Model year report

2000 Ford Escort: what breaks, and at what mileage

What breaks on the 2000 Ford Escort

On the 2000 Ford Escort, the failure owners report most often is other engine problem, with 15 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 50,000 miles. Overall it scores 70 out of 100, high risk for a 2000.

High risk for a 2000 — 89th riskiest of the 327 2000 vehicles we can rate. 128 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.

The failures owners actually file about

Owners have reported 32 named failure modes on the 2000 Ford Escort, and the three most-reported carry 25% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.

Other engine problem leads with 15 reports and about 1.0 per 1,000 vehicles.

Other powertrain problem follows with 11 reports, median 40,000 miles.

Complete transmission failure follows with 6 reports, median 50,000 miles.

By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (25), transmission (17) and airbag (12).

When these failures get reported

43 of the reports on the 2000 Ford Escort came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 50,000 miles.

Cumulatively, 49% by 50,000 miles, 81% by 100,000 miles and 93% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.

The busiest stretch is between 40,000 and 50,000 miles, which alone holds 30% of the dated reports.

14% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.

Median

Other engine problem

40k
Other powertrain problem

40k
Complete transmission failure

50k
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash
no odometer readings given
—
Seat belt or retractor failure

63k
Misfire or rough idle

48k
Water pump failure

61k
Other suspension problem

33k
Fuel pump failure

37k
Loss of braking
no odometer readings given
—
Other speed control problem

17k
Sunroof failure or glass breakage
no odometer readings given
—

Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens

Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 32. The full list is in the table below.

How reports accumulate

Share of reports filed by each mileage

half by 50.8k

Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.

Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Dashed the median reported mileage

What happens when these parts fail

Across the named modes, 15 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 11 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.

The average severity weight across every report on this year is 6.82, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.

What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other engine problem at $300–$4,000, other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500, complete transmission failure at $2,800–$8,000 and airbag failed to deploy in a crash at $1,000–$5,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.

40% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.

Every reported failure mode

Mileage figures are percentiles of owner-reported readings. Click a column to sort.
Failure mode	System	Reports	With reading	25th	Median	75th	Per 1,000	Typical repair	Severity
Other engine problem	engine	15	4	—	40k	—	1.0	$300–$4,000	High
Other powertrain problem	transmission	11	5	—	40k	—	0.8	$400–$4,500	High
Complete transmission failure	transmission	6	6	—	50k	—	0.4	$2,800–$8,000	Critical
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash	airbag	6	0	—	—	—	0.4	$1,000–$5,000	Critical
Seat belt or retractor failure	airbag	6	2	—	63k	—	0.4	$200–$900	High
Misfire or rough idle	engine	5	5	—	48k	—	0.3	$250–$1,600	Moderate
Water pump failure	cooling	5	2	—	61k	—	0.3	$500–$2,200	High
Other suspension problem	suspension	5	1	—	33k	—	0.3	$350–$2,000	Moderate
Fuel pump failure	fuel	4	1	—	37k	—	0.3	$600–$2,600	High
Loss of braking	brakes	4	0	—	—	—	0.3	$400–$3,000	Critical
Other speed control problem	adas	4	1	—	17k	—	0.3	$250–$2,000	Critical
Sunroof failure or glass breakage	body	3	0	—	—	—	0.2	$700–$4,500	High
Other wheel or tire problem	wheels	3	2	—	91k	—	0.2	$200–$1,500	High
Other visibility problem	glass	3	1	—	43k	—	0.2	$150–$1,400	Moderate
Complete engine failure or seizure	engine	2	1	—	15k	—	0.1	$4,500–$12,000	Critical
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure	engine	2	2	—	100k	—	0.1	$1,200–$4,500	Critical
CV axle or driveshaft failure	drivetrain	2	0	—	—	—	0.1	$450–$2,200	High
ABS module or sensor failure	brakes	2	1	—	70k	—	0.1	$500–$2,400	High
Master cylinder or brake booster failure	brakes	2	1	—	40k	—	0.1	$450–$2,200	Critical
Other electrical problem	electrical	2	1	—	56k	—	0.1	$250–$2,000	Moderate
Other brake problem	brakes	2	0	—	—	—	0.1	$300–$1,800	High
Other steering problem	steering	2	0	—	—	—	0.1	$350–$2,400	High
Other lighting problem	lighting	2	1	—	152k	—	0.1	$120–$1,200	Moderate
Other body or interior problem	body	2	0	—	—	—	0.1	$200–$2,000	Moderate
Stalling while driving	engine	1	0	—	—	—	0.1	$300–$2,500	Critical
Radiator or coolant leak	cooling	1	1	—	61k	—	0.1	$350–$1,900	High
Wheel bearing or hub failure	drivetrain	1	0	—	—	—	0.1	$350–$1,200	Moderate
Wiring harness or short circuit	electrical	1	0	—	—	—	0.1	$400–$3,500	High
Premature brake pad or rotor wear	brakes	1	0	—	—	—	0.1	$300–$1,400	Moderate
Strut, shock or spring failure	suspension	1	0	—	—	—	0.1	$500–$2,000	Moderate
Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure	suspension	1	0	—	—	—	0.1	$400–$2,200	High
Tail light, brake light or signal failure	lighting	1	1	—	71k	—	0.1	$100–$900	Moderate
Unclassified problem	other	20	4	—	121k	—	1.4	—	Moderate

Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.

How often, against how many were built

Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2000 Ford Escort draws about 8.9 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 86th percentile of complaint rates among 2000 vehicles we can rate.

That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.

The working figure is 14,443 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2000 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.

What owners wrote

Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.

Complete transmission failure

On june 21, 2003, I was operating the vehicle at approx. 30 MPH. I attempted to speed up and found that the accelerator was no longer functioning. Due to the fact that the car failed to accelerate I was forced to coast to the side of the road, where a tow truck picked it up and towed it to the dealership. Approx. 6 months prior to this time I began noticing a "spasmodic hesitating motion" in the car whenever I attempted to accelerate from an idle position. I assumed that a tune-up was needed and took it to a ford dealership for inspection. I was told that the hesitation could not be detected, nothing was wrong with the vehicle, and based on the make and model of the vehicle I was not required a tune-up until 100,000 miles had been reached. I continued to drive the vehicle and the problem persisted. For a while I even relented and decided that perhaps the problem was in my head. Finally, february 2003 I took the vehicle into another ford dealership due to the problem and the mechanics re-calibrated the car's computer system under the belief that this would fix the problem. I was also advised that a routine inspection of the vehicle…

59,126 miles NHTSA complaint 414705 filed 2003-06-25

Transmission went out. The car had 2400 miles on it when I bought it. It should have been been pre owned. They sold it to me saying it was new but someone else put 2400 miles on it. Now I fell thats the reason why my transmission failed prematureley. Ford has denied me a awa because they said I'm not a loyal customer just because I got my transmission serviced somewhere else. Thank you for hearing me out please e-mail/call me at any time to tell me what steps I could take to have ford pay some/all of the cost of repair to my transmission. Thanks again, keon walker

40,000 miles NHTSA complaint 470187 filed 2004-04-22

Recalls on the 2000 model year

NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2000 Ford Escort, affecting an estimated 14,470 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.

The campaigns cover seat belts:front and seat belts. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.

One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.

04E048000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

388 vehicles 2004-07-12

Defect: Certain trw driver's side seat belts manufactured on december 6 and 9, 2002, for use as replacement equipment for 1997 ford escort 4-door and station wagon platform vehicles, ford's p/n f7cz54611b09aac. The seat belt assemblies exhibit a no-lock condition which does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, seat belt assemblies.
Consequence: In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide adequate protection to the seat occupant, which may increase the risk of personal injury.
Remedy: Trw will notify the customers who purchased the replacement seat belt assemblies free of charge. The recall began on august 27, 2004.

00V228001

SEAT BELTS

144,435 vehicles 2000-08-18

Defect: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
Consequence: In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began october 26, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.

Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.

How it ranks in the 2000 field

The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.

Risk score against the rest of the 2000 field

Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.

Left fewer and less serious reports
Right more, or worse
Marker this vehicle

Where 2000 sits in the model line

High risk for a 2000 — 89th riskiest of the 327 2000 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.

Across the 7 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 1997 comes out best at 65 and 2001 worst at 78, with 2000 itself at 70.

If the model year is negotiable, 1997 scores lower than 2000 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.

Within the 1996–2003 generation specifically, 1997 is the strongest year at 65 and 2001 the weakest at 78.

Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.

Risk score by model year, out of 100

Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.

Within the 1996-2003 generation, 1997 Ford Escort scores best at 65 and 2001 Ford Escort worst at 78.

Where these figures stop being useful

128 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.

Of those 128 reports, 43 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 34% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".

The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.

And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.

Questions this page answers

What are the most common problems with the 2000 Ford Escort?

The most-reported failures are other engine problem (15 reports, median 40,000 miles), other powertrain problem (11 reports, median 40,000 miles) and complete transmission failure (6 reports, median 50,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.

Is the 2000 Ford Escort reliable?

It scores 70 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 89th riskiest of the 327 2000 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2000 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.

Which year of the Ford Escort is best?

Within the 1996–2003 generation, 1997 scores best at 65 out of 100 and 2001 worst at 78. Same body, same engines, different luck.

Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.

What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car

Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt 20 August 2026 Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed