2001 Ford Mustang Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2001 Mustang most often write about airbags that deployed in very low-speed impacts or failed to deploy in frontal crashes, and about seat belts that will not retract or release. A second cluster involves the fuel filler tube rusting through and leaking fuel, and rear brakes or parking brakes that let the car roll when parked. Complaint mileage is wide, from near-new cars to well over 150,000 miles, with the fuel and lighting complaints tending to show up on older vehicles.

1. 1
   Seat belts

   Seat belts will not retract, release or untwist

   • 18 complaints (10%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 5.1 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • filed 2001–2020

   Owners describe front seat belts that stop retracting, stay stuck partway out, twist inside the retractor, or in one case would not release from the holder at all. Some say the belt ends up loose when worn. Dealers quoted replacement cost or declined warranty coverage, and owners note the same complaint appearing repeatedly on Mustang forums; one mechanic advised replacing the windshield wiper arms rather than fixing the belt. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 111,000 miles, with several under 40,000.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Pull each belt all the way out and let it retract several times, and check that no belt is twisted or slow to wind back.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1. There is a dreadful gas fume odor inside the car every time I put fuel in the car especially when I fill the tank. 2.the emergency brake does not work properly. When engaged my car still rolls a little. 3. The seat belts do not retract properly and tend to twist and tangle when I try to do it manually.”

   NHTSA complaint #11366261, filed 2020-10, 200,000 miles

   “I own a 2001 Ford Mustang and the front driver and passenger seat belts have been a problem for more than 3 years. They do not retract due to the cheap components used to keep them from twisting. This also causes them to be loose when wearing them. I have been to many message boards on Mustang websites and have found that many people have been having the same problem. I recently had a conversation with a local dealership service dept. Manager and was told that they had 2 mustangs in that month for this repair. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10148141, filed 2006-01, 23,000 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbags that deploy too easily or fail to deploy

   • 26 complaints (15%)
   • median 54,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 22 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2008

   Complaints describe front airbags deploying in low-speed impacts with no visible body damage, as well as airbags that did not deploy in frontal collisions where owners expected them to. Several owners asked the dealer or manufacturer to cover replacement, which was declined. In the non-deployment reports the vehicle was usually towed and sometimes totaled, and owners say no inspection was done to explain why the bags stayed put. Reported from about 20,000 to 81,000 miles, across both low-speed and highway-speed impacts.

   What to check: Ask whether either airbag has been replaced or the airbag system scanned for stored codes, and check that the airbag warning lamp does its normal self-test on startup.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Airbags deployed on 2001 Ford Mustang from a very low speed impact that caused no damage to the car except for the deployment of the airbags. Both front airbags will have to be replaced. The speed at impact was less than 5 m.p.h. And absolutely no damage was done to the body of the car. The airbags should not have deployed at this low of speed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10107804, filed 2005-01, 21,000 miles

   “2001 Ford cobra air bags activated with out major damage to the bumper upon collision. The vehicle was only going about 2 MPH when it came in contact with the other vehicle. The consumer feels that the air bags should not have deployed and requested that Ford authorizes replacement of the air bags at no cost. Ford denied the consumer request.”

   NHTSA complaint #10145339, filed 2005-07, 33,290 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Fuel filler neck rusted through, fuel leaks

   • 11 complaints (6%)
   • median 69,320 mi at 11.5 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2006–2014

   Owners report gasoline smells and puddles under the car, traced to the metal fuel filler tube rusting through. Several explain that a plastic cover on the filler elbow traps dirt and moisture against the pipe. Some say the car cannot be filled above half a tank without leaking, and repairs involved replacing the filler neck. Mostly reported between roughly 43,000 and 189,000 miles, on older vehicles.

   What to check: Inspect the filler neck and the area behind the fuel door for rust, and look for stains or a fuel smell around the rear of the car after filling the tank.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My gas filler tube has rusted due to the plastic shield, dirt and moisture has been trapped on this part of my 01 Mustang and now there is a huge hole on the filler tube. I've done my research on a couple forums and apparently I'm not the only one with this same issue on models from 2000-2004 I'm pretty sure we all know how serious this problem is seeing that fuel is leaking to the ground which is a fire hazard and can result in a fatality.”

   NHTSA complaint #10480676, filed 2012-10, 142,734 miles

   “Fuel filler line has a plastic cover that traps dirt against the metal filler hose. This resulted in the metal filler hose rusting causing a hole in the line. When filling up with fuel the vehicle leaks fuel through this hole. When tank is full fuel leaks through this hole while driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #10460023, filed 2012-05, 70,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brakes and parking brake: rolling, weak pedal, ABS faults

   • 17 complaints (10%)
   • median 60,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2024

   Complaints describe the car rolling with the parking brake engaged, a rear caliper seizing, and long or soft pedal feel with slow braking response. Others report the ABS warning lamp staying on, and mechanics diagnosing a failed ABS control module or a fluid leak from the ABS pump. Some owners say repairs did not resolve the problem. Reported anywhere from about 20,000 to 115,000 miles, sometimes after extended parking-brake use on inclines.

   Recall 00V349000

   What to check: Test the parking brake on a hill, check that the ABS lamp goes out after startup, and ask whether the ABS module or pump has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2 days earlier had car at mechanic and he said my pads were a little low so they shoould be changed. The day I had the appointmnet to replace the pads the rear caliper frozen open and emergency brake would not work either. While in my driveway with foot on brake pedal, car started rolling forward. Hit post in driveway and tore off driver mirror and dented door. Brought car back to mechanic then towed car to dealer as I had extended warranty and didn't want to pay mechanic for parts or labor as mechanic stated caliper frozen. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10104498, filed 2004-12, 40,000 miles

   “ABS light came on, sometimes when braking/slowing down at freeway speeds, the brakes won't catch and it feels like I'm going to ram into the cars ahead, I've replaced the rotors, the calipers, the brakes, the wheel bearings, ABS light won't go away, I've looked into it on the bullitt community forums, and this is a common problem that most just decide to live with, cause no solution has been found.”

   NHTSA complaint #11594615, filed 2024-06
5. 5
   Engine cooling

   Engine misfire, cracked exhaust manifolds, rough running

   • 7 complaints (4%)
   • median 63,847 mi at 9.1 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2012

   Owners describe exhaust smells under the hood, misfires and rough idle traced to cracked exhaust manifolds and, in one case, a burned-through EGR tube. Others report a spark plug blowing out of the cylinder head on the 4.6L V8. Dealers replaced manifolds, hoses and sensors; some owners say the same failure came back. Typically between about 54,000 and 115,000 miles.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Listen for exhaust ticking or smell exhaust in the engine bay after a cold start, and ask whether the manifold or spark plug threads have been repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After having a strong vibration in the dash at higher rates of speed 60+, and then developing heavy engine knock with rough idling, I took vehicle to the dealership. There I learned that I had 3 bad rods and needed a complete new engine after only having 57,000 on the original one.”

   NHTSA complaint #10093852, filed 2004-10, 57,694 miles

   “2001 v6 Ford Mustang suddenly started to miss-fire. I have been smelling exhaust odors for some time, but could not find anything wrong. I took it to the dealer as soon as it started to miss-fire. They diagnosed the problem as a sensor with moisture in it and both exhaust manifolds were cracked. It's no wonder I was smelling exhaust fumes. I was lucky not to be overcome with carbon monoxide while driving. There was no apparent reason for the exhaust manifold failure. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10303254, filed 2010-01, 70,000 miles

Buying note. Check the airbag and ABS warning lamps, exercise the seat belts and parking brake, and inspect the fuel filler neck for rust before buying. Records showing recent brake and exhaust work are worth asking about, since these are the areas owners most often write about.

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.