The 1983 Ford Escort has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,389,750 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE DIAPHRAGM MATERIAL OF THE MECHANICAL FUEL PUMPS MAY DETERIORATE AND ALLOW THE DIAPHRAGM TO RUPTURE.
FUEL PUMPED THROUGH THE RUPTURED DIAPHRAGM AND OUT OFTHE VENT OPENING COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
INSTALL NEW MECHANICAL FUEL PUMPS WITH IMPROVED DIAPHRAGM MATERIAL AND REVISE WIRING FOR ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP CIRCUITS.
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.
DURING A CRASH BARRIER TEST, THE RUBBER HOSE CONNECTING THE FUEL TANK AND THE METAL FILLER PIPE VENT TUBE WAS CUT, RESULTING IN FUEL LEAKAGE. THE INVOLVED VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 301, "FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY".
DEALER WILL INSTALL A BRACE BETWEEN THE RIGHT SIDE REAR QUARTER PANEL AND THE BODY SIDE RAIL TO IMPROVE FUEL TANK IMPACT RESISTANCE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“The car purchased was for 1800 and the mechanic where purchased from told eric that the car was fully inspected and ready for the road. His girlfriend test drove the car and told greg that the brakes didnt work he said he'd have them looked at. Had the car for 2 days after he supposedly re-checked…”
“Electric seat belts failed.”
“Master cylinder ripped loose from firewall due to metal fatigue, causing brake failure/loss of control. *sd”
“Brakes failed, causing accident/injuries.( new jersey state police report)”
“Ignition switch shorted, causing fire. (first vehicle on 601624, 601627)”
“While driving on highway owner smelled smoke. Driver lifted hood and wiring harness was on fire near firewall. Please describe details. *ak”
“Possible carburator failure may have caused vehicle to hesitate while driving. Nlm”
STALLING AND CARBURETOR MALFUNCTIONS
STALLING
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:FORD BELIEVES THAT THE AL-LEGED DEFECT ONLY OCCURS IN A SMALL NUMBER OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ANDRECALLED ABOUT 195,732 1984 TEMPO/TOPAZ VEHICLES IN JUNE 1986.ANALYSIS: VEHICLES POTENTIALLY INVOLVED INCLUDE TEMPO/TOPAZ, ESCORT/LYNX/EXP, MUSTANG/CAPRI, LTD/MARQUIS, AND…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1983 Ford Escort as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.