NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Ford Mustang. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 114,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the engine seized. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that chunks of the head gasket were found inside the engine. In addition, coolant and metal shavings were found in the oil pan. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while attempting to buckle the front driver's side seat belt, the seat belt anchor mounted on the floor by the front driver's side door detached. The contact stated that the seat belt anchor was severely corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the seat belt assembly needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the shipment of the part to the dealer would be expedited. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the message "Engine Failure - SS Repower Mode" and a message advising that the vehicle would shut off in thirty seconds was displayed. The vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact who is disabled was assisted by other motorists pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to Elmer's Auto Repair & Mobile Services, where the vehicle was diagnosed and it was determined that the engine had melted internally, and there were two large holes in the engine. The mechanic replaced the engine. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Passenger door suddenly opens while driving even with doors locked . It’s all over in forums online. Ford won’t cover and sometimes won’t even fix the issue. Has happened on a few occasions already
The rearview can result in a blank or have distorted image. As in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V082000
Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Mustang vehicles manufactured September 26, 2015, to October 1, 2015. The front and rear seat belts and child seat tether anchors may have been damaged in shipping from the supplier to the vehicle assembly plant and may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems." Cust vehicle was built May 2016 but also has the same issues the sealtbelts are rusting and cant be used any longer. Customers havent been able to drive veh for 2 months due to this issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was misfiring. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware of coolant leaking into the engine cylinder. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The warranty company declined to cover the repair under warranty because the failure was a known failure with the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,080.
It started to squeak
A warning light appeared warning that the engine was overheating. However the temperature hand never indicated this. I pulled over immediately and turned the car off. I had it towed to a dealership that would accept my extended warranty. They discovered that the engine block was cracked and that the vehicle will need the engine replaced. My warranty company will not cover it because they said it is a known defect from ford. I know that ford had this same issue on other ecoboost engines but mine is a 2.3l and they have not included that one in the recall.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
Heated and cool seats stopped working after a bit of investigating i saw the ground wire for the module under the passenger seat had melted and could cause a fire. No warning lights or anything.
Ford currently has a TSB (15-0192 idle smoking) out on the Ford Mustang, specifically my car. They know it is an issue, and that several people are having problems with it. But they are not considering it a recall. These cars are having heavy amounts of smoke residuals, which is both damaging to the environment, and to people’s respiratory care as it is blowing major amounts of smoke in the air, and therefore cannot pass an emissions test in my state of Virginia specifically. I believe that Ford knows this is an issue and it should be considered a recall based on current Efficiency and energy standards for vehicles.
Attempted to start the vehicle and heard some sort of noise and nothing happened. Vehicle engine would not turned over or attempt to start. Received a message on the display stating Steering Lock Malfunction. Service now. I found a response from the NHTSA stating how to correct the issue. This only applied to the 2020 model. However, this corrected my issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to stall. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the alternator. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Back up camera recall was unresolved by previous owner. I’ve tried fixing the issue myself but cannot find it. The camera displays blue and black screens while in reverse.
UNKNOWN
Rear back up camera malfunction (not detected). Vehicle is available for inspection. Safety put at risk, because unable to see the rear that is meant to be covered by the camera. Can cause an accident. Issue has been confirmed via dealer that is a recall under Ford. Ford notice states harness and camera covered to be replaced. Went to Ford dealer, states harness replaced and working. Now camera does not work at all. Went to ford again, they replaced the harness, but state camera is not covered by recall. Inspected by ford. No warning messages, just message that camera is not available now.
The bolts holding on the valve covers were not torqued correctly and were finger loose when I found them. I was lead to this discovery because there was a constant burning smell which turned out to be oil leaking out and falling on the exhaust. I found out on a forum that this seems to be a very common problem with 15-17 Mustangs. Additionally, there is a Technical Service Bulletin out explaining to mechanics that Ford did not add enough bolts to hold the valve covers on, leaving 4 or 5 blanks on both sides. Also, the newer 5.0 engines have all the necessary bolts, so basically, Ford thought they could save money by skipping 8-10 bolts on each car. I've already spoken to a Ford dealership and they said they'll have to charge me (unsure of how much yet) to repair a car they didn't build right in the first place! Please look into this.
Component failed: Driver side door latch Safety put at risk: Door could open while car was in motion making driver vulnerable to an accident or exposure of driver to road conditions Has the problem been confirmed: Manufacture Ford has a Safety recalls 15S16 and 16S30 for the problem Component has been inspected by Ford dealer ship. Both drive and passenger door latches were replaced. Were there any warnings before hand: No. Under recall 15S16 and 16S30 2015 Ford Mustang vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Feb. 14, 2014, to April 30, 2015 were included for the door latch failures. My car was built in Sept of 2015 yet experienced the same issue. I was charged for the door latch replacement when the car should have included in the recall.
The driver and passenger seatbelts are unusable due to deterioration. The fabric has shredded to the point that they jam in the mechanism and do not extend far enough to be buckled. I first noticed the issue in February 2024 and have been unable to obtain parts to repair my vehicle due to backorder. I have been unable to use my vehicle safely for over three months and counting. On May 20, 2024 I elevated this issue to Ford customer service (case reference: CAS494959874) and they were unable to do anything for me.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal banging sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact noticed that oil and coolant were leaking from underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine block had fractured, causing the coolant and oil leak. The independent mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V779000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 79,089.
I purchased the vehicle new and have driven it 21085 miles. Since I've owned it, I have had to add 23 quarts of additional oil to keep it full (1qt. every 500-1000 miles). After a couple complaints to Ford, they have advised me that this amount of oil consumption in this vehicle is normal. My warranty expires in March and I'm concerned about the cost of repair after the warranty is up. From a safety standpoint, I'm concerned if the engine were to run out of oil in a traffic situation. I am 74 years old and use the car for weekend, summer pleasure. I don't race it and don't allow others to drive it. Please let me know if other similar vehicles have this issue and if anything can be done. Thank you.
Defective Head Gasket. Causing lack of power while on freeway. Car slowed in speed greatly. Independent service has confirmed water in cylinder #1. CEL did come on.
I received this recall for my backup camera a couple years back and I tried to get it fixed because mine had stopped working so I went when I was off from work to avoid being carless. The Ford dealership in Yuma AZ didn't get the part in time after having my vehicle for a week. I was unable to complete the recall and when I called a couple months later to try to reschedule they told me the recall number had been closed. Therefore my vehicle could no longer be fixed. My rear backup hasn't worked since. Is there anyway to get this situated? I tried going within a reasonable timeframe from getting that letter but they later cancelled the recall somehow.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that with the transmission in the reverse position and while reversing from a parking space, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, reversed, and crashed into a second vehicle. After shifting to the drive position, the vehicle immediately accelerated forward causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash into a tree. During the incident, while pressing the brake pedal the vehicle did not stop and after crashing head-on into a tree the airbags did not deploy. The driver sustained an injured ribs which did not require medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The contact indicated that five other parked vehicles were damaged during the incident. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 43,000.
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. Would like to see about a recall about this.
Dear Sir/Madam: I want to make you aware of the safety recall scam Ford is perpetuating in their rear camera recall. Recall #22S06/NHTSA Recall 22V082. I own a 2016 Ford Mustang which I purchased new in February 2016. I always had issues with my rear camera working intermittently. Finally on [XXX] (mileage 14933) I took it to the selling dealership and told them about the problem. At that time they said they could not "duplicate the problem". The car was under a 3 year 36,.000 mile warranty at the time. I first started seeing notices on the internet in 2020 that Ford was issuing a recall on rear cameras. I was very happy to hear this as my camera was still only working about 1/3 of the time. In March 2022 I got a letter from Ford notifying me of the recall. They stated parts were not available at that time but I would be recontacted to schedule a repair at no cost to me when parts were available. In January 2023 I received a letter that parts were now available. But a new element was introduced for the first time. It was no longer a rear camera recall, "but repair of the 1uggage compartment wiring harness". My selling dealer was not on the list of authorized dealers for the repair so I scheduled an appointment with another local dealer who was on the list. They examined my car and said that the wiring harness was OK, but that my rear camera needed to be replaced. They said it would cost $461 for the part and labor. My camera was still working about every third time I drove it. However, since their "inspection" the camera has not worked at all. At the time of the inspection they could not complete the recall because they had to order parts for the rear wiring harness as they were not in stock. I questioned the service writer as to why my camera no longer worked at all since they had "inspected it"? He did not know. Meanwhile the service writer at the dealership suggested I contact Ford directly for assistance with the cost of the camera replacement. I called the Ford Customer Relationship Center on [XXX] and explained the whole situation. The representative, Beth, said Ford would indeed cover the camera replacement cost and assigned case #CAS[XXX] to me. She said she would call the dealer and let them know. On [XXX] I called the service writer at the dealership and he said he had received no word from Ford about this. I called Ford Customer Service Center again on [XXX] and asked why they had not contacted the dealership about my camera replacement. The representative,. Lans, said they were not going to do anything about the rear camera, the recall was only for the wiring harness. I explained that the camera had always been an issue and should have been replaced under the original 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty. At the time of these phone calls my car had 28,050 miles on it(still under the original warranty mileage of built. 36,000). I had always thought Ford was proud of its products and tried to stand behind what they built. I wrote to Ford and detailed the assignment of a case number and that they had backed out of their promise to replace the camera and asked for reconsideration as I had been a continuous loyal customer of Ford products since 2005. Finally on [XXX], 2023 I got a response reiterating that they were not going to assist me with the cost of replacing the camera on my Ford Mustang. In October 2023 I received another notice from Ford that I need to to tend to the repair/replacement of my rear camera. I think this whole thing is a scam on ford's part to get customers' business at dealerships and increase dealership revenue with the bogus wiring harness recall. It has always been about the defective rear camera in my case. Yes, it is a safety issue and yes, Ford is responsible to fix it. I hope you can encourage them to replace my defective rear camera at no charge to me. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S
The passenger door opens on it's own while in motion. I am afraid my passenger will fall out of the car. The dealership will do nothing since they can not spontaneously make it happen in the short ride they take it on. This happens on a weekly basis. Been happening now for at least 2 years
While driving the doors will open to the secondary latch.
I recently purchased this Ford Mustang 2016 from a used car dealer and while driving this car couple of times we noticed that the car door got unlatched while driving, it doesn't happen all the time but it happened twice so I started researching and found out that there was a recall for this model but I could get the appointment immediately so by the time I was able to get the appointment the dealer says the recall is expired. I Called the dealer in September of 2023 but I got the appointment on October 9th of 2023. Dealer says recall expired on September 30th 2023. I didn't know that recall's expire at certain period. Please help us so we can drive safe.
When putting my vehicle in reverse, the backup camera cuts out and completely doesn’t work, or the image is staticky and unclear. This problem is currently covered under a recall on the backup camera, but after taking my vehicle to a dealer, I was notified that the recall only impacts vehicle’s manufactured during a few months of the year. Because my car was manufactured later in the year, it is not included in the recall, even though I am having the exact issue.
My car is a single owner car, that has documentation of regular oil changes, engine upkeep, and general maintenance since its purchase in 2016. No major issues had been experienced until August, 2023. While driving the car home from work, I felt an immediate loss of power from the engine, my a/c went out, and an error flashed saying the temperature sensor for the cylinder heads showed the engine was overheating. So, in 100+ °F weather, I pulled the car over and turned it off. I let it sit for just over 15 minutes before turning it back on, only to find the car was still in failsafe mode. With less than five miles to return home, I drove, a car that refused to get up to 25 mph in the blazing heat (and no a/c), back home. I immediately called my local Ford dealership and set up an appointment to bring it in the next week, their soonest available appointment. In the meantime, I had to find people to carpool to work with. The next Monday, the car is brought in, and that day I’m informed the cylinder head cracked and I’d need a new engine. I couldn’t believe it. I’d always taken care of my car, never put it under any type of undue stress, how could the cylinder head have cracked? The dealership explained the damage was due to a well-known defect in the design of the engine. I was still flabbergasted. The engine fails, not through fault of the user, but from bad design on the part of the manufacturer, and I’m still the one responsible to pay $8,000 for a new engine? I am disappointed Ford put out a car with engines that WILL eventually fail, and then chooses to force their customers to be financially responsible for their error. My engine losing power with absolutely no notice could have resulted in a life threatening car accident had I chosen to drive the freeway that day, or could have forced me into unsafe situations had I been traveling. I will never buy a Ford again based on this experience and the business practices displayed.
My car started to show a check engine light on around 103,000 miles. After getting a check engine light reading, the code was a misfire p0303 on cylinder 3. I took the car to a mechanic and was told the head gasket was blown and coolant was leaking into it.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the cylinder head and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
2016 Ford Mustang V6 This is EXTREMELY concerning as it's a SAFETY issue losing power features while the vehicle is in motion. While driving the car provides an error message with a wrench sign/icon stating the transmission is not in Park, then it proceeds to shut down the car leaving us without power steering. The car need stopped, move the transmission to Park, and start the engine. Doing this clears the warning and you are able to drive the car without any problem. The two incidents occurrences were about 1 or 2 months apart. Below link shows other people having the same issue [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My door latches fail to secure door and it went open while the vehicle was being driven. It happened in a long distance trip around 6-8 times. Both driver and passenger doors were opening while driving on the high speed.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and shifting gear, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall and referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V082000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The dealer stated in order to perform the repairs the vehicle must be left at the dealership for a period of time. The contact must schedule the repairs 2 months in advance.
Unknown nothing is wrong with vehicle. Back camera is working perfectly without blurry picture. This is a false statement
Under NHTSA recall 22V082. Ford refused to change the rear view camera despite it was under recall: The recall states to replace wiring harness and or camera replacement if necessary free of charge. My rear view camera is still distorted after they change the wiring harness and they told me to pay for the camera since its not covered under the recall. the letter that I got has the same recall number above but it didn't mention replacing the camera even though it has the same issue on the recall distort image when backing up. NHTSA and consumer reports/ FORD websites they all mention to replace both if necessary. I attached a sample copy of the recall from Ford stating that. Even ford specialist read that to me on the call when I asked her what did the recall number say about the fix. But the recall department says it s not covered. This is the detail for the recall below. Vehicles recalled: 2015-2017 Ford Mustang The problem: The wiring harness for the backup camera may be damaged or have an improperly soldered connection that can prevent an image from being displayed. The fix: Dealerships will replace the backup camera and/or repair the decklid wiring harness at no charge. How to contact the manufacturer: Ford will contact owners by mail starting on March 7, 2022. Owners may also call Ford at 866-436-7332. NHTSA campaign number: 22V082000. Ford’s number for this recall is 22S06.
A small disk from the break assembly broke and puts my car in limp mode. No lights came on and stopped my car from accelerating after 40 mph. The car has not been inspected by anyone other than me.
HVAC A/C stopped working. It is a known issue with these model mustangs
Backup camera abruptly stopped working. It shows a hazy image with lines. There are recalls for 2016 Mustangs for that same issue, but none for my VIN.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V082000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The contact stated backup camera, gps, is not working and the trunk is inoperable.
The new purge valve is faulty in my car. It has been replaced once in 2017, and another time in 2022 (possibly 2021), due to a total engine rebuild under powertrain warranty. This valve is a known common issue on online forums. For the model cars 2018 and 2019, this is an open recall. I strongly believe this should be investigated. In the past, this faulty valve caused my car to stall and die on a busy road. Both Ford customer service and the dealer have given me conflicting information whether or not this part is covered under emissions warranty, causing a headache. The dealer stated that if given a sequence of codes, the dealer has been instructed by Ford to replace the part for free. This indicates that Ford is aware of the common hazard that the faulty purge valve is causing. Considering this part is less than 2 years old, it should at least be covered by the 2 year emissions warranty. However, I believe others, like me, have suffered the nuisance and safety risk of this faulty part, and have paid unnecessary expenses due to Ford's negligence to address this known issue.
Safety recall work for 22S06/ NHTSA 22V082 performed at dealer. Dealer confirmed that work was done correctly but the work as instructed from FORD did not correct the issue of rear view camera not working correctly. In fact it has made the condition worse. Recall issue as defined in 22S06 - The rear view camera could intermittently display a blank or distorted image05/19/
I am looking for support concerning a possible defect with our 2016 Mustang V6. It appears to be a fuel tank defect. Causing our garage to completely smell like gas when the car is full of fuel. Similar to recall# 15v339-7601. Our car has a hairline fracture (according to our dealership service department). They attempted to repair the issue by replacing the EVAP line, instead found a crack in the EVAP nipple. According to our dealership the emissions warranty expired the week before we reported the issue in 2023. This is upsetting as I feel this is not a maintenance issue and more of a design flaw as Ford changed the design of the fuel tank after 2017. The dealership wants us to pay for this service but this is not our fault they fixed it incorrectly. I feel like this should be a recall or some sort of extended warranty from Ford for a design flaw.
My check engine light came on it was cylinder 2 misfire. Sputtering and stalling in traffic. Slow to excelarate, started losing coolant and blowing white smoke on start up. Stuck in traffic. Then the turbo blew out. Replaced turbo, replaced spark plugs replaced edition coil. Still cylinder 2 misfire. Still a rough idle, Still dies in traffic Still losing coolant, dies unexpectedly and then won't start. Replaced fuel pump about 3 years ago for it dying in the middle of sams club traffic lane. Currently issues with the other problems listed above. Have found out this is a common problem with these motors. I called Ford and was told it's because I have 112,000 miles on my car. I've never missed a service, never driven the car hard, never over heated it. I have taken excellent car of this vehicle. Currently waiting for another diagnostic test. We pay to much for these cars to be stuck in traffic and have the engines go out and so many problems with them. Yes this car can be inspected at any time. Ford needs to recall this engine and fix its mistake. This is not okay. And it's dangerous to continue to let people drive these vehicles.
I recently took my vehicle to the local Ford dealer to get the oil changed and tires rotated. The service technician told me that they could not do the tire rotation without replacing my lug nuts at a cost of $100 because the lug nuts were swollen. I told her I wasn't interested thinking this was some type of bogus sales ploy. I mean how can lug nuts swell? She then threatened, " well you know if you have a flat you'll be stuck on the side of the road unable to change the tire!" This made me angry because I thought it was a bunch of baloney. When I got home I actually removed the lug wrench from my trunk and tried to remove the lug nuts only to find that she was telling the truth. I could not get the lug wrench on the nuts without driving it on with a hammer. Then the nut was stuck in the wrench which had to be clamped in a vise and the nut driven out with a punch. This is how I replaced all my lug nuts. I bought a set from Advance Auto Parts for $41. However, I still have to question why this problem which can leave people stranded on the side of the road and which the Ford dealerships are obviously aware of has not resulted in a recall?