at 2300 miles. after numerous failed repair attempts by dealer,i sent complaint to fords dsb board.working throgh arbitration vehicle looked at by engineer.they replaced pcm.problem got worse,along with new problems,lack of power,hard start,transmission hesitaing.then they replaced fuel pump,didnt help, then ignition switch, didnt help,then mass air flow sensor and air filter, didnt help.finally vehicle started stalling while driving, during acc. towed back to shop, ford had it six weeks this time replaced pcm two more times.i have vehicle back,still problem with transmission hesitating.vehicle in shop eight times for same or related problems and totalling almost three months in shop. still in arbitration, consdering closing case and taking to dsb. personally. *ak | |||
| 06/11/1998 | 08/14/1998 | ||
| Air cleaner/filter and intake are located at bottom of engine. when driving through approximately six inches of water engine blew. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 10/01/1997 | 1 | 09/18/1997 | |
| Engine sensor failed. yh | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 04/01/1998 | 2 | ||
| The defective fuel control valve malfunctioned, causing fuel leakage and fuel smell which may cause a fire. dealer repl.aced valve twice. problem is still occurring. dealer cannot determine problem. *ak | |||