1981 Ford Escort Recalls, Complaints & Specs

10 safety recalls list the 1981 Ford Escort, and owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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10 safety recalls for the 1981 Ford Escort

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Seats

   NHTSA 84V085000 Reported July 18, 1984 80,034 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Screw that connects the seat back frame to the recliner mechanism may break.

   Remedy: The attachment screw on the driver"s seat will be replaced by one of a larger diameter.

2. Seats

   NHTSA 84V071000 Reported June 15, 1984 261,400 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Seat frame structure could sever front seat belts if vehicle is involved in an accident, depending on force of impact.

   Remedy: Dealer will install a molded spacer between reinforcement plates and lower decorative plastic cover.

3. Latch (latches/locks/linkages)

   NHTSA 83V063000 Reported June 22, 1983 610,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Door lock pillars could develop fatigue cracks from normal usage of door, at the point where door latch striker reinforcements are attached.

   Remedy: Any damaged lock pillars will be repaired and reinforcements will be installed between the door latch striker and lock pillars.

4. Seat belts

   NHTSA 83V013000 Reported February 17, 1983 245,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The portion of the roof above frame (rail) to which the shoulder belt is anchored may have a slot that can compromise the strength of the shoulder belt anchor under certain severe loads. (the suspect area is not visible.) consequently, some vehicles included in this recall may not meet the 3000 pound anchorage strength requirements of…

   Remedy: The dealer will inspect and, if necessary, reinforce the roof rail inner panel surrounding the drainage hole at no cost to owner.

5. Filler pipe and cap (fuel system)

   NHTSA 81V092000 Reported July 22, 1981 112,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Some of the involved vehicles have an electrically ungrounded fuel inlet. These vehicles are subject to static charge accumulation at the fuel filler pipe opening, which can occur if these vehicles are refueled from an electrically ungrounded dispensing nozzle.

   Remedy: A grounding connection from the filler pipe inlet to the vehicle body and a static electricity suppression rod inside the filler pipe will be installed at no charge to owner.

6. Vacuum (service brakes)

   NHTSA 81V084000 Reported July 7, 1981 4,338 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Some vehicles equipped with power brake boosters have front and rear shells that may have been improperly joined. Improperly joined booster shells may separate either partially or completely during brake application.

   Remedy: All defective boosters will be replaced at no charge to owner.

7. Vehicle speed control

   NHTSA 81V045000 Reported April 6, 1981 21,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Fuel may possibly travel through the speed control vacuum lines and into the speed control actuation device (serv0). The fuel can damage seals in the actuator servo and allow vacuum leaks. Such a leak could activate the speed control without any action on the part of the driver. This would cause the vehicle to gradually accelerate.

   Remedy: The vacuum check valve and hose assembly will be replaced and the speed control servo will be replaced if it has been damaged.

8. Tank assembly (fuel system)

   NHTSA 80V142000 Reported November 4, 1980 11,500 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   On certain vehicles, metal fasteners that were used to secure the carpeting to the floor pan may have accidentally penetrated the top of the fuel tank. This would result in a slight fuel leak.

   Remedy: Dealer will inspect vehicles for penetration of the fuel tank by carpet fasteners. Any leaking fuel tanks will be replaced and the floor pan will be sealed, without charge to owners.

9. Electrical system: front underhood

   NHTSA 80V133000 Reported October 15, 1980 7,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Some of the involved vehicles were produced with an engine compartment wire assembly that may have been routed above the air conditioning suction hose. This hose may push up on the wiring harness causing it to contact the hood prop rod bracket attaching bolt. This could lead to penetration or chafing of the wiring insulation.

   Remedy: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, correct the wiring harness routing at no charge to owner.

10. Foundation components (service brakes)

    NHTSA 80V134000 Reported October 3, 1980 27,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

    On certain vehicles, the right and left hand rear brake backing plate attachment bolts may not have been tightened to the correct specifications. Backing plate bolts may not be able to withstand the loads experienced during truck shipment. If the bolts loosen from the spindle during operation, backing plate movement may result in…

    Remedy: Dealer will inspect and tighten the bolts to the proper specifications. Rear brake tubes will be replaced, if necessary, at no charge to owner.

1 owner complaint filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1981 Ford Escort have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA. Complaints peaked in 1997 with 1 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Seats2

What owners are reporting

“Seat frame and slide rail supports failed.”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 11, 1997 · Seats

Compare Ford Escort model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Escort model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1981 Ford Escort

Other Ford models

• F-15037,961 complaints
• Explorer34,566 complaints
• Escape27,430 complaints
• Fusion22,405 complaints
• Focus22,096 complaints
• Taurus18,159 complaints
• Windstar14,158 complaints
• Edge14,065 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.