2016 Ford Mustang Problems

What owners report

Owners of this 2016 Mustang most often write about a rearview camera that goes blank, shows a distorted image, or reports "camera not available," sometimes linked to the wiring harness in the trunk. The next most common themes are a door latch that lets the door pop open while driving, an A/C system that stops cooling because the evaporator core leaks, and a cluster of electrical problems including seat heater connectors that look burned. Engine complaints, such as misfires, coolant loss, and in some cases engine replacement, appear across a wide mileage range.

1. 1
   Back-over prevention (rear camera)

   Rearview camera blank, distorted, or unavailable

   • 66 complaints (17%)
   • median 35,000 mi at 6.4 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe the backup camera image going blank, blurry, inverted, or replaced by a "camera not available" or "can't display image" message when shifting into reverse. Several note that the trunk wiring harness flexes with each open and close and that dealers pointed to the harness, while others were told to reprogram the camera or that the part was not yet available for a recall repair. Some report the problem returned after a recall repair had already been done. Reported from about 20,000 to 93,000 miles, often noticed during ordinary reversing at low speed.

   Recall 25V572000Recall 22V0820002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recalls 22V082000 or 25V572000 were completed, and test the camera in reverse on a used-car lot. Open and close the trunk a few times and see whether the image flickers or cuts out.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I see the news about the new recall of rear-view cameras going blank and not showing images. The new recall is only for 2020 models but my 2016 model has had the same issue for the last year and 1/2. I only have 20k miles on my Mustang. Rear view camera works sometimes but other times is blank and message on screen says can't display image. Occurs when in reversed while backing up.”

   NHTSA complaint #11362266, filed 2020-10, 20,000 miles

   “The rear camera has gone off and on for months now it does not work at all..the dealership has told me there have been many with this problem the harness in the trunk goes up and down with the opening and closing of the trunk creating strain on the wires causing camera failure.. Dealership wants 1000 to fix this and my car has 32000 miles on it the emergency break sticks because the sleving around it gets stuck not allowing the release of the break”

   NHTSA complaint #11413132, filed 2021-04, 32,000 miles
2. 2
   Latches, locks and linkages

   Door pops open while driving

   • 48 complaints (13%)
   • median 50,950 mi at 4.6 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners report a door unlatching on its own at speed, often with a door-ajar message and wind noise, and sometimes both doors in the same trip. Some say the dealer could not reproduce or identify the cause, and a few reference a door latch recall on earlier Mustangs and ask whether this model year is covered. Mostly reported from about 15,000 to 95,000 miles, frequently at highway speed on longer trips.

   What to check: Close each door firmly and check for a door-ajar warning, then watch for a latch that feels loose or releases with light pressure. Ask a seller whether any latch work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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 miles

   “In my 2016 Ford Mustang ecoboost convertible, the passenger door has opened (unlatched) many times while I have been driving. The car has not been wrecked due to my knowledge and the carfax. This doesn't occur often, but when it occurs, it happens multiple times in that day. It usually occurs when driving on the interstate. There is a recall out for 2015 fastback mustangs for this issue. But I presume there is a similar issue with 2016s.”

   NHTSA complaint #11399358, filed 2021-03, 32,500 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Engine misfire, coolant loss, and engine damage

   • 70 complaints (18%)
   • median 52,109 mi at 4.9 yrs old (39 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $6,000 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe a check engine light, misfires traced to a single cylinder, low coolant with coolant found in that cylinder, and in some cases a cracked head, fractured block, or valve damage that led to engine replacement. Several complaints mention the dealer performing a repair that did not hold, or declining coverage after diagnosis. Appears across a wide range, from about 35,000 to 140,000 miles, often during acceleration or highway driving.

   Recall 16V7790002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check coolant level and look for residue in the coolant reservoir, ask for oil change records, and have a pre-purchase inspection look for misfire codes and signs of coolant loss.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At approximately 61,000 miles, the original engine stopped working. Cylinder #3 gave out. Possibly a lspi condition. The engine was replaced under cpo warranty. My new engine has now given out at 36,000 miles. On the 1st engine, I came from Ford dealer after complaining of check engine lights coming on. Oil was changed, codes cleared. I drove approximately 4 city blocks, accelerated from a stop light, and the engine started blowing white smoke and I pulled it off the road. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11349903, filed 2020-08, 35,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a cylinder #3 misfire, and that the spark plugs, coil pack, vacuum sensor, and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred two days later. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11630187, filed 2024-12, 79,575 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   A/C stops cooling (evaporator core leak)

   • 41 complaints (11%)
   • median 33,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $1,825 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2025

   Owners describe the air conditioning blowing warm, especially when the car is stationary or one side of the cabin only, and some note a white film on interior surfaces. Dealers and mechanics reportedly diagnosed a leaking evaporator core, with repair quotes involving dashboard removal, and owners say mileage was low when it happened. Reported from roughly 20,000 to 37,000 miles, often noticed on hot days and shortly after warranty expiration.

   What to check: Run the A/C on a warm day and feel for cold air from both sides, and ask whether the evaporator core or blend door actuator has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The AC in my 2016 Ford Mustang has stopped working and I have researched online to find that many 2016 Ford Mustang owners are having similar issues. My car is just out of warranty and only has 20,000 miles on it yet is having this major issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11340681, filed 2020-07, 20,000 miles

   “While I was driving I had my defroster on, and I noticed the passenger side started to fog up, but not the driver side. When I got to a red light, I felt the passenger side blowing cold air instead of hot air which caused me not to see well due to half the windshield being fogged up. After doing research, I found out that a lot of owners with 15-17 mustangs have this issue and it has to do with the blend door actuator. I replaced that part and installed it and it worked for 2 days and went out again. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11365064, filed 2020-10, 31,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Seat heater/vent connector overheating

   • 18 complaints (5%)
   • median 50,244 mi at 5.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners report the heated and cooled seats quit working while the dash indicator still shows them on, and that the connector under the passenger seat is burned or melting. Some describe a burning smell inside the cabin when the seat heater was on, and dealers quoted several hundred dollars for the repair. Reported from about 35,000 to 64,000 miles, typically noticed when using the seat heating or cooling.

   What to check: Unplug nothing yourself, but ask whether the seat harness or connector under the passenger seat has been replaced, and check that both heated and cooled settings work on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I began to smell something burning from inside my car while I was driving. After further investigation I discovered the burning smell was coming from the passenger seat when the seat heater was on. I unplugged the wiring harness to find that a pin was burning and melting the plastic.”

   NHTSA complaint #11324338, filed 2020-05, 90,000 miles

   “The heated/ventilated seats motherboard and wiring is under the passenger seat. There is a connector for the ground plug in that is burnt (would be better if you can send a picture of what I am talking about). Went to Ford about it and they were going to charge me $600 to have it fixed. I don’t have that much to fix it right now, so now I am worried about a fire starting in my car because of that connector. I checked online and many other Mustang owners (15-17 Mustang models) complained about the same issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11567050, filed 2024-01, 119,054 miles

Buying note. Check that the open camera recalls were actually completed, verify the A/C blows cold from both sides, and test the door latches and seat heaters, since these are common complaint topics on this model year. A pre-purchase inspection that reads stored engine codes and checks coolant is worth doing given the engine complaints.

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.