What 184 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Mustang

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine sputtered with the check engine warning light illuminated. There was heavy white smoke coming from the tailpipe. Upon arriving at the destination, the vehicle hesitated to restart, and the contact observed a significant loss of coolant. The vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds. Upon inspection, the dealer confirmed coolant intrusion in cylinders #2 and #3, resulting in total engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not under recall, and there was no warranty associated with the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired out-of-pocket by the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

NHTSA ODI 11746432

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the air conditioning system failed to function as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle chugged and failed to accelerate as intended. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall or warranty coverage for the vehicle. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested to purchase a new vehicle. The contact declined due to the sentimental value of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 69,900.

NHTSA ODI 11744688

The trunk wiring which powers the tail lights, brake and parking lights, turn signals, trunk light, and the back up camera is too short, and it stretches and breaks when the trunk is opened and closed. Ford is aware of the issue, but is unwilling to fix it. The back up camera was already recalled, but it and the trunk light are not working again because the trunk wiring issue has not been addressed. The biggest auto safety issue is that the tail lights, brake and parking lights, turn signals, and back up light could also fail due to the trunk wiring being too short.

NHTSA ODI 11741698

1. Component failed and availability for inspection: The engine assembly block failed due to a manufacturing defect known as "coolant intrusion into the cylinders." The vehicle and the defective engine are currently located at my residence and remain fully available for federal or manufacturer inspection upon request. 2. Safety risk: The safety of myself and others was severely compromised. Coolant entering the combustion chambers causes sudden, severe engine misfires across all cylinders, erratic power loss, and instantaneous stalling. Operating a vehicle where the engine can suddenly lose all power on high-speed roads creates an immediate risk of rear-end collisions and catastrophic traffic accidents. Furthermore, high-pressure internal coolant leaks pose an inherent risk of engine fires. 3. Problem confirmed by a dealer: Yes. The problem has been officially diagnosed and confirmed by an authorized Ford dealership service center, which documented internal coolant intrusion. 4. Inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance: The component was inspected and verified by the vehicle manufacturer's authorized dealership technicians. It has not been inspected by the police or insurance representatives, as no crash has occurred yet. 5. Warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to failure: Prior to the diagnosis, the vehicle exhibited a "Check Engine Light." Currently, the vehicle is suffering from critical failure symptoms: the Check Engine Light is flashing constantly, the engine misfire codes are actively showing on all 4 cylinders, and the vehicle shakes violently at low RPMs (rough idling). These severe symptoms first appeared approximately 2 moths ago and have progressively worsened due to the coolant intrusion.

NHTSA ODI 11738968

While completing a turn at a T-intersection, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of motive power for several seconds, leaving the car stationary in the path of oncoming traffic. The transmission (10R80) failed to engage, a known symptom of internal CDF Drum sleeve failure (TSB 24-2254). This follows a 'Green' inspection by a dealer on March 23rd where an axle seal leak and shifting issues were overlooked. The failure to engage gear during a turn creates an unreasonable risk of a T-bone collision.

NHTSA ODI 11732274

A check engine light turned on and the vehicle was taken to a local dealership. The check engine light was for an engine misfire and was diagnosed further. There was an engine failure due to coolant entering the system. Upon further research, I learned this is a common issue for 2016-2020 Ford Mustangs and it is due to a faulty engine design. The dealership is recommending a new engine install with a price tag of over 13,000 despite this being known to happen because of a badly designed engine with these cars.

NHTSA ODI 11731787

The vehicle was subjected to the “ecoboom” due to Ford’s lack of care when designing the engine. The car blew the head gasket and now requires an engine rebuild.

NHTSA ODI 11731374

I was told by my mechanic I have a head gasket leak. Turns out there is a class action lawsuit for my 2.3 ecoboost motor for this coolant intrusion problem. It is a known problem. It is a safety issue as I’ve heard of some engine fires. My car only has 56000 miles on it but it is a 2018 so just out of the manufacturer warranty. I’ve reached out to Ford but no definitive answer on whether they will help or not they want me to pay them to diagnose it even though I’ve already had it properly diagnosed

NHTSA ODI 11730972

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the camera was inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11727593

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the dealer inspected the rear-view camera, and the camera was found to be functional. However, the contact reported that the camera image was distorted, with a grey raindrop line running across the screen. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,858.

NHTSA ODI 11726770

When driving the car, the engine temperature light came on, pulled the car over to let it cool down, when cooled, drove home and looked in the engine compartment, found the coolant reservoir empty, filled it with proper coolant, next day the engine light came on, took to O'Reilly auto parts to scan code, problem was Cylinder #3 misfire, changed out spark plug, noticed that coolant reservoir was low again, searched internet for possible causes when found that many people are having the same issue, turns out Ford manufactured the 2.3L engines with a faulty design where the cooling leaks into the cylinders "Coolant intrusion". the fix that Ford has established for this issue is to replace the engine with a "long block" version, but will not issue a recall. We have contacted Ford and explained the issue, but they will not repair. This should not be happening to a car with only 27,000 miles. now we are stuck with a car we can't drive and don't have the extra $5,000 plus dollars to replace the engine!

NHTSA ODI 11725806

Touch screen system has completely stopped turning on (and wont turn on) any time the outside temperature drops below about 70 degrees fahrenheit. Per online research this is a common, known issue and given that this prevents the use of key saftey features such as the backup camera and climate controls I am unsure why this has not yet initiated a safety recall. I have dealt with this for the past 3 winters and can confirm it is 100% in relation to outside temperature. There is no warning lamp/message. The screen will simply not turn on in below 70 degree temperatures. A component to the touch screen must be shielded improperly/not graded for outdoor use.

NHTSA ODI 11723224

Engine stopped working while traveling down a major interstate. Upon further inspection, the engine (EcoBoost) was defective and had to be replaced at my expense. This type of engine is known to have a manufacturing defect and was barely out of warranty. Ford would not replace the engine. Thank you

NHTSA ODI 11713953

Recall

NHTSA ODI 11714068

Random/multiple misfires and cyl 3 misfire (P0300 and P0303). Mechanic used a borescope and found coolant on the walls; visible coolant intrusion in cylinder 3. Coolant has gotten to low levels. Very rough cold start. Mechanic highly recommends to get the engine replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11710053

Transmission would hesitate and jerk very aggressively. If trying to accelerate, the car wouldn’t move at all. Constantly jerking or pulling forward very hard when shifting from park to drive or even while trying to accelerate. Problems started occurring near 30k miles. The problem was attempted to be fixed by the ford dealership before by replacing the valve body but due to poor inspection another service center confirmed it is a failed CDF drum.

NHTSA ODI 11707964

I was driving down the road in my 2018 Mustang ecoboost. When all of the sudden slowing down it locked the rear wheels up. I slid off the road and fortunately I didn’t hit anything but it did pop my side skirt off in the rear of the car. Thankfully the person behind me reacted in quick enough time to get around me considering the rainy weather conditions. This is very dangerous. It’s throwing a code for a solenoid B. Had traction control lights. And says see manual. But they all illuminated after the problem first happened. The car has been parked for a while. However someone suggested I try this website. There were no pre warnings to what was going on. The car drove fine up until the point of it just randomly deciding to lock the rear wheels up. I still owe money on the car and have been paying for it for almost two years since it happened. The car has around 100k miles. I saw online where my car is not the only case. One of the cases the car almost got hit by a train. Yikes.

NHTSA ODI 11708074

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that on several occasions while in reverse (R), the rear-view camera screen displayed a cloudy image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

NHTSA ODI 11706462

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that occasionally the rearview camera displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. In addition, the contact was unable to activate the heater while the screen was black. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11705443

The vehicle is subject to NHTSA Safety Recall 25V572 (Manufacturer Recall Number 25S89) regarding the rear-view camera wiring harness. The manufacturer has notified owners of the safety risk but indicates that the remedy parts are currently unavailable and has failed to provide a specific timeline for repair. I have contacted the authorized dealer and the manufacturer requesting a remedy or an interim inspection, as the rear-view camera is currently functioning correctly with no blank screen or distortion. However, the manufacturer and dealer have refused to perform an inspection to verify the system's safety and close the recall status temporarily. Because the manufacturer cannot provide parts and refuses to offer an inspection-based solution, the vehicle remains flagged with an open safety recall indefinitely. This represents an unreasonable delay in the remedy process, rendering the vehicle unusable for its intended purpose while the manufacturer fails to address the safety defect status.

NHTSA ODI 11703798

My 2018 Ford Mustang EcoBoost experienced sudden engine failure at 70,915 miles. The dealership documented misfire codes P0300, P0301, and P0316, which match the known 2.3L EcoBoost coolant-intrusion defect. This defect causes loss of power, rough operation, misfires, and potential stalling, creating a safety risk during driving. Ford Customer Relationship Center instructed me that the dealership must escalate the defect to the Regional Field Service Engineer. However, the dealer refused to do so, leaving the failure unresolved. This appears to be part of a widespread safety-related defect involving 2.3L EcoBoost engines, with risk of sudden loss of power, stalling, and internal engine failure

NHTSA ODI 11701911

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the infotainment screen displayed a black screen. The touchscreen icons failed to function as intended. The contact was unable to use the radio, and the A/C buttons failed to function. The radio would not turn on or would take approximately ten minutes for the radio to function. The contact stated that the infotainment screen failed to display if the A/C or heater was functioning properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11699838

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop while attempting to shift to second gear. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving in second gear, which required the contact to release the accelerator pedal before the vehicle could shift to second gear. The vehicle was taken to O'Reilly’s, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11695078

Rear camera safety recall. I've contacted the local dealerships of Galpin Ford and Santa Monica Ford to fix and been denied. This recall is over 1-month now, and they say they do not have the parts to fix and cannot help. This is affecting my safety and a financial inconvenience. Please advise, thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11692543

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the message "Front Passenger Door Ajar" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and opened and closed the door. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The message was displayed three times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11691722