Home · 2013 Ford Mustang · Complaints

What 271 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Mustang

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (271)Crash / fire / injury (18)Airbags (145)Transmission & drivetrain (48)Engine (22)Speed control (19)Electrical system (18)Fuel system (11)Steering (10)Body & structure (8)Suspension (6)Brakes (5)

Newest first · 271 complaints · page 1 of 11

May 6, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

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.

NHTSA ODI 11735968

Apr 24, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

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.

NHTSA ODI 11733618

Aug 26, 2025AirbagsCrash1 injury

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.

NHTSA ODI 11683199

Aug 6, 2025Airbags

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.

NHTSA ODI 11678859

Apr 1, 2025SuspensionTransmission & drivetrain

n 2019, I bought a used car from a well-known dealer in Puerto Rico. I recently took it to a mechanic for some repairs, and the mechanic informed me that the vehicle's internal odometer didn't match the odometer on the car's dashboard. There was a difference of 48,971 miles. I was deceived by this dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11651981

Mar 24, 2025Transmission & drivetrainEngine

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED IT RANDOMLY SHIFTS INTO FIRST GEAR ALMOST CAUSING AND ACCIDENT/.

NHTSA ODI 11650177

Nov 23, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemSpeed control

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

NHTSA ODI 11626958

Nov 14, 2024Speed control

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.

NHTSA ODI 11625139

Sep 26, 2024

The failed Transmission Lead Frame is causing the car to shift to first gear unexpectedly which can lead to a crash

NHTSA ODI 11616671

Apr 8, 2024Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11581789

Apr 6, 2024SteeringElectrical system

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.

NHTSA ODI 11581514

Nov 2, 2023Steering

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.

NHTSA ODI 11553138

Oct 11, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds, the vehicle downshifted unintendedly. The transmission warning light, the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module (TCM) and the lead frame control module were defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

NHTSA ODI 11549430

Sep 21, 2023AirbagsCrash

Was going 25mph on a straight dry road, 2 traction control lights popped up and an alert saying Advancetrac is off, which is a feature you have to be in park with your foot on the brake and hold the traction control button for 8 seconds to turn off, when the light turned on the car downshift and turned sideways causing me to go into a barrier, steering wheel airbag and passenger airbag both only broke out of the trim and did not inflate fully.

NHTSA ODI 11545847

Aug 16, 2023Engine

My car shakes and after awhile of braking , it cuts off and when I get gas it doesn’t want to start.

NHTSA ODI 11538812

Aug 10, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The 2013 Mustang (with 67,071 miles) transmission (6R80) downshifted to 1st gear at highway speeds exactly like the F-150 recall and would also shift out of gear. It could have been catastrophic, but was able to keep control of the vehicle. Was able to get the car home and only drove it to the dealership after this incident. The dash showed the airbag light, no mileage and the wrench similar to the F 150 issue, which pictures are available. Teh vehicle would also sporadically act as if it was in neutral. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealership and the transmission diagnosis showed codes P0722, P0731. The repair was extremely expensive and should be recalled similar to the F-150 faulty transmission. For reference: https://www.motorsafety.org/ford-recalls-more-than-one-million-f-150-trucks-for-transmission-issues/

NHTSA ODI 11537607

Jul 12, 2023Fuel system

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact stated there was an abnormal fuel odor outside the vehicle. The contact stated that the “Check Fuel Inlet” message was displayed, and the emissions warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 138,000.

NHTSA ODI 11531870

Jun 6, 2023Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the transmission downshifted, and the RPM was elevated. The vehicle then shifted into LIMP Mode and drove erratically. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the fuel gauge was indicating that the fuel tank was empty however, but there was fuel in the tank. The contact stated that the speedometer showed the vehicle at 0 MPH while the RPM was elevated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no failure was found. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11525580

Apr 18, 2023Electrical systemVisibility & wipers

I bought this car through carvana. They mentioned it had no issues, after 6 months of driving I noticed the car is literally flooded inside and the electrical does not work well at all. I spent alot of money trying to fix the electrical including the wipers and AC yet both keep getting destroyed. Sometimes my traction system will go off and on and it's just so annoying how the water damage is eating away at a car I'm stuck overpaying for. It is a nightmare

NHTSA ODI 11517659

Apr 3, 2023Electrical system

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 ODI 11515125

Apr 2, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Goes into neutral at times ,acceleration from a stop going thru a intersection and then into neutral almost have to stop in traffic to get it to go has done it 4-5 times not consistent other then that shifts normally but very inconsistent and dangerous car has 79k miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11515007

Mar 26, 2023Engine

My 2013 Ford mustang 2dr coupe is stalling losing power and engine is completely shutting down while I'm driving on the highway which could cause a fatal crash. The engine light and oil light comes on after this happens but the oil light eventually goes off. This recall is on several vehicles but not mine. The dealership has a week of waiting to take my car in. So in the meantime I have to put myself at risk and continue to drive my car. Something needs to change as to notifying use car owners of recalls.

NHTSA ODI 11513838

Oct 31, 2022SteeringLane Departure

My son was driving and noticed a stiffness in the steering along with an occasional intermittent “ clicking” felt while turning the wheel. While going around a sharp curve the power steering failed completely and locked the steering wheel hard left forcefully. He was able to get it off the road safely and I was following him in another vehicle so I drove it the rest of the way home with no power steering. Online I found that numerous other ford owners over all models 2010-2015 have experienced the same epas failure due to a design flaw. https://youtu.be/szHMXwcp9fo This you tube video is what lead me here. Not only is the video informative of the problem, but in the comments countless others have experienced the same nightmare experience. We have parked the car as the repair can cost $3000, but worse than that if replaced under warranty the new parts fail again within 6 months and are not covered by Ford.

NHTSA ODI 11491631

Sep 20, 2022Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemSpeed control

I have a 2013 Ford Mustang V6 coupe with Automatic transmission. I purchased the car Certified Pre Owned through Ken Grody Ford in Carlsbad, CA with Less then ~11,000 miles on it in 2/2014. I have been complaining of a jerk/ knock at ~ 1-1.6 RPM’s when idling & driving in stop and go traffic/ off ramps/ on ramps and parking lots - it appears to come from the transmission area. Fast forward to complaining over the years during service intervals ~ 2x a year for for the works service - oil/ lube/ etc , dealer did a Transmission Control Module computer reset & advised to monitor for symptoms in 11/2020. As covid was present, the car wasn’t driven much during. However the knock/ jerk between 1-1.6 RPM’s has always been present, even returning after the TCM reset. Dealership was notified, and neglected to return calls or follow up. Fast forward to 9/15/2022, after 3-4 wks of calling and leaving voicemails to no avail from the dealership service department manager/ dealership. I set up an appointment for 9/15/2022. On 9/5 & night of 9/14/22, the car instrument cluster lighted up with all notifications, and dashes for the total mileage on the car, orange wrench light - indicating Ford Limp mode, and low fuel popup (car was just fuels 1 hr prior to driving from Costco for grocery) I left and drove up a hill when this occurred as I was going 40-45 miles per hour the speedometer dropped to 0 MPH & the car barely drove beyond 5-15 MPH. I pulled over at the nearest local street from The hill parked the car and powered off the engine. I had a OBDII Tool that indicates: Global OBD FORD. P0720(1 / 1) Output Shaft Speed Sensor Circuit. Severity 2 of 3. I finally heard back from dealer after calling & escalating between 9/15-9/19, once I got ahold of the customer relations managers assistant she said the service manager/ customer relations manager would call back by today 9/20/22. The service mgr states I am out of WTTY & need to cover cost of repair myself. TSB for trans. is attac

NHTSA ODI 11485571

Sep 12, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

Vehicle suddenly downshifted on it's own from highway speed and set several malfunction indicator lamps, nearly caused a highway speed collision. Checked codes afterwards and P1500 Vehicle Speed Sensor malfunction code was present, this is a known issue with this type and make of vehicle but this vehicle has somehow been omitted from a safety recall.

NHTSA ODI 11483957

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Working with the data? Download all 271 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Ford Mustang verdict →