2018 Ford Mustang Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe engine and transmission problems, and the two often overlap: coolant leaking into a cylinder leading to a replacement engine, and harsh, delayed or hard shifts from the automatic transmission. Many of these reports come in at low mileage, with a large share under about 20,000 miles, while door-latch and rear-camera complaints tend to appear later in the vehicle's life.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hard, delayed or failed shifts (10-speed automatic)

   • 38 complaints (19%)
   • median 17,500 mi at 2.7 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe jerking, harsh engagement, delayed or refused shifts, and occasionally a vehicle that would not move out of first gear or failed to engage reverse. Some owners were told the transmission needed replacement, and others that the valve body or internal clutch parts were at fault. Spread from a few thousand miles up to about 100,000 miles, with many reports between 30,000 and 70,000 miles.

   Recall 18V2130004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive it through several upshifts and downshifts from a stop and at highway speed, and ask whether any transmission software update or repair has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At acceleration the car won't shift when needed then it'll automatically down shift and stop accelerating. The RPM gage needle bounces up & down with & with acceleration imaged speed still decreases then something catches and it'll start accelerating & RPM going to high then starts all over before finally working right.”

   NHTSA complaint #11301025, filed 2020-01, 27,000 miles

   “Vehicle experiences random non repeatable periods of hard shifting, refusal to go into gear, grinding gears, jerkiness and what feels occasionally like transmission slips. When it occurs it mostly happens under heavy acceleration such as trying to get up to speed on an on ramp or trying to get to highway speeds but not always. Recently while traveling in a 45mph zone I attempted to shift into 3rd gear. Clutch was fully depressed and noticeable gear grinding happened and an immediate second attempt resulted in same result. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11328620, filed 2020-06, 28,700 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Coolant intrusion into a cylinder (engine misfire)

   • 36 complaints (18%)
   • median 56,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $5,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners describe a check engine light, shaking or misfire at startup, and coolant loss, often with white smoke from the tailpipe. In several reports a dealer or independent shop traced the misfire to coolant entering a cylinder and told the owner the engine needed replacement; some had cylinder heads replaced instead. A few owners reported the work was covered under warranty and others that it was not. Reported from roughly 23,000 to 72,000 miles, several of them around 50,000 to 68,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Watch the coolant level over a few weeks and look for white exhaust smoke or a rough cold start; ask whether the head gasket or engine has been replaced and request service records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating. The contact then became aware that coolant was leaking out of the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that either the head gasket was blown or there was a hairline fracture in the engine block or the cylinder head. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11514455, filed 2023-03, 53,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a code reader which indicated that a spark plug had caused an engine misfire. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was confirmed as a spark plug misfire; however, the dealer determined that the failure was a result of coolant intrusion into cylinder #3. Due to the failure, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11566520, filed 2024-01, 72,212 miles
3. 3
   Latches, locks and linkages

   Front doors opening or coming ajar while driving

   • 24 complaints (12%)
   • median 47,543 mi at 3.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners report the driver or passenger door unlatching on its own while driving, at highway and city speeds, often accompanied by the door-ajar chime or wind noise. Several were told a spring or latch part in the door needed replacement, and one owner said a related customer satisfaction program had already expired for their vehicle. Mostly reported between about 27,000 and 70,000 miles.

   What to check: Open and close each door several times and check for a loose or weak latch feel and whether the door sits flush; ask whether any door latch work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The passenger side door comes open at low or high rate of speed. The driver side door does the same thing. My Mustang is a convertible so when the doors come open or ajared it is very frightening. This happens on the interstate or in the country or in the city. It is very dangerous situation. This happens at all speeds.”

   NHTSA complaint #11362551, filed 2020-10, 50,000 miles

   “Driver and passenger door unlatches at highway speeds. I have owned this vehicle for 10 months and this has happened once on the driver side door and several times on the passenger side door. The passenger side door unlatched at highway speeds twice within 30 minutes on the last occurrence.”

   NHTSA complaint #11414591, filed 2021-04, 54,000 miles
4. 4
   Back-over prevention (rear camera)

   Rear-view camera blank, dark or distorted image

   • 10 complaints (5%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 5.5 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2020–2026

   Complaints describe a backup camera that shows a black, cloudy or distorted image with grey lines, or stops working altogether while in reverse. Some owners link the problem to a rear-view camera recall and report the part was not yet available or that the dealer found the camera working. Reported from around 37,000 to 100,000 miles, several near 44,000 to 70,000 miles.

   Recall 25V5720003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Put the car in reverse and look at the screen in daylight and low light; check whether the rear-camera recall work has been completed for this VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while parked, he attempted to access the trunk of the vehicle, and upon depressing the trunk release, he heard clicking, but the trunk failed to open. Upon investigation, the contact noticed that the trunk appeared stuck or jammed, with no external damages observed. A month prior to the trunk malfunction, the contact noticed unspecified video feed issues with the rearview camera. No warning lights were illuminated. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11524401, filed 2023-05, 81,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that on several occasions while in reverse (R), the rear-view camera screen displayed a cloudy image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11706462, filed 2025-12, 44,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster goes blank or fails

   • 12 complaints (6%)
   • median 40,000 mi at 3.5 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2025

   Owners report the instrument cluster staying dark after startup or going blank for several seconds while driving, sometimes requiring replacement of the cluster assembly. Some owners noted they were told their vehicle was not included in a related electrical recall. Mostly reported between about 33,000 and 58,000 miles, with a few at lower mileage.

   Recall 17V814000

   What to check: Start the car a few times and confirm the cluster lights up and all gauges read; ask whether the cluster or its software has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving the 12 LED instrument panel has gone dark for several seconds. This panels shows speed, tach, fuel gauge, temp, oil pressure, I found a recall for similar issue on the 2019 Mustang and other Ford autos. This may be just showing up on the 2018 Mustang.”

   NHTSA complaint #11308972, filed 2020-02, 41,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster remained blank. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Instrument Panel Cluster assembly (IPC) needed to be replaced. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V076000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11504980, filed 2023-02, 33,000 miles

Buying note. Have a mechanic check for coolant loss and do a compression or leak test before buying, and drive the car long enough to feel how the automatic shifts. Also confirm any open recalls, especially the rear-camera and transmission park-function campaigns, have been completed.

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.