1996 Ford Escort Reviews - Page 11 of 15

The timing belt broke around 88,000mi.

The front bearings went bad around 88,000mi as well.

Around 120,000mi the O-2 sensors and ignition coil went bad.

This is a really great student car.

It is very reliable.

Exterior and interior are still in good condition.

Worn front lower wishbones.

New battery, as previous had come to the end of its life.

New front brake discs and pads due to excessive wear.

Very quick for a naturally aspirated engine.

Handles very taught and confident.

Interior is typically classy with recaro seats and swooping dash..

This production year, yields more refinements that previous incarnations.

The car did not come with any hazard lights.

The alignment of the car will not stay fixed.

Rear window defroster is slow to react.

Trunk does not open easily, and there is no lever to pop the trunk.

The speedometer would wave wildly at speeds above 45mph.

The "Check Engine" and "Check Coolant" lights are always on.

The seat belt stuck on driver's side.

When idle and applying the brakes, the car rattles and vibrates.

Gas Gauger would waver like the speedometer.

The car was adequate as a first vehicle for new drivers.

The car handles well in city or highway traffic. However, it has trouble going up hills.

The car was very economical in regards to gas mileage.

The interior of the car was very comfortable for a two door.

First, I had a clutch put in it.

Second, My timing belt snapped.

Then, The air conditioner hoses blew off.

Recently, I had another clutch put in it because my brother drove it and burnt the clutch clear to the rivets.

Along with that, the flywheel was shot.

Good gas mileage.

Car is quick and handles nice, but could be more stable in the turns. The car caould take bump a lot easier also.

Great interior. Maybe 3-4 burn holes.

Mostly normal maintnence.

Very reliable and a very good overall car.

Alarm

Ball joint.

A good all round mile eater which wasn't caused me any major problems.

Driver's side electric window has stopped working.

No other faults :-)

For a diesel car it is no slouch and rarely sluggish, and it also holds its own against petrol cars I've driven for my company. Acceleration right through the gears is very good, and cruising at 50mph in 5th and then slightly giving the engine some juice brings a reassuring whistle from the turbo and a nice increase in speed. Very cheap runner, easily around the 45-50 mpg for me and I'm hardly a slow driver.

Rear wheel-arches on both sides are rusting from the inside outward (all the spot welds in the wheel-arch flange are expanding as they rust away!)

Virtually all of the elements in the heated front screen are no longer work.

Nothing has hone wrong mechanically!

Car was a one owner, known history vehicle before being acquired from our in-laws. Always garaged, always serviced, never been in an accident. (Replaced a 1990 Escort cabriolet we'd had from new, that had 65,000 miles, with no rust). Holes appeared in the OS rear wheel-arch of the newer car some months before the 6 year corrosion warranty expired. That area was repaired by Ford dealer, but the underlying cause was not (bare metal joint between inner and outer whee-larch) ; the rest of that wheel arch and the near side one are now quite merrily rusting away. Ford have no interest. Built in Halewood with care, by the same people who now build the Jaguar X type?

Ludicrous instrument pack; who needs a line drawing of a car on an instrument pack (saves the cost of a tachometer presumably)

A cheap car to run, but check the wheel-arches very carefully before buying