The 1997 Ford Escort is a wagon that came with a 2.0L 4-cyl engine. At 29 years old, many are reaching the point where repairs cost more than the car is worth. Running or not, we'll make you an offer and tow it away for free.
| Body style | Compact Cars, Small Station Wagons |
|---|---|
| Engines | 2.0L 4-cyl |
| Transmissions | Automatic 4-spd, Manual 5-spd |
| Drive | Front-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
| Fuel economy | 23–24 city / 31–34 highway / 26–28 combined MPG |
| EPA annual fuel cost | $2,400–$2,600 a year (EPA estimate at current fuel prices, 15,000 miles) |
| Tailpipe CO₂ | 317–342 grams per mile |
| Versions tested by EPA | 4 configurations: Escort, Escort Wagon |
| Age | 29 years |
Specs, fuel cost and emissions from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov data. Your car's exact equipment may differ.
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall covering the 1997 Ford Escort. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.
On certain passenger vehicles, the integrated air bag monitor (iabm) can be contaminated with water or other liquids and could experience internal electrical shorting.
Risk: This may, in turn, cause the air bag readiness light to illuminate and in very rare occurrences, air bag deployment, melted wiring, or fire may occur.
Owners have filed 543 complaints about the 1997 Ford Escort with NHTSA. 67 reports involved a crash and 83 reports involved a fire. Owners reported 65 injuries.
Complaints are reports from owners and aren't verified by NHTSA. One complaint can list several components. Mileage is the median odometer reading owners reported for that component.
Manufacturers have filed 150 technical service bulletins and communications with NHTSA covering the 1997 Ford Escort. These are repair instructions for known issues, not recalls.
General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
Trw vehicle safety systems, inc. Is recalling certain service replacement seatbelt retractors (driver's side front retractor in gray) manufactured in december 2002 and so
Rough idle, low power and / or stall at idle, a malfunction indicator lamp illuminated and diagnostic trouble codes p0300 through p0304 stored in memory. *tt
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins).
NHTSA opened 2 defect investigations covering the 1997 Ford Escort.
Water intrusion into airbag monitor
By letter of december 6, 2002, Ford notified the agency that it would conduct a safety recall on all 1997 Ford Escort and mercury tracer vehicles.Ford found that electrical shorting of the integrated air bag monitor (iabm)due to liquid intrusion of water or engine coolant can occur in the subject vehicles.Ford and linc
Integrated air bag monitor water
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It depends on its condition, whether major parts like the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still there, and current scrap and parts prices where you live. Its parts make up much of its value. Enter your ZIP code above for a free offer on your specific car.
Yes. We buy 1997 Escorts that don't start, were in an accident, failed inspection or have a blown engine or transmission. Towing is always free.
Yes. Open recalls don't prevent a junk sale. NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 1997 Ford Escort; you can check whether any are still open on yours with the VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Usually the title and a photo ID. Rules differ by state, including what to do with your plates and whether to file a notice of sale. Check our state-by-state car title guides for the official forms.
Data retrieved October 2026.
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