2021 FORD MUSTANG — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 55 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: FUEL SYSTEM (13 complaints · 23.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 4
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 2
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2020 →
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 FUEL SYSTEM appears in 13 of 55 owner complaints (23.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. FUEL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 23.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 13 · 23.6% ENGINE: 7 complaints, 12.7% of reports ENGINE 7 · 12.7% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 7 complaints, 12.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 7 · 12.7% SERVICE BRAKES: 4 complaints, 7.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 7.3% · 1 crash reports BACK OVER PREVENTION: 3 complaints, 5.5% of reports BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 · 5.5% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 5.5% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 5.5% SUSPENSION: 3 complaints, 5.5% of reports SUSPENSION 3 · 5.5% AIR BAGS: 2 complaints, 3.6% of reports AIR BAGS 2 · 3.6% VISIBILITY: 2 complaints, 3.6% of reports VISIBILITY 2 · 3.6% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 22 complaints, 40.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 22 · 40.0% · 2 crash 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)
FUEL SYSTEM 13 23.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 7 12.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 7 12.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 4 7.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 3 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 2 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 2 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 22 40.0% 2 crashes · 0 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 2021; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2021. 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2025-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2026-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2026-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 Owner reports Oct 2021 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 21V980000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V980000 Recall campaign 22V083000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V083000 Recall campaign 23V727000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V727000 Recall campaign 25V442000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V442000 Recall campaign 25V455000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V455000 Recall campaign 25V689000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V689000
  • Campaign 25V689000 was reported 675 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 2
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 4
2023-Q1 Owner reports 2
2023-Q2 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 6
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q3 Owner reports 3
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 6
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 7
2025-Q4 Owner reports 5
2026-Q1 Owner reports 6
2026-Q2 Owner reports 4
Recall campaign 1 21V980000
Recall campaign 1 22V083000
Recall campaign 1 23V727000
Recall campaign 1 25V442000
Recall campaign 1 25V455000
Recall campaign 1 25V689000
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 21V980000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An air bag that does not inflate properly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the side curtain air bags, free of charge. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on February 3, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 22, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C37.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V083000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the front passenger knee air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 8, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S07.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V727000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Without a low brake fluid warning light, the vehicle may be driven with low brake fluid, reducing braking performance and increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C35.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V442000

    Report date
    Component:
    BACK OVER PREVENTION
    Consequence:
    A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V455000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump on super duty vehicles and update the powertrain control module (PCM) software on all other affected vehicles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S75.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V689000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Without a low brake fluid warning light, the vehicle may be driven with low brake fluid, reducing braking performance and increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C55. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 17, 2025.
    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 55 complaints · page 1 of 3

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