All the rubber bushings of my Escort's front sway bar cracked badly in the first year, and one of the replacements cracked in a few months (looked more like rot than mechanical wear).
BTW, when I asked the Ford dealer for the price of the pan gasket a decade ago, I was quoted $29.xx. The Toyota dealer wanted $8.99 for the equivalent Corolla part Then when I needed a 2-pin air temperature sensor connector my Nissan, the dealer said it was $7.99. Out of curiousity, I phoned the Ford dealer to see what they'd charge for it: $29.99. So much for foreign brand cars having costlier parts.