The 2000 Ford Escort has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 144,435 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 128 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS00V2280012000-08-18144,435 affected
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…
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…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
14
14crashes1fires18injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
7
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
6
4crashes12injuries
AIR BAGS
5
5crashes6injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
3
SUSPENSION
3
Total complaints128
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The first defect is about the shifting gears light. I can not see the shifting gears at night unless I turn the car's light on or sometimes I use a light app to see them. This is because the shifting gears don't show up on the screen and also there's no led lights for the shifting gears the other…”
“The first defect is about the shifting gears light. I can not see the shifting gears at night unless I turn the car's light on or sometimes I use a light app to see them. This is because the shifting gears don't show up on the screen and also there's no led lights for the shifting gears the other…”
“Tl* the contact owned a 2000 ford escort. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the contact attempted to change lanes and crashed into a van. The air bags deployed with such an extreme force that the contact sustained injuries to the face, chest, and right arm that…”
“My wife was returning home from the hospital where our daughter received outpatient chemo therapy . At the first light leaving the hospital the car started shaking. My daughter thought her door was open , so she opened the door and closed it to verify the door was closed. They entered the highway…”
“Transmission is slipping and does not shift correctly. Timing chain broke while driving and almost caused an accident. Had to have the car towed. Tensioner arm broke while driving shredding the belt. Had to have the car towed.”
“Transmission is slipping and does not shift correctly. Timing chain broke while driving and almost caused an accident. Had to have the car towed. Tensioner arm broke while driving shredding the belt. Had to have the car towed.”
“Ford escort 2000 coupe rear window shattered for no apparent reason; I.e., my wife got in the car and before she even started the engine while parked in the driveway, the rear window with defroster shattered into a million pieces. *tr”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2000 Ford Escort as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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