Problems · NHTSA complaints
2013 Ford Mustang problems
Owners filed 271 complaints about the 2013 Ford Mustang with NHTSA between Jun 2012 and May 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (145).
Complaints
271
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
16
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
9
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags145
- Power train48
- Engine22
- Vehicle speed control19
- Electrical system18
- Steering10
- Fuel/propulsion system10
- Structure8
- Suspension6
- Seat belts4
- Service brakes4
- Electronic stability control (esc)3
- Wheels3
- Tires3
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
13
14
26
103
31
19
21
9
6
5
11
5
4
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 13 |
| 2014 | 14 |
| 2015 | 26 |
| 2016 | 103 |
| 2017 | 31 |
| 2018 | 19 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
145 reports9 crashes1 fire5 related recalls
“The contact owned a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, another driver failed to yield while entering the roadway, abruptly cutting in front of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact was unable to stop in time and collided with the rear driver's side passenger door of the other vehicle. The driver's side air bag did deploy but failed to inflate, which the contact related to the injuries he sustained as a result of the accident. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact did not immediately seek medical attention but later transported himself to an area hospital and was treated for a concussion, neck pain, and back pain. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.”
Power train
48 reports2 crashes1 related recall
“I have a 2013 ford mustang with 6R80 transmission as my wife was driving down the high way the suddenly shift down to 1 or second at 65 miles per hour and the car skidded out of control almost killing her and the people in the other lain I checked on recalls for this problem and I am getting conflicting answer. It says that some mustang have been recalled for the TCM and most all 6R80 transmission in the f150 and a couple other Ford vehicals that support the same transmission. My question is why would my 2013 ford mustang not be in the recall when clearly when I resurch it there is many issues out there with this car and TCM. Is this a wait until someone gets killed by the grace of God no one was hurt in my wife's situation and the car has to be parked until something is done to it so it doesn't happen again but like any dealer ship they want a very large amount of money to repair or replace the TCM. AKA lead frame is what I am told. I would like an answer on why this has been over looked please. Thank you God bless.”
Engine
22 reports1 fire
“The coolant reservoir on my vehicle has been replaced now 4 times with the first time being under 5000 on vehicle. The vehicle now has 96000. The same issue happens each time with a crack in the reservoir.”
Vehicle speed control
19 reports
“Unexpected downshift to first while driving between 40 mph to 65 mph can lead to complete loss of cruise control, accompanied by a wrench symbol and an error code. Additionally, the speedometer fails to display a reading and may abruptly drop to first gear without any prior warning. signaling low fuel levels”
Electrical system
18 reports
“While driving on the interstate the steering control module stopped working resulting in total loss of no power steering assist. Vehicle only has 1,4711 miles. Second time this incident has occurred. Major hazardous malfunction of control module possible resulting in a accident. No warning was give on dashboard indicator. This vehicle is a hazard on roadways and putting other drivers and citizens at risk of serious bodily injury. Vehicle should not this problem with the current miles. Contacted Ford Motors Corp. refuse to acknowledge my safety concerns and refuse reimbursement for repairs. This will happen to other Ford and will result in possible injuries or deaths.”
Steering
10 reports2 crashes
“When starting the vehicle when cold, power steering assist fault appears on the gauge cluster. There is no power steering at this point. Once the vehicle is warmed up, and the engine is turned off and restarted, the problem goes away. The problem has been reproduced by an independent service center. The service center inspected the steering components and found no obvious visible fault with the components.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.