2002 FORD MUSTANG — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 112 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (20 complaints · 17.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 19
  • Fires 6
  • Injuries 11
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2001 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 20 of 112 owner complaints (17.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 20 complaints, 17.9% of reports ENGINE 20 · 17.9% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 18 complaints, 16.1% of reports AIR BAGS 18 · 16.1% · 13 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 11 complaints, 9.8% of reports SEAT BELTS 11 · 9.8% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 11 complaints, 9.8% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 · 9.8% SERVICE BRAKES: 9 complaints, 8.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 9 · 8.0% · 3 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 6.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 6.3% · 5 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 6.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 7 · 6.3% STRUCTURE: 7 complaints, 6.3% of reports STRUCTURE 7 · 6.3% POWER TRAIN: 5 complaints, 4.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 5 · 4.5% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 73 complaints, 65.2% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 73 · 65.2% · 12 crash reports 4 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 20 17.9% 1 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 18 16.1% 13 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 11 9.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 9.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 9 8.0% 3 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 6.3% 0 crashes · 5 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 7 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 7 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 5 4.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 73 65.2% 12 crashes · 4 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2001; the first recall shown was reported in May 2006. 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2001 Jan 2023 Recall campaign 06E049000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E049000 Recall campaign 06E056000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E056000 Recall campaign 06E064000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E064000 Recall campaign 08E050000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E050000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Investigation DP05005 ● Investigation DP05005
  • Campaign 08E050000 was reported 2,366 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E025000 was reported 2,639 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 3
2002-Q2 Owner reports 9
2002-Q3 Owner reports 9
2002-Q4 Owner reports 6
2003-Q1 Owner reports 1
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 8
2003-Q4 Owner reports 3
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 4
2004-Q3 Owner reports 5
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 8
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 3
2008-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 06E049000
Recall campaign 1 06E056000
Recall campaign 1 06E064000
Recall campaign 1 08E050000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Defect investigation 1 DP05005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E049000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E056000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    FAILURE OF THIS CONNECTION COULD LEAD TO FUEL SPILLAGE AND, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E064000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E050000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 112 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources