Research · Subcompact Cars

2026 Ford MustangRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 8 owner complaints for the 2026 Ford Mustang. Most complaints involve engine (3) and electrical system (2). The EPA rates it 12–26 mpg combined, and NHTSA gives it 5 stars overall.

Combined MPG
12–26mpg
EPA · 6 versions
NHTSA overall
5of 5 stars
NCAP crash tests
Safety recalls
5campaigns
Latest Aug 2026
Owner complaints
8
Top: engine
Fuel cost / yr
$2,450est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

5 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Electrical system: wiring

Remedy pending

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Mustang vehicles. The engine compartment wiring harness ground connections may fracture and result in a loss of drive power, or a loss of function in the windshield washing system, headlights, air conditioning, or engine cooling fan. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment," and 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems."

Electrical systemReported Aug 25, 2026NHTSA 26V547000

Engine and engine cooling: hard parts internal

Remedy pending

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, and Ranger vehicles. The engine piston domes may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in piston dome failure and lead to a loss of drive power.

Engine and engine coolingReported Aug 25, 2026NHTSA 26V548000

Visibility: windshield wiper

Free remedy

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Mustang and 2025-2026 Mustang GTD vehicles. During certain cold temperature conditions, the windshield wipers may function only at their high-speed setting and the washing system may fail to function properly.

VisibilityReported Jun 30, 2026NHTSA 26V418000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 2, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

8 complaints filed with NHTSA · May 2026 – Sep 2026
  1. Engine3
  2. Electrical system2
  3. Service brakes2
  4. Vehicle speed control2
  5. Wheels1
  6. Power train1
  7. Visibility/wiper1
  8. Other / unknown1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each Mustang model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
1996304
1997230
1998320
1999297
2000446
2001280
2002209
2003271
2004130
2005868
2006575
2007615
2008347
2009181
2010261
2011466
2012469
2013271
2014359
2015439
2016380
2017268
2018196
2019152
2020122
202155
202250
202315
202485
202520
20268
Crashes reported
2
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
1
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 2, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Engine

3 reports1 crash
“Vehicle suffered sudden, total loss of motive power while driving. No dashboard warning lights or error codes were produced. Vehicle is currently grounded at Anderson Ford (SC) under active recall 26V547 / 26C40. Manufacturer and dealer are refusing alternative safe transportation, attempting to force the consumer to drive an unremedied, unsafe vehicle because the intermittent total-ground failure did not store a code."”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 28, 2026EngineODI 11767355

Electrical system

2 reports2 crashes
“Recalls on 2024 Ford Mustangs: On 09/22/2026, at approximately 11:34AM, my Ford Mustang suffered a catastrophic malfunction. When I was braking on the offramp, the brakes did not engage and remained firm and unresponsive. The car immediately accelerated, despite my efforts on the brakes accompanied by the use of the emergency brake. The car continued to accelerate as I was trying to brake, navigating the terrain off the ramp on onto a grassy area. I maneuvered the car between two trees, trying in vain to use the brakes. The Mustang continued accelerating across 25a, until it hit a car on my passenger side, which spun me around- NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ! The car ended up going backwards hitting an i-beam that was supporting the street sign, bending it significantly. I hit my head on the side glass window.Thankfully, this stopped the propulsion of the runaway car and it finally came to a stop. Thank goodness I survived, as did everyone else in the vicinity of the malfunctioning out of control 2026 Ford Mustang.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 23, 2026Electrical system, Service brakes, EngineCrash reportedODI 11766530

Service brakes

2 reports2 crashes
“The 2026 Ford Mustang was off and rolled away out of the driveway colliding with tree, The incident was caught on my Ring Camera, the electrical system vehicle had acting strangely and kept giving warning the trunk was open and had to go open and close it multiple times. once i parked the vehicle at my house the car rolled away, according to Ford manual the vehicle is equipped this is a failure to the involves a critical safety system (Automatic Return to Park) that is explicitly designed to prevent exactly what happened, you should treat this as a serious safety defect. As of May 2026, Ford has already issued a major recall (Recall 25C69) for rollaway risks in other 2026 models like the Mustang Mach-E and Maverick due to a software fault in the "Integrated Park Module." While your gasoline Mustang (EcoBoost) was not explicitly named in that specific recall, it uses similar electronic shifting logic.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 9, 2026Electrical system, Service brakesCrash reportedODI 11736799
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 2, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

6 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Subcompact Cars
Engines
2.3L 4-cyl turbo · 5.0L 8-cyl · 5.2L 8-cyl supercharged
Transmissions
Automatic 10-spd · Automatic (S10) · Manual 6-spd · Automatic (AM-S8)
Drive
Rear-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline · Premium Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 2, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Mustang
Auto 10-spd, 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Turbo · Rear-Wheel Drive
223326$2,450341
Mustang
Auto (S10), 8 cyl, 5.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
162419$3,400468
Mustang
Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
152318$3,550494
Mustang Dark Horse
Auto (S10), 8 cyl, 5.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
142217$3,800525
Mustang Dark Horse
Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
142217$3,800533
Mustang GTD
Auto (AM-S8), 8 cyl, 5.2 L, Sup Charg · Rear-Wheel Drive
101712$6,650741
  • Mustang
    Auto 10-spd, 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Turbo
    22 city · 33 hwy · $2,450/yr
    26
    mpg comb.
  • Mustang
    Auto (S10), 8 cyl, 5.0 L
    16 city · 24 hwy · $3,400/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
  • Mustang
    Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.0 L
    15 city · 23 hwy · $3,550/yr
    18
    mpg comb.
  • Mustang Dark Horse
    Auto (S10), 8 cyl, 5.0 L
    14 city · 22 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
  • Mustang Dark Horse
    Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.0 L
    14 city · 22 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
  • Mustang GTD
    Auto (AM-S8), 8 cyl, 5.2 L, Sup Charg
    10 city · 17 hwy · $6,650/yr
    12
    mpg comb.
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 2, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

2 tested variants
Overall rating
—/ 5
Not rated
FORD MUSTANG C N/A RWD
Frontal crash
Not rated
Side crash
Not rated
Side pole
Not rated
Rollover
5 of 5
Rollover risk
7.9%
Overall
5 / 5
FORD MUSTANG 2 DR N/A RWD
Frontal crash
5 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
5 of 5
Rollover risk
7.9%
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 2, 2026Vehicle 21425Vehicle 21424
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2026 Mustang questions

How many recalls does the 2026 Ford Mustang have?

5 safety recalls as of Nov 2, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2026 Ford Mustang problems?

Owners filed 8 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are engine (3), electrical system (2), service brakes (2). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2026 Ford Mustang get?

The EPA rates the 2026 Ford Mustang at 12–26 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (6 versions rated).

How safe is the 2026 Ford Mustang?

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the 2026 Ford Mustang 5 out of 5 stars overall.

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 2, 2026