There are 28 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2018 Ford Mustangin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Touch screen system has completely stopped turning on (and wont turn on) any time the outside temperature drops below about 70 degrees fahrenheit. Per online research this is a common, known issue and given that this prevents the use of key saftey features such as the backup camera and climate controls I am unsure why this has not yet initiated a safety recall. I have dealt with this for the past 3 winters and can confirm it is 100% in relation to outside temperature. There is no warning lamp/message. The screen will simply not turn on in below 70 degree temperatures. A component to the touch screen must be shielded improperly/not graded for outdoor use.
Backup camera fails frequently. Screen turns blue and error message of backup camera not available is displayed on the screen.
The radio screen which controls the back up camera climate control, and everything else has gone black and only turns on once every few weeks, when car is turned off it does not come back on. After a diagnostic test done at Yark Ford they recommended a APIM module and this would run $1412.70 + tax. After throughly investing this on the internet this is a common problem with this year and model. Ford should offer a recall!!
The review camera screen turns blue every time it’s put on reverse.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the message "Front Passenger Door Ajar" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and opened and closed the door. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The message was displayed three times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The driver door suddenly unlatched while driving on the highway and the door open warning appeared on the dash. This is the second incident, the first was the passenger door.
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. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealer, who diagnosed a malfunctioning body wiring harness in the trunk and related the malfunction to the rearview camera failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 81,000.
WHILE DRIVING, THE PASSENGER COMES LOOSE AND THEN IT OPENS, ON ITS OWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES, WHILE DRIVING. ADDITIONALLY, THE BACK WINDOWS DO NOT CLOSE ALL THE WAY TO MEET THE FRONT WINDOW, SO I MANUALLY HAVE TO PULL THE WINDOWS CLOSED TO MEET THE SEAL OF THE FRONT WINDOWS. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW GETS STUCK AND WONT GO UP OR DOWN, SOMETIMES.
Rear back up camera quit working just like on previous models of the mustang.
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. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V076000 (Electrical System) however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was confirmed that the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be repaired out-of-pocket. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 58,000.
When driving at a normal rate of speed, but goes over a pothole or other large divit, the Passenger door becomes "AJAR" and the warning light indicates as such. Additionally, the power window on the driver side (even with the power off) goes up and down on its own (just less than an inch). It will remain with this action, unless I lower the window slightly. Then the motorized window stays as is. Finally, the back windows do not raise all the way up with the power button. You have to exit the vehicle and manually "pull" the window up into the full closed position.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? THE ELECTRONIC, ALL DIGITAL DASHBOARD WENT COMPLETELY BLACK FOR ABOUT 25 SECONDS WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, IN TRAFFIC AT NIGHT, 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLANK, I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE ANY INFORMATION THAT IS NORMALLY DISPLAYED, SUCH AS SPEED, AMOUNT OF FUEL, ETC. NOTHING. THIS GLITCH TOOK MY ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE INTERSTATE AND TRAFFIC. IT FRIGHTENED ME TERRIBLY. I COULD HAVE EASILY HAD AN ACCIDENT AS I TRIED TO FIGUE OUT THE ISSUE IN THE DARK. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? THE IS UNKNOWN TO ME. HOWEVER, IF YOU SIMPLY GOOGLE, "DASHBOARD GOES BLANK IN FORD 2018 MUSTANG', YOU WILL FIND MANY, MANY OTHER MUSTANG OWNERS STATING INCIDENTS OF THE EXACT SAME BLACK OUT HAPPENING TO THEIR INSTRUMENT PANEL WHEN DRIVING THEIR CARS. FROM WHAT I READ, THIS ISSUE IS NOT LIMITED TO THE 2018 MODEL YEAR OF THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO FORD, YET THEY SEEM UNWILLING TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? THIS QUESTION IS UNKNOWN TO ME 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? NO. WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MILES PER HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE IN TRAFFIC, AT NIGHT, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SIMPLY WENT BLACK. IT IS TOTALLY DIGITAL, SO I HAD NO ACCESS TO ANY INFORMATION REGARDING MY SPEED, AMOUNT OF GASOLINE REMAINING IN THE VEHICLE, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS CUSTOMARILY DISPLAYED BY A VEHICLE'S INSTRUMENT PANEL. i PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, USED, ON JANUARY 22, 2022. PLEASE MAKE FORD RECALL ALLMUSTANGS, REGARDLESS OF MODEL YEAR, WITH THIS KNOW ISSUE BEFORE SOME IS KILLED!
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the infotainment screen displayed a black screen. The touchscreen icons failed to function as intended. The contact was unable to use the radio, and the A/C buttons failed to function. The radio would not turn on or would take approximately ten minutes for the radio to function. The contact stated that the infotainment screen failed to display if the A/C or heater was functioning properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster remained blank. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle several times however, the instrument cluster remained blank. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle would be repaired at his own expense. The manufacturer advised the dealer and informed the contact that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V076000 (Electrical System). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,500.
Purchased a used 2018 Ford Mustang 3 weeks ago, just now able to get it registered, and the entire electronic instrument panel cluster (e.g., speedometer, warning lights, etc.) all went fuzzy for a few minutes and then totally failed; now just stays totally dark and unreadable. This is an optional all digital instrument panel cluster with programmable color that was a $2,200 option when new. I read online in car forums reports of many others having the same exact issue with the optional 2018 Mustang digital instrument cluster failing and going dark some within weeks of the car being new, and there was a recall on this instrument panel going dark for the 2019 model year. I saw an online post where a driver is driving for 6 months without the speedometer or warning lights functioning because of the repair cost being more than $2000. I got a quote from a Ford dealer for my repair today: $2396.00. This car is less than 5 months out of bumper-to-bumper Ford warranty and under the 36,000 miles limit at 30,383. This appears to be a known and apparently frequent safety issue so I thought Ford customer support might help me out but on calling them today they said they cannot do anything to help. They expect me to pay the $2396.00 for repairs with no assistance for what looks to be an inherent safety defect.
Instrument cluster went black. Can’t know what speed I’m driving or anything. Have seen some people reported this issue.
Touchscreen went completely black. Unable to operate radio, temperature control is only available in the buttons below the screen. Tried resetting it, tried unhooking the battery, nothing. Hooked it up to see if it had any codes, none. Tested fuses- everything worked except screen. Spent $158 at Ford dealer only to be told I need a new APIM module which in total is going to cost $740. Car has 56,000 miles on it and is only 3 years old.
Battery terminals on this and other ford models corrode to the point of breaking electrical connection possibly disabling vehicle. Ford does not want to fix issue and says whole wiring harness requires replacement to repair. Battery is often replaced and terminal cleaned but it comes back. They try to put off repairs long enough to get it out of warranty. F150 ford pickups have same issue. Corrosion advances so far as to break battery cable clamp. It is generally the positive clamp. Problem is so common that aftermarket manufacturers have issued redesigned replacements.
THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM (SYNC 3 W/ CARPLAY) THAT CAME STOCK WITH MY 2018 MUSTANG ECOBOOST RECENTLY STOPPED WORKING. THE CAR HAS 42K MILES ON IT AND IS JUST OVER 2 YEARS OLD. SYNC 3 STARTED TO RANDOMLY LAG (20-60 SEC LAG PER BUTTON PRESS), BUTTONS BECAME UNRESPONSIVE (PRESS NOT RECOGNIZED AT ALL), SHOWED INCORRECT GPS LOCATIONS WHILE USING CARPLAY (PLUGGED IN) WITH MULTIPLE MAP SERVICES, BACKUP CAM ISSUES, AND WOULD CAUSE BLUETOOTH TO DISCONNECT RANDOMLY. I LOGGED A COMPLAINT WITH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND BROUGHT IT IN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE APIM COMPONENT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE DEALERSHIP NOTED THIS IS COMMON AND PLAGUES OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME APIM. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH VERIFIED THIS. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THIS: WHILE USING THIS SYSTEM IT CAN CREATE MANY DISTRACTIONS WHILE DRIVING IF THE SYSTEM IS NOT RESPONDING AS EXPECTED. EVEN THE STEERING WHEEL BUTTONS HAVE A LAG TO THEM. ONE SUCH SCENARIO THAT CAUSED GREAT ISSUE WAS ADJUSTING THE CLIMATE CONTROL DURING COLDER MONTHS WHEN THE WINDOWS/WINDSHIELD FOG UP. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, YOU CAN'T SEE WHILE DRIVING. TYPICALLY, I CAN REACT QUICKLY TO GET RID OF THE FOG, BUT SINCE THIS COMPONENT IS DEFECTIVE, THE SYSTEM DID NOT RESPOND AND THE FOG HAD TO BE MANUALLY REMOVED. ADDITIONALLY, THIS COMPONENT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED WITHIN 2YR OF PURCHASE OF THE CAR, SINCE IT IS A COMPUTER. FORD OFFERED TO REPLACE THE APIM COMPONENT, FOR $1000 (WARRANTY EXPIRED AT TIME OF DIAGNOSTIC TEST). WHAT IS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS IS THAT THEY WANT TO REPLACE IT WITH THE EXACT SAME MODEL NUMBER, WHICH TELLS ME IN ANOTHER 2YR I MAY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THIS ISSUE STARTED UP WHILE I WAS IN WARRANTY (~30K MI), BUT SEEMINGLY WENT AWAY UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN THE SYSTEM HAS BECOME PRACTICALLY UNUSABLE. FORD (CORPORATE) ALSO CANNOT PROVIDE ANY RATIONALE AS TO WHY THIS IS HAPPENING, PER THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE REP.
Showing 1–20 of 28 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026