Two problems related to air bag on-off switch have been reported for the 1998 Ford Escort. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Consumer was traveling approximately 45mph on dry roads another vehicle cut in front trying not to hit vehicle. Consumer hit two parked cars instead. Airbags in front didn't deploy. Manufacturer referred consuemr to a Ford dealer. Vehicle has a fuel injection switch that cut vehicle off. Vehicle started back up.
Brief summary of defective safety gear: 09/26/98 this vehicle was traveling 35-40mph and rear-ended a truck, neither air-bag deployed. Now, 9/17/99, atruck traveling 35-40mph rear-ended this vehicle causing about a 20mph smash to the vehicle in front and again, no air bag deployment and the fuel pump cut-off switch failed to function. This time however, the driver of this vehicle received double the whip-lash effect that could have been kept to the single inflictrd in a rear-end collision involving only two vehicles. A needless neck injury has been suffered this time and I feel that if the air-bags were deployed, the elimination of the forward whip would not have been a factor of the neck injury.