2006 Ford Mustang GT Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the accelerator pedal and throttle response, both sudden unintended acceleration and hesitation or delayed response when pulling away. A second large group of complaints covers water leaking into the passenger-side floor area, and many describe the Takata airbag recalls and long waits for replacement parts. Reports are spread from very low mileage up past 100,000 miles, and several repeat in hot or cold weather.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden unintended acceleration / sticky throttle

   • 23 complaints (15%)
   • median 31,000 mi at 3.5 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2017

   Owners describe the car accelerating on its own, often from a stop or while pulling into a parking space, with the pedal going toward the floor and braking only slowing the car. Several say the pedal stayed down until the engine was shut off, and some linked it to a floor mat trapping the pedal. Complaints also describe the dealer being unable to duplicate the symptom or finding nothing wrong. Reported from under 1,000 miles up to about 120,000 miles, with many at low mileage and some in cold or hot weather.

   What to check: Check that the floor mat is the correct factory mat and is clipped down, and ask whether the throttle body or pedal assembly has been replaced. Drive the car from a stop and at low speed and note any pedal that does not return promptly.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This is the second time this has happened. My gas pedal has gotten stick to the floor and will not let up unless I shut the car off, wait about 10 seconds then start it up again. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the throttle body getting stuck open or what. It's pretty frightening. I'm almost scared to drive the car especially when I have the kids.”

   NHTSA complaint #10597009, filed 2014-06, 85,000 miles

   “At 12:00 pm my sister in law called me and said her 06 Mustang Gt was hesitating when accelerating, I advised her to bring it to my shop and I would check it out. I checked to see if any codes were set, and the codes were clear. I test drove the vehicle and when trying to accelerate, there was a 4-6 second delay between pushing on the accelerator pedal and the response of the engine accelerating. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10378450, filed 2011-01, 56,883 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbag recall parts and wait times

   • 63 complaints (42%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 10.9 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2019

   Many complaints concern the Takata driver and passenger airbag recalls, mainly the difficulty of getting the replacement done. Owners say dealers had no parts or could not schedule the work, that calls were not returned, and that loaner cars were not offered. A few report the airbag warning light staying on with a light passenger, or an airbag not deploying in a collision. Reported from new up to about 184,000 miles, mostly in complaints filed years after purchase as the recalls were announced.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for written confirmation that the driver and passenger airbag recalls have been completed, and check the airbag warning light with a light passenger in the seat. The service bulletin describes an airbag module quality control inspection.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “It has been over 1 year since the discovery of safety issues with the passenger side airbag in my car. There has been no urgency around fixing this issue in a timely manner. Please help expedite the replacement process so I don't have to watch someone I care about die next to me due to shrapnel injuries from a faulty inflator.”

   NHTSA complaint #11015157, filed 2017-08, 120,000 miles

   “I am concerned about a recall (14v802) the recall indicates that fragments can strike the occupants of the vehicle in the event of a crash. Ford is telling me that this is not the recall which has been in the news lately about that very same symptom even though the vehicle has been in the desert for the last 9 years. I'm confused about which recall qualifies for the priority repair if this one doesn't.”

   NHTSA complaint #10721688, filed 2015-05, 53,000 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Water leaking onto passenger floor

   • 15 complaints (10%)
   • median 36,500 mi at 4.8 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2017

   Complaints describe water pooling on the passenger-side floorboard after rain or a car wash, sometimes soaking the carpet and leaving a mold smell. Several owners say the cowl or firewall area was resealed or a drain was cleared, and in some cases the leak returned or a control module under the passenger seat was damaged by the water. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 130,000 miles; several mention it appearing after heavy rain or washing the car.

   What to check: Pull back the passenger-side floor mat and carpet and look for stains, dampness or a musty smell, and ask whether the cowl or firewall seam has been resealed. Check that the electronics under the passenger seat work after a wash.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had water coming into the passenger compartment when washing my car causing damage to the carpet. Dealership advised a weld from the firewall to the a post on passenger side was not made at factory and gramits had been missing with no sign of them ever being installed. Ford is refusing to fix and states the issue is with in their tolerances. As a Ford customer owning a $55,000 show mustang this is not sitting well.”

   NHTSA complaint #10312774, filed 2010-02, 15,500 miles

   “Whenever I get heavy rainfall or take my car to a car wash I experience the unpleasant situation of having my passenger side front of the vehicle fill up with water. The first time it happened I attributed it to a freak thing. The next few times I started doing alittle internet research and found alot of other people have the same thing. I have gone back to the dealer and contacted Ford motor company direct and still have no resolution to this problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10424421, filed 2011-09, 57,000 miles
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Hesitation and delayed throttle response

   • 11 complaints (7%)
   • median 56,883 mi at 5.3 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2018

   Complaints describe a pause of several seconds between pressing the accelerator and the car responding, then a jump or surge once the throttle opens. Owners say it shows up when pulling into traffic or after steady highway driving, and some were told the dealer could not reproduce it. A few had the throttle body replaced or used an aftermarket tune to reduce the delay. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 87,000 miles, often after highway driving or in stop-and-go traffic.

   What to check: During the test drive, accelerate from a stop and from a steady cruise and note any delay before the engine responds. Ask whether the throttle body has been cleaned or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Hesitation at acceleration and unintended acceleration. Hesitation was not corrected at dealership, I corrected through computer reprogram with diablo programmer to decrease amount of throttle delay, hesitation gone. Unintended acceleration corrected by modifying the brake pedal to increase distance between gas and brake pedals which are extremely to close, solved problem. Dealership mechanics are inept and unskilled. Took me half hour to identify and correct pedal issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #10248455, filed 2008-11, 12,000 miles

   “Our Ford Mustang Gt that was purchased for our 17 yr old daughter was purchased 2-21-2006 it had its first problems at 629 miles on 3-4-2006 the dealership replaced some followers and some lifters and some camshaft parts. We've been told all should be replaced the whole bank. Dealer won't do anything about it car started smoking a week later and making ticking noise again. Dealer said it didn't do it there so nothing was done. Next, car started hesitating after driving on hwy couple hrs. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10167713, filed 2006-09, 629 miles

Buying note. Look closely at the passenger-side floor for water damage and confirm the airbag recalls were completed, since those two come up repeatedly. A slow or hesitant throttle response is also worth checking on a test drive before deciding.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.