Ford Escort Stereo Wiring Diagram

Our Escort stereo wiring diagram is a complete guide to your radio wires and Escort speaker wiring. Whether you are looking to upgrade your Ford Escort sound system, or want to reinstall a factory Escort radio, this guide can help. The Ford Escort was available through three generations, and today I’ll be showing you our Escort stereo wiring schematic from 1980-2003.

Installing an aftermarket radio or completing your Escort stereo install is easy with this Escort stereo wiring guide. This car audio wiring guide can also help you install a navigation system or a MP3 player of your choice. Of course if all you need is a FM translator to upgrade your Escort radio, we’ve got one of the best values in our online store.

To start our Escort stereo wiring guide we will start with the first generation Ford. This vehicle spanned the year range of 1980 to 1990, and it’s one of the simpler Escort stereo wiring diagrams in our guide.

You will find that the earlier model Fords made it much easier for a Escort stereo install. That’s because later model Escorts included a special factory Ford radio and housing that required aftermarket parts. These parts are also called Escort stereo install kits.

First Gen Escort Stereo Wiring 1980–1990

The earliest model of Escort on our car stereo wiring guide, the first generation was also one of the easiest. Because of the early dashboard and center console layout, accessing the stereo brackets were easy to get to.

Car Radio Battery Constant 12v+ Wire: Light Green/Green
Car Radio Accessory Switched 12v+ Wire: Yellow/Black
Car Radio Ground Wire: Chassis
Car Radio Illumination Wire: Blue/Red
Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Green
Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Black/White
Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Red
Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Black/White
Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Pink/Red
Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Pink/Blue
Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Pink/Blue
Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Green/Red

The front Escort speakers were found in the dashboard, which complicated matters when you wanted to upgrade your Escort speaker system.

Second Gen Escort Stereo Wiring 1990–1996

There are several upgrades and changes to the next generation of Ford Escort. These changes made it slightly harder to upgrade the Escort stereo, but with the right car stereo install kit it wasn’t too bad.

Car Radio Battery Constant 12v+ Wire: Blue/Red
Car Radio Accessory Switched 12v+ Wire: Blue/Black
Car Radio Ground Wire: Black
Car Radio Illumination Wire: Red/Black

Because of the oddball location in the center console, removal of the cigarette lighter and ashtray was required.

Once you had the center console taken apart, you can easily remove the single DIN style factory Escort radio.

Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Violet
Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Blue/Orange
Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Blue/White
Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): White

This year range of Ford Escort was the last one to use this kind of layout. After this upgrading your Ford Escort stereo became a lot more complicated.
Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Blue
Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Red/Blue
Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Green
Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Blue

Installing a navigation system or MP3 player into this year range does not require a custom install kit, although one is recommended if you are installing a motorized face. This is because of the Escort stereo layout, and how the climate controls may get in the way of a aftermarket radio install.

Third Gen Escort Stereo Wiring 1996–2002

Easily one of the hardest factory Escort radios to upgrade, this year range shares a lot in common with the Ford Taurus. The custom Escort stereo came in a circular design which makes a radio install kit required for any aftermarket Ford Escort stereo install.

Car Radio Battery Constant 12v+ Wire: Blue/Red
Car Radio Accessory Switched 12v+ Wire: Blue/Black
Car Radio Ground Wire: Black
Car Radio Illumination Wire: Red/Black

Because the Escort radio is so carefully integrated into the dashboard, this made any aftermarket Escort stereo install difficult. You will need a install kit that replaces the face of your factory Escort radio with a panel that can be cut to fit your single DIN radio.

Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Violet
Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Blue/Orange
Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Blue/White
Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): White

Of course this doesn’t change the wiring layout if you want to install a car amplifier into your Ford. Accessing the Escort speakers in this year range is significantly easier because of the placement in the doors.
Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Blue
Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Red/Blue
Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Green
Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Blue

Have any questions about our Escort stereo wiring guide? Leave us a comment below and let us know!