Owner-reported complaints naming the heating or air-conditioning system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Ford Escort submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH VEHICLE STALLED, AND SOON AFTER CONSUMER HEARD SOMETHING HIT THE GROUND. VEHICLE WAS GUIDED TO THE SHOULDER, AND CONSUMER FOUND THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER BRACKETS BROKE. THIS IN TURN, CAUSED THE AC COMPRESSOR TO FALL AND RIP A HOLE INTO THE OIL PAN.*AK *NM
AIR CONDITIONER LEAKED INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND MADE LOUD NOISE. LEARNED THAT VEHICLE INGESTS LEAVES AND OTHER MATTER INTO THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. FIX MADE AND CARPET LINER REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER CHEERFULLY AND COMPLETELY REPAIRED EACH TIME, BUT I WAS COUNSELLED TO NOT ALLOW LEAVES TO FALL ONTO VEHICLE AS THEY ARE INGESTED. APPARENT DESIGN DEFECT. *AK
AC DRAINER AREA SOMEHOW CLOGGED AND WOULD NOT DRAIN PROPERLY. WAS DRAINING INSIDE CABIN CAUSING MUSTY ODOR AND WET CARPET. DEALERSHIP SAID NOT A COMMON PROBLEM, NOT COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY SINCE NO ACTUAL FAILURE, HAD TO REMOVE AC MOTOR, DRAIN AND REINSTALL, ALIGN AND SEAL. THIS SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN DEFECT. AC SHOULD NOT SUCK UP DEBRIS LIKE IT DOES CAUSING CLOGS. *AK
AIR CONDITIONER LEAKS ON THE FOOT OF THE DRIVER. IT HAS LEAKED TO THE POINT THAT IT HAS GAVE THE CARPET A MUSTY SMELL AND IT (THE CARPET) HAS WATER DAMAGE. I HAVE REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER TWICE AND THEY HAVE NOT PROPERLY FIXED THE PROBLEM. NOW IT HAS TO BE TAKEN IN AGAIN FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.
IN A CRASH, I WAS HIT BY A CAR GOING APPROX. 40 MPH, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HOWEVER, FOR 4 DAYS FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING ODOR OF PROPELLANT IN THE CAR. THIS ODOR BROUGHT ON A SEVERE ASTHMA ATTACK FOR ME. ALSO, THE CAR HESITATES AND LOSES POWER WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR KICKS IN. THE CAR LOSES POWER ENOUGH SO THAT IT SLOWS ITSELF DOWN WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY. ALSO IT IS VERY ALARMING WHEN IT KICKS ON WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN OR STOPLIGHT. THE HESITENCY AND POWER LOSS CAUSES GREAT CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAR. *AK
BLOWER MAY BE SUCKING THINGS UP INTO THE VEHICLE. DEALER CONTACTED, AND CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. CONSUMER THINKS FIRE MAY BE STARTED IF THINGS ARE TRAPPED INTO THE COMPRESSOR. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
HEATING SYSTEM FAILED DUE TO FAILURE OF CABLE CONNECTING DIAL TO CONTROL PANEL. YH
AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM LEAKS CONTINUALLY INTO VEHICLE.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .