Ford Mustang / 2003
2003 Ford Mustang problems
Owners have filed 181 complaints about the 2003 Ford Mustang with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 22.7% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of vehicle speed control at 8.8%.
Complaints181
Crashes23
Fires6
Injuries11
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 22.7% · 41
Vehicle speed control 8.8% · 16
Seat belts 8.8% · 16
Power train 8.3% · 15
Air bags 6.1% · 11
Suspension 5.5% · 10
Electrical system 5.5% · 10
Unknown or other 5.5% · 10
Severity
Of those complaints, 23 describe a crash, 6 describe a fire and 11 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 30 model years of the Ford Mustang in this data, 2003 sits 24th by complaint volume. 2005 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 12 in the last three years against 8 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 10,500 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Mustang. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle began making a loud popping sound. The contact stopped the vehicle and called for assistance. The vehicle was towed to her residence. She looked under the hood and noticed that the number 8 spark plug had become detached. The powertrain was unknown. The failure mileage was 92,000 and current mileage was 93,000. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 92,000 miles
2003 Mustang. While driving in a hard down pour I went through a puddle causing the breather to suck up some water and blowing my engine. I went to the dealer and they told me Ford would not fix the problem. It is still under warranty with less than 20,000 miles. They also informed me this has happened before to others. It has stalled on me before while driving in the rain. Engine and engine cooling
My 2003 Ford Mustang cobra stalled as I was getting off the freeway. When I hit the clutch after decelerating, the car stalled causing me to lose brakes and steering. If it wasn't for the people at svtperformance.Com, I wouldn't have known of this issue, and wouldn't have been able to start the car while it was still moving, narrowly avoiding slamming into a brick wall at 60 mph. Engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…