The 1982 Ford Escort has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,744,400 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTORS MAY ALLOW TWISTED WEBBING TO ENTER THE RETRACTOR HOUSING AND JAM THE RETRACTOR. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: A JAMMED RETRACTOR WOULD INTERFERE WITH WEBBING RETRACTION AND…
A CLIP WILL BE INSERTED INTO THE RETRACTOR HOUSING WEBBING TO PREVENT JAMMING.
SEAT FRAME STRUCTURE COULD SEVER FRONT SEAT BELTS IF VEHICLE IS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, DEPENDING ON FORCE OF IMPACT.
DEALER WILL INSTALL A MOLDED SPACER BETWEEN REINFORCEMENT PLATES AND LOWER DECORATIVE PLASTIC COVER.
DOOR LOCK PILLARS COULD DEVELOP FATIGUE CRACKS FROM NORMAL USAGE OF DOOR, AT THE POINT WHERE DOOR LATCH STRIKER REINFORCEMENTS ARE ATTACHED.
ANY DAMAGED LOCK PILLARS WILL BE REPAIRED AND REINFORCEMENTS WILL BE INSTALLED BETWEEN THE DOOR LATCH STRIKER AND LOCK PILLARS.
THE PORTION OF THE ROOF ABOVE FRAME (RAIL) TO WHICH THE SHOULDER BELT IS ANCHORED MAY HAVE A SLOT THAT CAN COMPROMISE THE STRENGTH OF THE SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR UNDER CERTAIN SEVERE LOADS. (THE SUSPECT AREA IS NOT VISIBLE.) CONSEQUENTLY, SOME VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL MAY NOT MEET THE 3000 POUND ANCHORAGE…
THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REINFORCE THE ROOF RAIL INNER PANEL SURROUNDING THE DRAINAGE HOLE AT NO COST TO OWNER.
ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES, A THERMAL LIMITER IN THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR CIRCUIT OF THE AIR CONDITIONER/HEATER ASSEMBLY MAY NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED. IF THE BLOWER MOTOR BECOMES JAMMED WHEN THE SYSTEM IS OPERATING IN THE MEDIUM-LOW BLOWER SPEED, THE RESISTOR COILS CAN OVERHEAT CAUSING MELTING AND POSSIBLE IGNITION.
DEALER WILL REPLACE THE RESISTOR ASSEMBLY WITH AN IMPROVED VERSION WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Ignition switch locked up with key in it, would not release key. (second vehicle on 509613, 601627)”
“Ignition switch locked up with key in it, would not release key. (second vehicle on 509613, 601627)”
“Ignition switch fire.”
“Vehicle parked and suddenly burst into flames. *ak”
“Underhood fire while parked in parking lot; vehicle totaled; cause unkown. *ak”
FUMES AND DUST IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT
TIMING CHAIN FAILURE
STALLING AND CARBURETOR MALFUNCTIONS
FAILURE OF SEAT BACK SECURING BOLTS
STATUS: DISCUSSING WITH CANADA.===
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1982 Ford Escort as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.