2002 Ford Mustang Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year center on three themes: seat belts that stop retracting or pulling out, air bags that fail to deploy in a crash (or, in a few cases, deploy with no impact), and engine speed that climbs or surges when the driver is off the gas. Reports arrive across a wide mileage span, from a few thousand miles to well past 100,000, and many owners describe dealers either unable to duplicate the problem or declining to cover the repair.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bags not deploying in a crash

   • 20 complaints (17%)
   • median 35,600 mi at 3.5 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 16 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2019

   Several owners describe collisions at moderate speed, including head-on impacts and hitting a barrier, where the front air bags did not deploy while occupants were injured. A few complaints describe the opposite: bags deploying with no impact, at low speed over a curb, or while stopped in traffic. Others report bags deploying in a very low-speed bump with little visible front-end damage. Spread across the life of the vehicle, from under 20,000 miles to about 115,000 miles, with no clear mileage pattern.

   What to check: Ask for any record of air bag diagnostics or module repairs, and have the air bag warning lamp and stored codes checked before purchase; a lamp that never lights or stays lit is worth investigating.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Subject:airbag failure comments: twice now my son has had an accident with his 2002 Mustang and the airbag did not deploy. Fortunately he was not hurt. My major concern is that I had the airbag specifically tested at the repair shop at the last repair before accepting delivery of the car. I was told someone is hired by the repair shop to come out and run tests by hooking up instruments to the car and getting a read out. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10023237, filed 2003-06, 26,000 miles

   “There was a vehicle in front of me. Both vehicles were traveling at the same speed. The car in front of me anchored the brakes. I was 3 car length behind. Th ABS failed and did not allow the brakes to resume. We hit the back end of the car in front at 35mph. The passenger seatbelt broke ending my fiance head into the windshield. The airbags did not deploy car was totaled and the toyota did not have a scratch: myself and my girl are both injured. I purchased this car 5/14. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10654900, filed 2014-11, 146,000 miles
2. 2
   Seat belts

   Seat belts will not retract or pull out

   • 13 complaints (11%)
   • median 62,250 mi at 8.0 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2014

   Owners describe front seat belts, most often the passenger side, that retract slowly, jam half-way out, or stop releasing webbing entirely so the belt cannot be used. In several accounts the belt was replaced or repaired at a dealer only to fail again within weeks. Owners report being quoted several hundred dollars for a new assembly, and some say the dealer declined to treat it as a defect. Reported from roughly 5,000 to about 100,000 miles, with many accounts in the 45,000-85,000 mile range and after years of use.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Buckle and unbuckle both front belts and confirm each pulls out fully and retracts on its own. Two service bulletins concern belt retraction speed and the web stop button, so ask whether either was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We have had a 2002 Ford Mustang for one year. The passenger seat belt will not function properly. It will not come out all the way making it useless. I had the dealership look at it. It was fixed for approximately a week. It is now unusable again. From my search on this issue there seems to be a lot of complaints about it. Why should I pay for a new assembly for something that occurs frequently with similar cars and is not being taken care of by Ford.”

   NHTSA complaint #10395364, filed 2011-04, 80,000 miles

   “2002 Mustang seatbelts do not function properly, will not retract, and can not pull out. That means that it can not be used. I have talked to may people that have told me this is a common problem with the Mustang. Any info would be helpful.”

   NHTSA complaint #10311709, filed 2010-02, 100,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Engine speed rises or car surges with foot off the gas

   • 14 complaints (12%)
   • median 32,000 mi at 3.5 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2001–2015

   Owners describe the engine revving or the car lurching forward while braking or coasting, sometimes described as the throttle sticking at cruising speed or on a downhill grade. In some accounts the car had to be shifted into neutral or park to stop it, and the brake pedal went to the floor without stopping the vehicle. Dealers are reported as unable to duplicate the condition or as calling it a normal characteristic. Mostly reported between about 30,000 and 75,000 miles, with a few at much lower mileage and one above 100,000.

   What to check: On a test drive, check that engine speed settles promptly when you lift off the pedal and that the throttle body and cable move freely; ask whether the throttle body or idle control has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “First incident: I was approaching my mail box to stop and get my mail out, while braking instead of stopping the car accelerated and went right past my mailbox. I drove into my stone driveway, the car continued to accelerate rapidly even though I had stopped, the tires were spinning so fast they mad ruts in my driveway. Even sitting there in park, the RPM needle was racing upward. No check engine lights go on. I turned the car off. Next day I went out, and car was still accelerating without me stepping on the gas. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10545310, filed 2013-09, 31,000 miles

   “While driving 40 MPH and when brakes were depressed the vehicle pulled from side to side. There was a clunk after the brakes were released, the front tires rubbed on the frame when turning, three belts were installed within 6000, the vehicle smelled like oil, even with the A/C on. The motor rattled before the gears were shifted, with the A/C on the motor would surge up and down to the point where the vehicle would pull. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10080140, filed 2004-07, 6,936 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Under-hood fires while parked

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   A handful of owners report the car catching fire under the hood or in the engine bay while parked and shut off, in some cases hours after the last drive, with the front of the car heavily damaged. One account attributes the fire to an electrical short near the battery and wiring; another describes the fire starting shortly after a short drive. Reported from very low mileage up to roughly 148,000 miles, typically with the vehicle parked and off.

   What to check: Have the under-hood wiring and battery cables inspected for chafing, bare spots or previous repairs, and check for a history of electrical work or aftermarket accessories.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car had under 38000 miles on it but I hadn't driven it since 4:30 pm but at about 5 am woke up to the explosions and the car engulfed in flames. Ford has been unresponsive to this saying there is no defect, but it is similar to the expeditions exploding in flames for no reason there were no modifications to the car or any reason for it to catch fire by itself the car was a total loss and I did not have insuranse to cover it because I am a single mom and was trying to save a few pennies and had no reason to believe that new of a car would …”

   NHTSA complaint #10114364, filed 2005-03, 38,000 miles

   “My wife was pulling in to the drive way on her way from doing some errands a drive of less than 5 miles and its a rural road where you cant drive more than 30 miles an hour when she smelt like something was burning. She checked the gauges and everything seemed fine and then saw smoke coming off the hood. She only had time to park the car and get off as the whole engine bay got engulfed in flames.the fire fighters arrived and were able to control the fire from spreading but the front half of the car was totally destroyed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10609977, filed 2014-07, 148,000 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection that covers the front seat belts, air bag system codes and under-hood wiring is worth the cost on this model year, and ask for any service records on the throttle body and spark plugs. Because many of these complaints involve safety items, budget for repairs rather than assuming the car is sorted.

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.