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2013 Ford Mustang problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2013 Ford Mustang has been recalled for, how often it fails the UK MOT and what owners report, from official government data. Updated November 2, 2026.
- 6safety recalls
- 271owner complaints
- 16crash reports
- 2fire reports
- 14%fail the UK MOT
271 complaints, against an average of 186 for the other 14 Ford Mustang model years.
Every Ford Mustang model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
Buying a 2013 Ford Mustang? Get the pre-purchase checklist →
What goes wrong with the 2013 Ford Mustang?
The components named most often in the 271 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2013 Ford Mustang owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 271 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Fault codes 2013 Ford Mustang owners mention
Diagnostic trouble codes owners wrote in their complaints. Open a code to see what it meant on other cars and whether a recall names it.
Has the 2013 Ford Mustang been recalled?
6 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator Module Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Air Bags: Frontal Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator ModuleDo not drive Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator ModuleDo not drive Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Air Bags: Frontal: Driver Side: Inflator ModuleDo not drive Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2014 Mustang vehicles manufactured April 6, 2004, to June 21, 2014, and 2005-2006 GT vehicles manufactured February 20, 2004, to September 22, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 10, 2016. Even if interim repairs were performed under safety recall 14V-802, owners must bring their vehicles in for the final remedy. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S21. Note: This recall supersedes safety recall 14V-802.
Power Train: Automatic Transmission: Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 FORD F-150, 2012 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR, AND 2012-2013 MUSTANG VEHICLES, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NOS. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT" AND 108 LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR (TRS) THAT WAS CALIBRATED OUT OF SPECIFICATION FOR REVERSE GEAR.
Risk: IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR WHEN THE DRIVER PUSHES THE SHIFT LEVER IN THE REVERSE R POSITION AND THE VEHICLE S TRANSMISSION DOES GO IN REVERSE, THE R MAY NOT ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD OF THE F-150, EXPEDITION, OR NAVIGATOR MODELS AND/OR THE BACKUP LAMP ON THE REAR OF THE F-150, EXPEDITION, NAVIGATOR, OR MUSTANG VEHICLES MAY NOT ILLUMINATE. THESE CONDITIONS INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH OR A PEDESTRIAN BEING STRUCK DUE TO THE VEHICLE S NOT SIGNALING IT IS IN REVERSE.
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE TRS AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
Is the 2013 Ford Mustang recalled in the UK or Europe?
Recalls issued by the UK's DVSA and through the EU's Safety Gate system that cover this model and build period. European models can differ from U.S. ones, and "years estimated" means the recall gave no build dates, so confirm your own car with your registration or VIN.
UK DVSATakata air bag inflator may rupture on deployment
UK DVSAFront driver side air bag inflator housing may rupture
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver side frontal airbag the front driver side air bag inflator housing may rupture and deploy the airbag abnormally. An inflator rupture could also result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and fit a revised Airbag Inflator into all affected vehicles.
EU Safety GateThe ammonium nitrate propellant used in the airbag inflator may experience a material alteration over time due to degradation occurring…The ammonium nitrate propellant used in the airbag inflator may experience a material alteration over time due to degradation occurring after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures and high-temperature cycling. In the event of an airbag being deployed, it may underinflate or the excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator body to rupture and metal fragments may pass through the cushion material causing injury to the occupants.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: 20/08/2020
EU Safety GateIn the event of deployment, the front driver side air bag inflator housing may rupture, resulting in metal fragments striking the driver…In the event of deployment, the front driver side air bag inflator housing may rupture, resulting in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: 28/04/2017
How often does the 2013 Ford Mustang fail its MOT?
Why they failed: the share of failed tests with at least one fault in each area (a test can fail on several). Cars first registered in 2013, tested in Great Britain in 2023; first registration is usually, but not always, the model year. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, Open Government Licence v3.0.
What do 2013 Ford Mustang owners report?
12 of the 271 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
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…
Car has delayed shifting and is still down shifting when the car has already stopped. 2011-2012 mustangs have some extended coverage for this problem. 16N02. My 2013 was manufactured at flat rock in 2012 but not covered.
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…
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 15V319000 (Air Bags) and 19V001000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer declined to perform the recall repairs. The contact was informed that, because of the installation of an aftermarket steering wheel, the recall repairs could not be performed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED IT RANDOMLY SHIFTS INTO FIRST GEAR ALMOST CAUSING AND ACCIDENT/.
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
2013 Mustang V6, 6R80 Automatic Transmission. Lead frame is failing, I am getting code P0720. My vin falls outside of the recall, so I have to spend $850 to get lead frame fixed. Airbag light turns on, dashes through my odometer, and car stays stuck in 5th gear until I cycle key.
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.
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…
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.
I WAS PARKED WHEN I TURN ON THE CAR AND SAW THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME UP. THE CAR IS ABOUT 68000 MILES AND IT'S HAVING A HIGHER GAS CONSUMPTION AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CODE ' P0456' EVAPORATIVE EMISSION SYSTEM LEAK. AND PASSENGER FROM SEAT BELT BROKE. THE PART THAT HOLDS THE SEAT BELT IN PLACE.
HOOD PAINT CORROSION. LIKE A LARGE AMOUNT OF OTHER PEOPLE, MY HOOD PAINT IS BUBBLING WITH 87K MILES ON MY CAR. I MAINTAIN MY CAR VERY WELL AND IS IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. I CONTACTED FORD AND I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE SUBMITTED TO THEIR CLAIMS DEPARTMENT AND I HAVE NO HEARD BACK. IT'S BEEN SERVAL MONTHS. FORD KNOWS ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT WON'T COVER THEIR MANUFACTURING MESS UP.
2013 Ford Mustang: questions owners ask
Is the 2013 Ford Mustang reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 271 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Mustang; the most common categories were air bags (145, 53.5%), power train (48, 17.7%), engine (22, 8.1%). There are 6 safety recalls. 16 complaints mention a crash, 2 mention a fire, 9 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Ford Mustang?
Across 271 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are air bags (53.5% of complaints), power train (17.7% of complaints), engine (8.1% of complaints), vehicle speed control (7% of complaints), electrical system (6.6% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2013 Ford Mustang have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2013 Ford Mustang; the most recent (campaign 21E013000, 2021-02-16) concerns Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator Module. 3 recalls carry a "do not drive" or "park outside" warning from the manufacturer. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does my 2013 Ford Mustang stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
16 of the 271 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2013 Ford Mustang (5.9%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "2013 Ford mustang stalls and completely shuts down losing all power. Recall was not issued for my vin [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)." (NHTSA complaint 11515125, April 2023). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Mustang
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), DVSA anonymised MOT results (Open Government Licence v3.0), DVSA vehicle recalls (Open Government Licence v3.0), EU Safety Gate alerts (© European Union), retrieved November 2, 2026. Model year 2013 only. How these reports are made.