1989 Ford Mustang Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe electrical trouble: ignition switch and ignition module problems that ranged from no-start conditions to underhood fires, plus a separate group of reports about seat belts that stop retracting. Many of the reports are filed at high mileage on a car that was already well used, and several concern incidents that appeared gradually and intermittently rather than all at once.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Ignition switch trouble and underhood fires

   • 35 complaints (32%)
   • median 121,500 mi at 22.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 23 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2014

   Complaints describe ignition switches that stick, spark or click (particularly in hot weather), keys that get very hot, and cars that need several attempts before the starter engages. Some owners report smoke or fire from the engine compartment, in a few cases shortly after the car was parked; owners say the ignition switch, ignition relay or wiring was found involved. Several say the dealer declined repairs or said the vehicle's VIN was not covered by the ignition switch recall, and a few describe the same complaint returning after a switch replacement. Reports span old and recent filings, mostly on cars well past 80,000 miles, with some switch complaints tied to hot weather.

   Recall 96V071000

   What to check: Ask whether recall 96V071000 was ever performed and keep documentation; inspect the ignition switch, relay and underhood wiring for heat damage or scorching, and note whether the key or switch gets hot in use.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have recently contacted Ford about this problem and I was told that there was no problem. My friend has a 1988 Mustang, who has had the same problem numerous times. I am an electrical engineer and know that this problem is the result of a bad design (I.e. The ignition control module gets too hot, which causes the transistors to function improperly). This is a real problem and I hope it doesn't take many lives to figure this out. Thank you, josh shaw”

   NHTSA complaint #734816, filed 2000-10

   “Received recall notice 96v071000. Contacted dealership and took vehicle on appointed date. After picking up vehicle, noticed ignition acted same as before going to dealer. Owner took ignition apart and contacted manufacturer for part number of replacement. Part was never replaced by dealership.”

   NHTSA complaint #8004461, filed 2002-02
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Engine surges or gains speed on its own

   • 9 complaints (8%)
   • typically at 11.4 yrs old
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2006

   Complaints describe the engine speed rising without warning while driving, sometimes randomly and sometimes repeatedly in one day, leveling off anywhere from about 1,500 to 3,000 rpm; owners say turning the car off and restarting is the only way to stop it. Others report surging or stalling when slowing for a turn, most often with the engine hot and air conditioning on. Owners report dealer visits including throttle body replacement, without a lasting fix. Mileage is not recorded in most of these reports; several note the behavior appears more often in warm weather or with the engine hot.

   What to check: Test drive at full operating temperature with the air conditioning on, including slow turns, and ask whether the throttle body, idle control or throttle linkage has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving out of no where the car will accerator on its own,,this happens randomly,,some times not for a week,, and ten times in one day,, I feel it is very dangerous,,it dont just jump up and stop,,it will keep doing it and go faster until I turn the car off and restart the car,,I had a Ford dealer replace the thottle body,,however before I made it home it did the same thing,,this costed me 500.00 and the car is still doing it up to present day..I have also had to buy more starters than normal because I am always restarting my car while …”

   NHTSA complaint #10170872, filed 2006-10

   “When slowing down to make left or right turns, the engine of the vehicle surges and cuts off with no warning resulting in the loss of power steering and brakes. Problem most often occurs when the engine is hot and the air conditioning is on.”

   NHTSA complaint #734391, filed 2000-10
3. 3
   Seat belts

   Seat belts won't retract or stay latched

   • 17 complaints (16%)
   • median 131,000 mi at 31.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2020

   Owners describe front shoulder and lap belts that pull out but do not reel back in, leaving slack looped outside the door or caught when the door closes, and belts that will not stay in the locked position. The problem is described as happening on both driver and passenger sides, at any time, and one owner attributes it to a worn mechanism on an older car. In some cases a replacement belt is reported not to work after installation. Reported across a wide mileage range, from cars with roughly 130,000 miles to cars where mileage was not recorded.

   What to check: Pull each belt out fully and let it go — it should retract smoothly — and check that the buckle latches and holds under a firm tug on both front seating positions.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Seat belts pull out and latch however the cross body portion does not recede back into frame, only continues to loosen and not retract this happens at any time you ate using the seat belts, happens with front and passenger seat belts, either stopped. Driving, breaking or excelling. Its all the time . My best guess is that the seat belt mechanism is old and wore out. Speedometer stopped working about 8 months ago. At that time there was 131,000 original miles on the motor. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11361416, filed 2020-09, 131,000 miles

   “Seatbelts do not retract properly, and can tangle. Front seat drivers side anchor broke, metal supporting seat rail was split. Repaired via brazing. Speedometer needle clicked from delivery, dealer said was normal, at mileage the needle exited the assembly after a short period of wildly eratic movement.”

   NHTSA complaint #702636, filed 1999-01
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Stalling or cutting out while driving

   Mentioned in 5 of 55 sampled complaints

   Owners report the engine dying suddenly at speed or when slowing, with loss of power steering and power brakes, and describe restarting to recover. Some suspect the distributor-mounted ignition module after a mechanic could not reproduce the fault, and one notes the car overheated and stalled after a broken hose. Dealers are described as unable to find a fault in some cases. Reported in older filings with mileage unrecorded, with several owners linking it to hot weather or a warm engine.

   What to check: Ask whether the ignition module and related electrical parts have been replaced, and take a longer test drive that includes stop-and-go traffic so the engine reaches full temperature.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car at any speed will just suddenly die ... Usually its when it is really warm outside......ive recently read a report about distributer -mounted tfi modules and I beleive ( since my mechanic can not find a problem ) that this could be the cause. Its very scary when driving 55mph and the car suddenly dies and I have no power steering or brakes to stop the vehicle !!! I hope you will reconsider a recall on this situation”

   NHTSA complaint #731895, filed 2000-09

   “Was driving vehicle 35mph when it started overheating. Hose had broken. Then it stalled out while waiting at stop light. Contacted dealership, and informed by mechanic no resolution for problem which was getting worse.”

   NHTSA complaint #877568, filed 2001-01
5. 5
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights flicker or go dim

   • 14 complaints (13%)
   • median 106,500 mi at 27.0 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2020

   Complaints describe headlights and fog lamps flickering on and off or going out entirely while driving at night, with one owner reporting the lamps stayed off for several seconds. Another describes the plastic headlamp lenses fading and going opaque, reducing light output. One owner says a dealer could not find anything wrong; another references a service bulletin about headlamp wiring. Mileage varies; one report is on a car with about 82,000 miles, another had no mileage recorded, and the lens complaint is described as developing over time.

   What to check: Check the headlamp lenses for yellowing or cloudiness, run the headlights and fog lamps together and watch for flicker, and inspect the headlamp wiring connectors for corrosion or heat damage.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife was driving the Mustang and following me at night. She had the fog lamps turned on along with the headlamps and the lights went out. She ran off the road before she could stop, but did not cause any damage. The lights kept flickering on and off staying off for several seconds. We finished the trip we were on with just the headlamps and they did not flicker. We did not bring the car back to town until august and I took it to immel motors Ford dealer in fredericksburg, tx. They could find nothing wrong with it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10651659, filed 2014-10, 82,000 miles

   “The plastic design of the headlights gets faded and opaque, causing the headlights to be dimmer, and may result in visual difficulties and in a potential accident. Please provide further information.”

   NHTSA complaint #835477, filed 1999-03

Buying note. On a car this age, condition and service records matter more than the model itself: confirm any outstanding ignition switch recall work was done and that the belts retract and latch. A thorough warm-weather test drive that exercises the lights, air conditioning and slow-speed turns will surface several of the complaints above.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 55 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.