2000 Ford Escort ZX2 from North America - Comments

I have a Ford Escort ZX2 2000. It's been a pretty good car until now. It has around 80,000 miles on it, but now it makes a squealing noise at idle and low speeds. When you shut the engine off, it makes a short noise like it's sucking air. I've gone over it, but can't seem to find it; two garages are puzzled.

Any ideas?

Check TSB #031515 this is the service bulletin that gives Fords suggested fix for the vibration problem. You can just google search TSB #031515 and it will lead you to it. I haven't tried it yet, but will give it a shot.

I have a 2000 Escort ZX2 that I bought new. It was fine for the first year, but at about 13 months I started to have transmission issues. The car seemed to "neutral out" as I was driving and then it would forcefully slam into gear. I had to have the transmission replaced at 27,000 miles. The car was back at the dealer 15 times for the transmission, some before and some after the replacement, so obviously it did not solve the problem. The dealer's mechanics assured me that they had never heard of a problem like this with the ZX2s, but what they didn't know was that their own service advisor told me that his own ZX2 had the same trouble and it was common! My sister-in-law also has one (hers is a '99) and she had the same trouble, so that's 3 that I know of personally and yet the dealer says they never heard of this! I eventually consulted a Lemon Law attorney and received a settlement for the transmission problems, so I am no longer allowed to have it repaired under the wonderful extended warranty that I purchased. (Well, my warranty expired in July anyway.) One piece of advice I have to offer is this: Don't believe that the Lemon Law only applies to vehicles within the first year, or the first three years, or whatever is commonly heard. My car was 6 years old when I initiated the suit and received my settlement. Ford offered me $4125, the attorney advised me to take it considering the age of the car, and of course he got half of that, but I think it was worth taking the chance to pursue it. And if by some chance I need another transmission, I think I should be able to get one with the $2100 I received.

Someone posted that the ZX2 can "take a hit" and I have had experience with that as well. My car has been rear-ended 4 times in traffic and hit in the front (in my employer's parking lot!) once, so both the front and rear "bumpers" have been repaired and repainted. The car is Autumn Orange - I think it's pretty noticeable, but when I'm on the road it's as though it is invisible! My driver's side door was crushed at the dealer during my last transmission visit and they tried to hide it by splashing mud all over the door - don't know how long they thought they could get away with that, but I was suspicious that they did it on purpose after all the time they've supposedly spent working on my car. So that had to be replaced too. My husband said that by the time I decide I have had enough, I will have a whole new car, on the outside at least!

My ZX2 also has the rough idle problem, which I have been told is caused by anything from a motor mount going bad, to the idler pulley being loose, to a bad harmonic balancer (I've never even heard of that part!). Just last month, I've had the serpentine belt just fall off twice, causing the car to stop in the middle of traffic, both times during rainstorms! It only has 79,000 miles on it. I have been told for years that I am crazy to put up with all this, and I think that this latest saga is finally enough to put me over the edge. I'm going car shopping this weekend.

I have a friend who purchased an Escort new in 2000. The car ran pretty well until it hit the high 80's in mileage. The Ford dealer in the Texas town where they were stranded said that the cam sensor went out; and because of end play in the cam, they would need to replace the motor. They were not in a position to do that, so the dealer put everything back together with a new sensor, and they drove it home. It ran fine until one day when she slammed on her brakes to miss a dog in the street, and the car died, not to restart for a while.

When I met them the car was parked behind their house. I talked them into taking it to the repair of a friend of mine. David discovered that the fuel pump had gone out. He replaced the pump, but the car ran poorly. He scoped it on the computer; and yep, the sensor was bad again. He concurred that the car needed serious work, involving an engine. For a 2000 Ford Escort? Not hardly. So he put a small washer behind the sensor in order to ease the end play, and the car has run decently for a few months. But, it appears that the problem is back.

Can the end play problem be repaired without replacing the engine? Ford really blew it on the quality on this unit. That's why I drive Chevrolets.

I own a 2000 ford ecsort zx2 I've had the transmission replaced 2 times, but the inner front lights and outer turn light don't turn on, but they do flash when I want to turn, also the tail lights don't work when the headlights are running, but they do light up when I stop.

I need some help figuring out the problem. fords are junk!

I have an 00 escort zx2. Got it with 14000 miles and it ran good for a long time. the CD skips now and then. It's got 78K miles on it. I've already replaced the battery and alternator, but tonight I got a temporary battery lite. I shut off the engine and it went out and didn't come back on when I started it up. Does this sound like a short?

My girlfriend owns a 2000 ford escort zx2 with a 129k and she likes it. I have been driving it lately and realized that the whole car was shaking due to a rough idle. I also noticed that the steering wheel was shaking as well. the front wheel bearings are bad. I also have a new problem. the car "bucks" when you go up any hills. I can't keep on top of this car. it looks slick, but runs like a wagon. I am thankful for my blazer.

So, I have a 2001 automatic transmission ZX2, and after reading all these comments I'm almost in tears. My car is just about at 90k and it currently revs when idling (which even makes the headlights go bright/dim) then dies, the dash lights don't work, the left turn signal started blinking really fast for no reason (although recently a motorist told me it was out, so maybe it took months to actually burn out?), the a/c doesn't work, and driving home today I had to stop to make a left turn and not only did it die, but when I restarted it and put it in gear it made a horrible "CLUNK" noise and then the gas gauge went to empty and my low fuel light came on. The rest of the way home the gas needle went back up to where it was before, but the light stayed on. I turned the care off and restarted in the driveway and the light went away.

Now I'm terrified that none of the back lights work and that my car will die on the highway while driving. I don't have money to fix it let alone buy a new car.

I had to have the dealer fix the wiring for the windshield wipers when it had only 20k on it & it took the dealership 3 hours just to figure out what was wrong- they had to call the manufacturer!

I also had to have the wheels replaced because they basically disintegrated, so they would let all the air out of my tires. I hate this car, but I feel so stuck!

I have to say I am very surprised at all the negative comments about the ZX2...maybe I just got lucky. I own a 2000 ZX2, I bought it 4 years ago with 60,000 miles on it and it now has 111,000 miles. The only thing I have had to do to the car (other than routine maintenance) is having a tie rod replaced, which if I remember correctly cost me about 200 bucks. Otherwise it has been rock solid reliable, with zero other problems. I'd happily drive across the country and back in it right now with no worries whatsoever.

I love my 2003 ZX2. No problems. I ALWAYS buy the stick version of vehicles. I never will buy a car with a automatic transmission if I can avoid it due to their pesky maintenance requirements and repair problems. My ZX2 has the 5 speed, A/C, and power everything. Acceleration is surprisingly quick! The 2.0 DOHC is quite peppy and reliable. No problems. Gas mileage average is right around 30 mpg and I drive very assertively. I think one the shocking things about this econo-coupe is that road handling is on par with some that of some sports cars that cost twice as much.

I just purchased a 2001 ZX2 automatic. I like the car, it drives better than my '96 Sable anyway. It shakes a lot when idling and stopped especially. It rattles when I start it up or when I'm stopped sometimes. When it goes to shift, sometimes it'll rev up a lot and then JERK into gear, mostly in 1st and 2nd gear. But if I let off the gas just a little bit before it shifts, then it goes very smoothly. I'm going to get a diagnostic as the check engine light just cam on the day after I bought it, but does this sound like the transmission? Or maybe just poor quality manufacture? Thanks.

I bought a used 2001 ZX2 with automatic transmission and 116k miles on it. I haven't had any major problems. Like the person above, the transmission shifts a little hard in 1st and 2nd, but if you let off the gas a little it's fine. My serpentine belt broke at about 140k miles, but it was squeaking for a while and I shouldn't have ignored it.

My only real issue with the car is the rough idle. The steering wheel and most of the car shake bad. I've found that shifting into neutral at stop lights helps, but I'm looking for a permanent and cheap fix. I've never had problems with the car dying.

I got my 2000 Escort ZX2 in 2004 at 28k miles and it has been running well. It's got 78k miles on it right now.

My problem is that the power window on the passenger side is not working properly. After a long time of not touching it, I can roll down the window. But then it drops and I have to wait for some time before it can be rolled (up or down) again. If I wait for 10 minutes, it will roll a little bit before it stops.

Did anybody else have this problem? How could I fix it?

Thanks.

I have a 2001 ZX2 (his name is Pierre) and really I've had so many of the same problems. And while this would appear to be a frustration, it's really more of a relief!

I've had the transmission replaced. When it continued to have problems, I had the half shafts replaced as well. And now as others have said it doesn't have a lot of problems shifting so long as you're good to it and let off the gas a little bit!

I have a check engine light that keeps coming on from some sensor.

My biggest concern though is with the gas mileage. I have only used a little over a quarter of a tank and only gone 70 miles. This concerns me quite a bit. Otherwise the car is great, and I intend on driving it until it's not worth it to fix it.

I bought a 2002 ZX2 two years ago with 17000 miles on it for $4500. It was wrecked and rebuilt by a mechanic so I thought it would only last me a year or two. Well, it's been two years and I just had my first mechanical issue at 80000 miles. My Vehicle Speed Sensor went out, but it still runs and drives well and I'm fixin to take it on a 2200 mile round trip at the end of the week. This is my second ZX2, my sister stole my 2003, but my mom and dad are each looking at getting one. We absolutely love them, they are reliable, economical, and cheap.