Ford Mustang GT Years to Avoid, Problems & Recalls

Which Ford Mustang GT years should you avoid?

Going by 694 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Ford Mustang GT years to avoid are 2001, 2005 and 2006.

200118.5× the usual share of fires, crashes and deaths for a car of its age (0 fires, 11 crashes, 7 deaths).
2005163 complaints, 3.1× a typical Mustang GT year, most often about the airbags.
2006151 complaints, 2.8× a typical Mustang GT year, most often about the airbags.

How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Crashes	Most reported	Status
2006Avoid	151	1	1	10	Air Bags	Routine
2005Avoid	163	1	1	9	Electrical System	Routine
2004	14	0	—	4	Unknown or Other	Routine
2003	51	0	—	3	Power Train › Manual Transmission	Routine
2002	48	0	1	5	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine	Routine
2001Avoid	59	0	—	11	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine	Fatalities reported
2000	64	1	1	5	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine	Routine
1999	36	0	—	3	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine	Routine
1998	53	0	3	2	Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	Routine
1997	23	0	—	1	Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	Routine
1996	32	0	2	1	Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	Routine

Year

Complaints

Relative volume

Recalls

Fires

Crashes

Most reported

Status

2006Avoid

151

Air Bags

Routine