Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford escort. While driving 20 MPH, the vehicle caught fire under the hood without warning. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. There were no injuries. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 144,998.
1998 Ford Escort: fire, smoke or burning smell
6 of the 374 complaints about the 1998 Ford Escort describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 12 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
While exiting a parking lot heard grinding noise and smelled something burning. Consumer's vehicle suddenly came to a stop when crankshaft slid off, and went into steel frame of vehicle, causing vehicle to shut off. Please provide any further information.
Consumer noticed smoke coming from behind the steering column, claim 24-125-333.
While driving, flames started coming from under the dash, claim 13-7568-816.
While driving, flames started coming from underneath the dash, claim 13-7568-816.
My son was involved in an accident in which another vehicle hit his vehicle on the passenger side while he was making a left turn. My son's car spun 90 degrees and landed on the side of an embankment. The car did not flip and landed right side up. Both airbags deployed. My son noticed smoke coming from the right side of the vehicle. Luckily, he was not knocked unconsious and was able to get out of the car quickly. Within less than 5 minutes, he noticed flames coming from the floorboard on the passenger side. The car was totally engulfed in flames within 10-15 minutes. If this accident had happened on a remote road and my son would of been injured more seriously, and not been able to get out of his car, and would have burned to death. I don't know what caused the car to start on fire. Even the insurance adjuster said the car shouldn't have started on fire.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Rough idle, low power and / or stall at idle, a malfunction indicator lamp illuminated and diagnostic...
- Remote keyless entry (RKE) - service tips
- Information regarding discharged battery charging service tips and guidelines
- Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses
- Subject on installing fuses at pdi (pre-delivery inspection)
- Information on installing fuses at pre-delivery
- Ford motor company has released a new electrical grease ( F8AZ - 19G208-AA ) to reduce the possibility of...
- Some vehicles may exhibit a customer concern of steady or intermittent miss with dtcs P0300 and P0304
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Ford Escort fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 1998 Ford Escort?
6 of 374 owner complaints about the 1998 Ford Escort (2%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Ford Escort?
There are 0 recalls and 12 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Ford Escort
No deployment 42Stalling 20Coil spring 19Grinding brakes 11Fuel pump 11Ball joint 7Hesitation 7Seat belt 7Loss of power 6Slipping 6Knocking 5
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