Ford Mustang Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 9,231 consumer complaints across the 44 model years of the Ford Mustang (1983–2026) that have at least 5 complaints. 2005 has the most, with 705. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (2,391 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Mustang years →
All Mustang model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 2,500 | 5 | 25 | — | Too new |
| 2025 | 19 | 14,000 | 6 | 59 | — | Too new |
| 2024 | 84 | 5,000 | 12 | 127 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2023 | 15 | 14,000 | 6 | 72 | — | Too new |
| 2022 | 50 | 10,102 | 9 | 122 | 15 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2021 | 55 | 5,465 | 6 | 148 | 18 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2020 | 121 | 24,000 | 8 | 184 | 50 · Typical | Rising |
| 2019 | 151 | 20,000 | 6 | 184 | 38 · Typical | Rising |
| 2018 | 196 | 28,795 | 3 | 198 | 28 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2017 | 268 | 40,000 | 6 | 155 | 41 · Typical | Stable |
| 2016 | 380 | 35,300 | 5 | 167 | 58 · Typical | Stable |
| 2015 | 438 | 34,500 | 11 | 145 | 73 · More | Falling |
| 2014 | 359 | 24,000 | 3 | 60 | 93 · More | Falling |
| 2013 | 271 | 40,000 | 5 | 66 | 52 · Typical | Stable |
| 2012 | 469 | 23,000 | 6 | 62 | 100 · More | Falling |
| 2011 | 466 | 22,018 | 4 | 63 | 100 · More | Falling |
| 2010 | 261 | 43,086 | 5 | 35 | 50 · Typical | Falling |
| 2009 | 181 | 40,000 | 5 | 27 | 48 · Typical | Falling |
| 2008 | 347 | 37,250 | 5 | 24 | 54 · Typical | Falling |
| 2007 | 615 | 36,000 | 5 | 25 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 424 | 54,000 | 5 | 27 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2005 | 705 | 49,500 | 5 | 46 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2004 | 116 | 13,000 | 1 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 145 | 13,958 | 1 | 16 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2002 | 118 | 45,000 | 0 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2001 | 173 | 56,847 | 1 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2000 | 311 | 64,306 | 2 | 14 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1999 | 213 | 60,000 | 3 | 10 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1998 | 236 | 88,900 | 4 | 6 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1997 | 176 | 100,110 | 2 | 4 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1996 | 246 | 70,000 | 3 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1995 | 602 | 79,828 | 5 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 356 | 78,490 | 4 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1993 | 101 | 82,000 | 2 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 69 | 116,863 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 77 | 119,500 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1990 | 85 | 129,000 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 109 | 121,500 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1988 | 108 | 72,313 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1987 | 38 | 65,000 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1986 | 30 | 96,052 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1985 | 16 | 50,000 | 2 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1984 | 18 | 34,250 | 3 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1983 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags2,391 30%
- Transmission and drivetrain1,147 14%
- Electrical system1,143 14%
- Engine cooling983 12%
- Brakes636 8.0%
- Fuel system561 7.1%
- Vehicle speed control537 6.8%
- Engine531 6.7%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2015: “Trunk fails to open. The truck has been operating normally for almost 5 years, then suddenly is unable to open. When I use my fob or the truck release button, I hear the actuator, but the trunk does not unlatch. Considering safety equipment (spare tire ,fire extinguisher, first aid kit) is stored in the trunk, it is critical that it opens when needed.”
NHTSA complaint #11323362, filed 2020-05, 42,000 miles2012: “Same as everyone I know high rev lockout, can't shift past 7krpms clutch pedal sticks to the floor. Gears are rough to get into normal. Will hear loud clunking when changing gears sometimes. Car has 35k miles I bought it with 17k miles and the issue has always been there. This needs to be addressed this could cause transmission failure and accidents if it fails on highways.”
NHTSA complaint #11390844, filed 2021-01, 17,000 miles2016: “While driving my car, the passenger side door will open and I get a message saying passenger door ajar . I have to immediately pull over to shut the door. This happens infrequently, but it is still dangerous to have a door that you think is locked open while driving down the highway. This has happened to me about 4 times since I got the car in november of 2019.”
NHTSA complaint #11337116, filed 2020-07, 23,800 milesOther Ford models
38,897 complaintsFord Explorer
34,624 complaintsFord Escape
27,530 complaintsFord Fusion
22,441 complaintsFord Focus
22,107 complaintsFord Taurus
18,162 complaintsFord Windstar
14,152 complaintsFord Edge
14,106 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology