Which Ford Mustang Years To Avoid and Why? (Explained)
Mustang is better known as Ford Mustang and is an American legend car series produced by another legendary auto manufacturer and seller Ford Motors.
Ford has been serving the American consumer group as well as the global market with numerous incredibly designed and constructed Mustang models to deliver high performance at affordable prices.
Unfortunately, some particular years Mustang models do not fit into Ford’s reliability standard, and experts highly recommend avoiding them.
Read the following article to learn which years Ford produced the most problematic Mustang car models, what are the most common Mustang problems and which years Mustangs are safe to purchase .
Mustang Years To Avoid (List of Years)
Ford has been offering excellent Mustang car models for more than 55 years, and over the years, Ford has modified the style, design, and structural configuration of Mustang models’ multiple times to meet all car enthusiasts’ ultimate desires.
Unfortunately, not all years Mustang models are equally great, and some models are notorious for being too troublesome.
What Are The Worst Years Of Mustang?
According to the Ford Mustang Reliability Problems report, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2015 are the most problematic years of the Ford Mustang vehicles.
In this section, I will try to provide a short yet precise outline of why I am strongly suggesting to avoid these particular Mustang released years-
2005 Ford Mustang:
This year’s Mustang got 1000 complaints reported by the users, and due to the severity of those issues, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) officially issued Nine Recalls Against The 2005 Ford Mustang.
Most complaints indicate electrical, interior, body/paint, engine, fuel system, and transmission-related issues.
And most highlighted symptoms reported by most consumers were transmission gone or complete failure, oxidation under paint, and water leak issue on the passenger floor of the vehicle.
2006 Ford Mustang:
A total sum of 727 complaints was reported against this year’s Mustang models, and due to some problems severity, NHTSA also officially issued Nine Recalls Against The 2006 Ford Mustang.
Most complaints state body/paint, electrical, engine, transmission system, fuel system, and interior accessories-related problems.
The most emphasized issues of this year’s model are transmission failure, paint bubbling, and water leaking into the vehicle’s interior.
2007 Ford Mustang:
This year’s Mustang models got 789 complaints, and due to the problem’s severity level, NHTSA also issued Nine Recalls Against The 2007 Ford Mustang.
Most of the complaints came against the vehicle’s body/paint, electrical, and transmission system.
Most consumers highlighted issues like- paint blistering, shifting difficulty or failure, and transmission failure.
2010 Ford Mustang:
This year’s Mustang vehicle models obtained 332 complaints, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued Six Recalls Against The 2010 Ford Mustang.
Most complaints indicate body/paint, interior, and A/C or heater-related problems.
Also, the most highlighted issues among them are corrosion on the vehicle’s hood, water leaking into the floorboards, and complete transmission failure.
2011 Ford Mustang:
According to the Carcomplaints.com website, this year’s models of Mustang vehicles obtained 657 user complaints, and NHTSA even issued Five Recalls Against The 2011 Ford Mustang so far.
Most consumers’ complaints claimed body/paint, engine, and transmission system-related issues.
Also, commonly mentioned symptoms or issues are paint flaking off the front end of the hood, body corrosion build-up under paint, damaged piston, blocked & blown engine.
2012 Ford Mustang:
This year’s Mustang models obtained 664 complaints based onCarcomplaints.com information, and due to user safety concerns, NHTSA has to issue Seven Recalls Against The 2012 Ford Mustang.
Most complaints point at body or paint, engine, suspension, interior accessories, and transmission-related issues.
Also, the most commonly mentioned issues are corrosion on the hood, slipping, stopped acceleration, and paint peeling off the hood.
2013 Ford Mustang:
According to reports, this year’s Ford Mustang got 339 user complaints, and NHTSA also issued Six Recalls Against The 2013 Ford Mustang.
Most of these complaints state body/paint, cooling system, and engine-related troubles.
Also, consumers mostly reported that paint bubbles & peeling, the water pump went out, and failed throttle body.
2014 Ford Mustang:
So far, 463 complaints can be found against this year’s release models, and NHTSA issued Four Recalls Against The 2014 Ford Mustang due to safety concerns.
Most complaints indicate body or paint, seatbelts or airbags, and engine-related issues.
The most highlighted issues among them are a completely broken drivetrain during the blowout, paint bubbling, and airbag recall.
2015 Ford Mustang:
A total of 510 complaints are recorded against this year’s Mustang, and NHTSA even issued Nine Recalls Against The 2015 Mustang due to user safety concerns.
Mostly these complaints are paint, engine, interior, and brakes-related.
Consumers commonly reported that paint tends to come off, the evaporator stopped working, and vibration in the driveshaft.
2016 Ford Mustang:
This year’s models obtained 305 complaints, and NHTSA has to issue Two Recalls Against The 2016 Mustang.
Most consumers reported drivetrain, engine, and transmission-related issues.
besides, the most common symptoms are vibration while driving the vehicle, engine stalls or dies, and significant loss of power while driving.
What Makes These Mustang Years Worth Avoiding?
In this section, I will be talking about the most common problems that occur with almost all Mustang car models-
1. Body/Paint Problems:
Body/paint problem is one of the most common and mentioned issues of Mustang sports cars.
This problem mostly occurs and causes severe trouble in Mustang’s 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016 models.
Consumers encountered symptoms such as oxidation under paint, paint bubbling, water leaking on the passenger floor on into the vehicle’s interior, paint peeling or blistering around the vehicle’s bumper, rusting, excess corrosion, corrosion on the Hood, Convertible Top linkage breaking pivot point, and paint flaking off the Front end of the Hood.
2. Engine Troubles:
Another typical complaint against Ford Mustang cars is several engine-related issues that arise while owning them.
Engine problems commonly occur and cause substantial disturbance in Mustang’s 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016 released models.
Consumers have reported common engine failure symptoms such as significant power loss, shakes, stalls, or abruptly dying while driving, the check engine light keeps illuminating, tapping sound at idle, vibration while driving, burning oil odor, broken valve spring, throttle assembly failure, troubles in acceleration, and engine starting issue.
3. Interior Problems:
Interior accessories malfunction is another notable problem that often troubles many Ford Mustang users.
According to the Carcomplaints.com website’s report, interior accessories defects or issues commonly noticed in Mustang’s 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2015 released sports car models.
Users mostly noticed symptoms such as fuel gauge reading failure, floorboard always staying wet, leather upholstery falling off the door, driver’s seat adjusting lever does not stay on, failed gas cluster, seat handles repeatedly breaking off, jammed or broken shifter plastic, and door panel tends to come off.
Which Mustang Years are Safe to Buy Used?
According to the Topspeed.com website’s The Best Ford Mustangs Of All Time article, the following Mustangs are the top five options to consider, if you wish to purchase a used Mustang –
- 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang
- 1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 350
- 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 500
- 1968 Ford Mustang California
- 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
Conclusion
Ford Mustang has been one of the best-selling sports cars in American history, and some of its release models are considered the best car models of all time. However, the Mustang series also has some of its worst years and whether you are looking for a new or used car, make sure not to consider those worst years models.
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