Two problems related to underhood wiring have been reported for the 1998 Ford Escort. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
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.
Sensor light comes on and off intermittently. Consumer took vehicle to dealership, and mechanic fixed vehicle. Dealership mechanic replaced wiring in front of vehicle, and problem came back three months ago. Dealer told her to ride with sensor light on. Service engine soon light on steady due to powertrain control module (pcm) failure.