One problem related to clutch has been reported for the 1999 Ford Escort. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
1999 Ford Escort, 5 speed manual transmission, station wagon: oil leaked through the camshaft bolts into the manual clutch assembly, causing it to gum up and eventually fail to disengage the transmission. Symptoms included the car lurching forward when starting the engine with the clutch fully depressed, and a thumping sound when the clutch was depressed while driving. The clutch was replaced at owner's expense by kayser Ford in madison WI; unclear what was done with the old parts.