2016 Ford Mustang

Fatalities reported

Owners filed 376 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. It has been recalled 5 times.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k
35,600 milesMedian miles at failure

204 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 010,000 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine66
031
Electrical System60
120
Unknown or Other51
000
Back Over Prevention27
100
Power Train22
000
Structure › Body20
000
Service Brakes14
101
Fuel/Propulsion System14
012
Air Bags14
806
Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera13
000

5 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Seat Belts › Pretensioner25V614000
Filed Sep 12, 2025332,778 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. Water and road salt may corrode the front seat belt anchor pretensioner cables.

Risk. A corroded cable can break, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining an occupant, and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace both front seat belt anchor pretensioner assemblies, as necessary. In addition, dealers will remove sections of the carpet and underlayment that contact the cables. Dealers will also inspect the A-pillar sealing patches, and as necessary, install A-pillar body plugs, and/or inspect and replace the front outboard seat bolts. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 20, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S92. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov September 17, 2025.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera25V572000
Filed Sep 3, 20251,456,417 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.

Risk. A rearview camera that displays an inverted, distorted, or blank image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 2025.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera22V082000
Filed Feb 16, 2022330,784 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera wiring may be loose or damaged, which can result in a blank or distorted image.

Risk. A rearview camera that displays a blank or distorted image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and repair the decklid wiring harness and/or replace the rearview camera, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 23, 2022 and June 26, 2023. Remedy parts are expected to become available in the 4th Quarter of 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S06.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Hoses/Lines/Piping/Fittings16V779000
Filed Oct 26, 20166,582 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles manufactured February 24, 2015, to August 30, 2016. A hose may separate from the engine oil cooler tube assembly causing an oil leak.

Risk. A sudden loss of engine oil may cause engine failure, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, an oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil cooler tube assembly, free of charge. The recall began on March 23, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S40.

Child Seat › Tether › Connector/Clip15V707000
Filed Oct 26, 20151,900 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) 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."

Risk. If the restraint components do not function as intended, the occupants may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front and rear seat belt assemblies and the child seat tether anchors, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C13.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Sep 17, 2026FL

On or about June 24, 2026, the CHECK ENGINE light came on. Since I was near the local Ford Dealership, I stopped there. The car was evaluated the next day. I was told the the gas tank assembly and pipe had to be replaced. The repair was almost $4000. My car only as 63,117 miles on it. Before the problem was diagnosed, I was getting lousy gas mileage and assumed it was because the government was allowing more ethanol. In fact, the problem could have been disastrous... The car could have caught on fire . The car was in the repair shop until July 2, and I had to rent a car for $300. I am unable to download a photo I have of the gas tank which shows these numbers: E-11 34RI-020135 as well as AD46319. I have attached the bills from the CERTIFIED FORD repair shop. Please note that the 2015 Mustangs were recalled for gas tank replacements. I have a 2016.... Seems like my car may have had a faulty gas tank installed as well. The mechanic said he had replaced a couple. Nite that the car had just over 63000 miles

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 4, 2026SC

When reaching 60+ mph the passenger door will unlatch and give me the open passenger door notification on the dash. It doesn’t shoot up, but rather barely comes open.

Engine
Filed Sep 3, 2026AL

Brought the car in for service. The tech called me back and said the engine was blown. Condensation in cylinder 3. This was due to the cylinder walls being engineered to small. Which caused a leak in the coolant jacket. I paid out of pocket nearly $10,000 to have it replaced because the third party warranty that I had purchased declined my coverage to fix it because it’s a known issue by ford. Bc

Electrical System
Filed Aug 20, 2026CT

This complaint is a formal notification of a Recall Remedy Failure regarding NHTSA Campaign 22V082000 / 25V572000 (Rearview Camera Wiring Harness / Camera Replacement). My vehicle was brought to an authorized Ford dealership on 07/22/2026 to complete the recall remedy. Following the service, the backup camera functionality has completely degraded and is now worse than before the service. The screen is consistently displaying entirely black / distorted screen / Message Camera not available, presenting an ongoing, unmitigated back-over safety hazard. The manufacturer's remedy has failed to resolve the safety defect. Returned to the authorized Ford dealership on 08/21/2026 and was told this is a known issue and there is another "recall" fix for this issue, but parts are now available at this time. I need to follow up in a month or more.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Aug 20, 2026PA

See attached document for complaint

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Aug 7, 2026108,787 milesTX

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH with his daughter inside the vehicle, the driver’s and passenger’s side doors opened unexpectedly. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the contact declined to pay the cost for the diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the failure had occurred approximately twelve times with the driver’s side door. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 108,787.

Engine
Filed Aug 5, 2026CA

Nelson v. Ford Motor Company is a class action lawsuit targeting a defect in Ford's 2.3-liter EcoBoost engines. The suit highlights coolant leaks into engine cylinders, overheating, and catastrophic engine failures. I have had my 2016 ford mustang ecoboost in and out of mechanic shops for months now accumulating well over $7K in out of pocket expenses. I have been to multiple mechanics trying to diagnose and fix the problem but in the end it was a design flaw in the 2016 ford mustang ecoboost 4 cylinder which caused it to leak coolant, misfire, and overheat. I have been having this problem for some time now, this put my safety and the safety of others at risk because I had to slow down dramatically in order to pull over on the freeway due to the engine overheating from coolant loss. I've also experienced problems like trouble starting, rough idling, loss of coolant, and huge clouds of white smoke coming from the exhaust upon start. I have saved every single receipt and invoice breakdown since this problem began. My mechanic has also been documenting everything including taking notes and photographs of every issue. My car is currently in the shop right now being worked on. My mechanic says that he can temporarily patch the problem with a high performance head stud, copper sealant, and an ExtremeHeat metallic repair paste by JB Weld to momentarily solve the issue. He says that he does not know how long this patch will last so he is insisting I either get a new car or to see wha

Structure › Body
Filed Jul 31, 2026OH

The passenger side door is periodically opening to the first catch while driving on the highway without anyone touching the handle and it does not matter that the door is locked. It is very scary for any passenger when it happens. For the driver the tendency is to try to reach over and re-close the door at highway speed which seems dangerous.

Service Brakes
Filed Jul 24, 2026FL

I am experiencing the same issues as NHTSA 22V-011 where the brake pedal stop bumper had disintegrated, causing continuous brake lights and a potential rollaway risk

Service Brakes
Filed Jun 30, 2026NC

Break bumper disintegrated, causing the rear bites to stay on and the automatic transmission to be able to switch from Parker to drive causing the vehicle to be able to roll and possibly crash

Electrical System
Filed Jun 26, 2026VA

The rear view camera has a recall. I took the vehicle into a Ford dealership on 6/23/26 for this recall. This is a risk to myself and others because backup cameras are a federally required safety feature. This is my 2nd attempt for Ford to fix this recall at two separate dealerships. Ford does not care about their recalls and the safety of Ford customers! I almost hit another car that was coming out due to the blind spots on that vehicle. My young daughter also drives the car and this is not the 1970’s as young drivers depend on that feature. Ford said that they could not find the problem with this issue and further diagnosing must be done on my part for $198. This is not fair to customers as this was a recall issue. If Ford is not properly training their technicians to diagnose this issue, it should not be the responsibility of the customer to pay for their error in producing this car. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by a Ford dealership. There were no warning lights or issues that were displayed. Ford only sent out letters stating that a recall was issued on the problem. In May of 2026 my backup camera and trunk was not working. Ford inspected and replaced the parts on the vehicle that they assumed was part of the recall. For a 2016 Mustang, a common cause is not just the camera itself but also wiring/connectors in the trunk area or the APIM/radio module that displays the image. If the dealer simply performed the recall software update or replaced one componen

Back Over Prevention
Filed Jun 25, 2026TX

See attached document for complaint.

Seat Belts
Filed Jun 22, 2026CA

There are two recalls on this vehicle. South Bay Ford, located just a few miles farther away than Auto Nation Ford in Torrance has no problem with pick up and delivery resources to insure recall work is completed but stated I must use Auto Nation Torrance Ford because I fall into their service area, yet Auto Nation Ford Service Manager contacted on 6/22/2026 @ ~ 4:05 P.S,T. stated they do not have enough people to perform pick and delivery. It would seem to me Auto Nation Ford in Torrance has chosen profits over recall compliance putting lives at risk. I thought this was important enough for you to look into.

Back Over Prevention
Filed Mar 24, 202672,000 milesTX

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse(R), the rear-view camera was blank and then operated intermittently; however, the image was blurry. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on two occasions. During the first visit, the contact was informed that the harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to a different dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the camera needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted during the first inclement weather. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

Seat Belts
Filed Mar 17, 2026FL

They have a recall for the seatbelt so I got my car inspected and tested and my seatbelts are fine. I use this as a rental car and my business is stopped and I’m losing money every day that I cannot rent this out.

Seat Belts
Filed Mar 17, 2026HI

Manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle IN A TIMELY MANNER. The Recall was from September 16, 2025. It has now been OVER half a year with NO remedy. I live in a salty air state and the last thing I want to happen is to drive with a seat belt with reduced effectiveness. I've ALREADY been in an accident a decade ago where a woman T-Boned me. I had a 2001 Mustang Convertible at the time with the convertible down. It's just like this Mustang with the recall but older. Thankfully the airbags and seat belt worked. Something needs to be done asap !!!!

Steering
Filed Feb 25, 2026TX

The steering wheel over time is very loose and in my case i need to be very careful with it because I feel I am losing control on my car while driving. You can feel the steering wheel moving up and down without little to know force also while driving. I don't even drive that fast since my way to work is always in a school zones.

Back Over Prevention
Filed Feb 6, 2026AR

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse, the screen turned blue with a message that the back over prevention camera was unavailable. The failure was intermittent. The contact first received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V082000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who inspected the vehicle and replaced the wiring harness clips in the rear of the vehicle. The contact received a second notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, and it was determined that the camera did not need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); and the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 4, 2026MD

There have been 3 instances within the last year and a half where the rear window of my vehicle (Ford mustang) and the rear window of family member ford mustang both have shattered during the extreme cold possibly due to the heating coils on the window over heating and burning. You can see a burn pattern in the window This is a safety issue due to the window shattering, it sounded as if someone shot my window out the first time it happened my [XXX] son was in the back of the vehicle and I was driving home. The second instance, same vehicle, started the car using the remote starter and it did the same thing. This has not been inspected by my insurance representative, it has been reported in both instances through my insurance and pictures have been taken. There have been no warning signs or even issues, there wiring look like it had been burned, melted INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Seat Belts
Filed Feb 2, 202650,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V614000 (Seat Belts). The contact stated that the driver’s side front seat belt had detached from the frame. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair would be available in June 2026. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to parts being on backorder. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

20 of 376 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2005
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20266500Routine
202517600Routine
2024771200Do not drive
202315600Routine
202249910Routine
202155600Routine
2020120850Routine
2019148610Routine
2018191410Routine
2017265680Above average
2016 — this page376562Fatalities reported
20154361170Above average
2014359410Do not drive
2013271620Do not drive
2012469721Do not drive
2011466510Do not drive
2010261622Do not drive
2009181620Do not drive
2008347800Do not drive
2007615951Do not drive
2006424932Do not drive
2005705970Do not drive
2004116600Routine
2003145640Routine
2002118660Routine
2001173822Fatalities reported
2000311992Fatalities reported
19992131022Fatalities reported
199823614121Fatalities reported
19971761132Fatalities reported
19962461260Above average
199560216297Fatalities reported
199435613191Fatalities reported
19931017292Fatalities reported
1992695210High concern
1991776220High concern
1990855290High concern

Compare every Mustang year →

Reading this record

2 deaths reported in complaints filed with NHTSA.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 12, 2025. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.