2016 Ford Mustang Complaints

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 09/27/2026

A new Walmart-brand EverStart Plus 96R, 590 CCA automotive battery was purchased on August 4, 2026, and installed in a 2016 Ford Mustang Convertible. On the evening of September 26, 2026, my family and I drove the Mustang and returned home at approximately 11:00 p.m. The vehicle operated normally. There were no warning signs, electrical problems, overheating, or other indications of a mechanical problem. The Mustang remained parked and untouched overnight. At approximately 2:00 p.m., 15 hours later, on September 27, my daughter came into the room and told me that the car was on fire. Riverside County Fire responded to the scene. Fire personnel specifically asked whether the Mustang had been driven or worked on that day. I told them it had not. The vehicle had remained parked since approximately 11:00 p.m. the prior evening. Fire personnel continued to suppress the fire, investigated the engine compartment, cut the battery cables, photographed the vehicle, and advised me that the battery appeared to be the possible source of ignition.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES — Filed 09/18/2026

The contact owned a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the driver's side door independently opened. The failure caused severe wind noise to enter the vehicle, and the door ajar warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where technicians confirmed that the door latch mechanism had failed and stated that the mechanism was subjected to unintended opening. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) as the cause of the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 06/24/2026

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 09/02/2026

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 10/08/2024

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 07/25/2026

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 06/30/2026

See attached document for complaint

SUSPENSION — Filed 12/14/2024

The contact owned a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, a rattling sound was present and several unknown warning lights illuminated. In addition, the power steering did not function as intended and the steering seized. The contact stated that the vehicle was very difficult to steer. In addition, the contact stated that due to the failure, the vehicle veered off the road, went through the woods, and damaged 60 feet of ranch fencing. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact sustained bumps and bruises. In addition, the contact stated that he now suffers from anxiety because of his fear of driving. A police report was filed, however the information was unavailable. The contact stated that when he visited the dealer to pick up the spare key, the dealer provided him with new suspension parts. The contact was informed by the dealer that, due to the busy shop schedule, the parts were not replaced before the vehicle was purchased. The contact stated that he was informed to either replace them himself or bring the vehicle on a later date to have the repair performed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

ENGINE — Filed 09/11/2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that when purchasing the vehicle they noticed the instrument panel had failed to illuminate. Then while driving at approximately 20 MPH the red wrench displayed on the instrument panel and there was a loud noise coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle began shaking and emitting a burning oil odor. The contact lost control of the vehicle before it stalled and a spark of fire came from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact was able to get out of the vehicle where they watched black smoke come from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact noticed that there was oil all over the road. The fire department was not called. A police report was not made. The contact had received a concussion from hitting their head on the steering wheel when losing control of the vehicle. Medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they diagnosed that the piston dropped through the turbo causing a hole in the engine. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and it was confirmed the VIN was not covered under a recall or warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 52,109.

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 01/04/2024

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 02/23/2023

This specific car model is a 2016 Shelby GT350 tech package that I owned for at least 7 months. In this time period i had only put 7k mikes on it before it blew up. After doing tons of research there is a tons of class action law suits against Ford for these cars. The incident that occurred was while driving the vehicle caught fire on the passenger side. Driving at the speed limit of 40 MPH no warning lights, Check engine lights or anything it just blew up. Up to this point all maitence was done properly and after doing some research it had the same issue report by multiple other Shelby owners of this year. This vehicle is not safe for the roads and if not properly investigated, it can cause someone to lose their life. I incurred a bruised head, burns and loss of hair from this accident. I’ve contacted Ford in regards to this issue and yet to have anything done. This vehicle should not be sold to the public with these known issues. There was recall sent out to fix this issue but my specific vin number was never contacted to fix it.

SEAT BELTS,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE — Filed 02/01/2022

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated that the emergency brake was engaged however, the vehicle crashed into the curb. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that the driver’s side seat belt failed to operate and was seized. As result, the contact sustained an injury to her neck and finger. No medical attention was needed. The air bags failed to deploy. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle cylinder was replaced but failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the master cylinder needed to be replaced but diagnosed that nothing was wrong with the seatbelt. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, the contact stated that they hung up the phone. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was sold because of the ongoing problems.

BACK OVER PREVENTION — Filed 03/01/2022

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 contact stated on 5/17/2022, his wife was using the rearview camera to reverse out of their garage and crashed into their other vehicle. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,571. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS — Filed 02/11/2022

25 mph mild frontal collision caused a fire to start in the door panel as identified by the driver and the fire dept. The fire caused a majority of the cabin to burn and the vehicle to become a total loss in under a minute. Front airbags deployed but not side airbags. Electrical system in left door possibly malfunctioned causing a fire, evident by the fire reigniting every time the fire fighter ceased using the fire extinguisher. Driver was right next to the damaged electrical and was almost hurt by the fire, almost resulting in severe burns or death to the driver had they not escaped the cabin a few seconds before ignition. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure.

AIR BAGS — Filed 11/29/2021

Steering wheel airbag did not deploy in a high speed crash. The knee airbag DID deploy. My daughter was in an accident with another vehicle. The other vehicle was traveling about 40 mph. It was a very high impact crash that launched by daughters car about 30 feet. The steering wheel airbag did not deploy. As a result my daughter hit her and and received a severe concussion. She was wearing a seat belt. The vehicle is in the process of being classified as "totaled" by insurance company but they have not inspected the specific airbag issue. There were no warning lamps or messages indicating the airbag was non-functional.

ENGINE — Filed 12/05/2020

AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR 5 MONTHS (59,000 MI) THE ENGINE BLEW UP WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON A STATE HIGHWAY AND DROPPED ALL OF ITS OIL. THE ECOBOOST MUSTANGS ARE INCREDIBLY PRONE TO THIS ISSUE AND FORD IS JUST SWEEPING THEM UNDER THE RUG. FORD HAD MY CAR FOR 4 MONTHS WHEN IT WAS MISFIRING (WHICH IS HOW "ECOBOOM" BEGINS) AND REPLACED ALMOST EVERYTHING UNDER THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY MINUS THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION AND TURBOCHARGER. WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK IT STARTED TO JUMP TIMING THEN MISFIRE THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STOPPED. THEN THE ENGINE BLEW UP.

AIR BAGS — Filed 01/24/2020

CAR MOTION AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. CAR WAS TOAD FROM THE FREEWAY TO DRIVERS HOUSE. CAR LANDED SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AT A DITCH.

AIR BAGS — Filed 08/28/2016

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT 8/28/2020. THE CAR WAS PUSHED OFF THE ROAD BY A TRACTOR TRAILER AND HIT A GUARDRAIL HEAD ON. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. NOTICED A RECALL FOR THE TAKATA AIRBAG THAT I NEVER RECEIVED. HOW MANY OTHER CARS ARE OUT THERE. THE CAR WAS A MUSTANG BOUGHT IN 2016 AND WAS TOTALED.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 07/03/2019

I DROVE UP TO MY GYM, GOT OUT OF MY CAR, LOCKED IT AS USUAL SO NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. WENT BACK OUT TO MY CAR ABOUT 30 MIN LATER AND SAW SMOKE BILLOWING FROM WINDOWS... OPENED MY DOOR PASSENGER SIDE AND MY GLOVE COMPARTMENT WAS THE SOURCE SO I OPEN IT AND ALL I SAW WERE FLAMES LEAPING FROM THE TOP OF THE COMPARTMENT AND FLAMES COMING OUTTA THE AIR VENTS. WITHIN MINUTES THE ENTIRE GLOVE BOX COMPARTMENT AS WELL AS THE DASH ITSELF MELTED ONTO THE FLOORBOARD. SOME GENTLEMAN FOUND A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND PUT IT OUT BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EVEN ARRIVED. IM JUST LUCKY I WASN'T IN IT BUT THIS HAD TO BE SOME MANUFACTURE DEFECT IN THE WIRING BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT IT STARTED ABOVE THE GLOVE BOX RIGHT WERE THE WIRE HARNESSES ENTER THE CAR THROUGH THE FIRE BREAK BETWEEN THE CAR AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT.

ENGINE — Filed 12/06/2018

SHELBY GT350 5.2L V8: ENGINE VALVE COVER GASKET FAILURE CAUSED OIL LOSS AND FIRE IN ENGINE BAY--OIL BURNING ON EXHAUST MANIFOLD. SMOKE UNDER HOOD AND INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WITH MANUFACTURER'S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. OIL SPRAY FROM VALVE COVER GASKET ONTO EXHAUST MANIFOLD WITH MEDIUM RPM (~3000 RPM) AND HIGHER.

SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,WHEELS — Filed 06/23/2018

I HAVE HAD TWO COLLISION IN MY VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EITHER TIME. BOTH WERE AT A RATE OF SPEED APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. ONE WAS A REAR END COLLISION THAT WAS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR. THE OTHER WAS TO THE DRIVER SIDE WHEEL AND LIGHT AREA. THE REAR COLLISION I WAS IN MOTION ABOUT 10 MPH AND WAS STRUCK AT APPROX. 50 MPH. THE FRONTAL COLLISION I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 40 MPH AND WAS STRUCK MOVING AT APPROX. 40-50 MPH. THIS COMPLAINT IS IN REGARDS TO THE FRONTAL COLLISION. I HAVE PHOTOS BUT CANNOT GET THEM TO UPLOAD BUT PROVIDE THEM FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

STEERING,SUSPENSION,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) — Filed 07/13/2017

I WAS DRIVING MY 2016 MUSTANG GT BASE MODEL DOWN A STRAIGHT ROAD WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL "ON" AND THE CAR RANDOMLY LOCKED ALL OF THE WHEELS AND TURNED SIDEWAYS INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND ONLY STOPPING WHEN I HIT A CURB. WHILE SLIDING THERE WAS NO THROTTLE OR BRAKE CONTROL BECAUSE THE TRACTION SYSTEM LOCKED ALL FOUR WHEELS. I WENT TO THE FORD DEALER PREVIOUS TO THIS INSTANCE TO COMPLAIN THAT THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS NOISY AND THE VEHICLE WAS HARD TO CONTROL ON CERTAIN ROAD SURFACES AND IT FELT VERY UNSAFE. AFTER GIVING THEM THIS INFORMATION THEY SCHEDULED ME FOR AN APPOINTMENT A WEEK LATER AND LET ME DRIVE OFF. SUBSEQUENT TO SAY, THE VEHICLE TOTALLY LOST CONTROL 3 DAYS BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT. ROAD SURFACE WAS DRY, IT WAS SUNNY 94 DEGREES AND I WAS TRAVELING AT 40MPH ON A STRAIGHT ROAD AND MY VEHICLE HAS 26K MILES. THE NOISE AND CONTROL ISSUE WAS MINISCULE BUT EXISTENT ON THE VEHICLE AT 14K MILES AND ONLY KEPT GETTING WORSE. I NOTIFIED THE DEALER OF THE POSSIBILITY OF A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THEY WERE VERY DEFENSIVE AND MORE CONCERNED ABOUT CHARGING ME FOR THE DAMAGES THAT RESULTED FROM THE VEHICLE MALFUNCTION. I REQUESTED THAT THE COMPUTER LOGS BE PRESERVED AND SENT TO FORD AS IT MAY BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD CHARGE ME EXTRA FOR THAT AND THAT IT WOULD BE QUITE EXPENSIVE AS TO DISCOURAGE ME FROM REPORTING IT. I RETAINED A PRINTOUT OF MY INITIAL COMPLAINT THAT WAS DOCUMENTED AT THE DEALER UPON MY INITIAL VISIT. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY AND IS BEING DIAGNOSED FOR THE FRONT SUSPENSION NOISE ISSUE.

AIR BAGS — Filed 05/19/2017

I WAS IN A WRECK THAT TOTALED MY VEHICLE. ALL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED EXCEPT DRIVER SIDE STEERING WHEEL. CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY NOSE. HAD STITCHES, BROKEN NOSE. ALREADY HAVE HAD ONE SURGERY AND STILL HAVE TO HAVE ONE MORE. I WAS ON A A REGULAR STREET AND SWERVED A DEER AND HIT AN EMBANKMENT.

AIR BAGS — Filed 03/26/2017

I BOUGHT A 2016 FORD MUSTANG IN APRIL 2016 ITS A GREAT CAR. I HAD AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIR BAGS GOT DEPLOYED LUCKILY NOTHING HAPPENED TO ME. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT RUSSELL AND SMITH COLLISION CENTER IN HOUSTON,TX FOR 51 DAYS AT A COST OF 18000$ (CAR COST 34000$). ON THE 26TH OF MARCH 2017 A GUY SKIPPED A RED SIGNAL AND CAME INTO THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION SO I HAD TO CRASH INTO HIM AT A SPEED OF 50 MPH. THIS TIME NO AIRBAGS GOT DEPLOYED . ITS ONLY BY GODS GRACE THAT I AM NOT HARMED. I TRIED COMPLAINING TO PEOPLE AT FORD BUT ALL I AM GETTING IS A RUN AROUND FROM THEIR CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVES. ALL I WANT TO KNOW WHY MY DRIVER AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN AT THAT SPEED.

AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 01/22/2016

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN INCIDENT WHERE A DEER JUMPED OUT IN FRONT OF ME. I SWERVED AND MY CAR WENT THROUGH A BRICK MAILBOX. MY AIRBAGS TOOK A WHILE TO COME OUT, BUT WHEN THEY DID I WAS BURNED AND BLISTERED.