2012 Ford Mustang: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
67%
210 of 313 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
67% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2012 Ford Mustang are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 89% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 156 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 45%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS09/13/2016CRASH1 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD MUSTANG. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH IN THE LEFT LANE, THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR AND SEIZED THE REAR TIRES WHILE ON AN INCLINE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL ON THE DRIVER SIDE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED THAT ACCUSED THE CONTACT OF CARELESS DRIVING. THE…
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER06/07/20161 INJURED
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND WHEN I SHIFTED FROM 1ST TO 2ND THE GEAR SHIFTER GOT HUNG UP AND WOULD NOT SHIFT CAUSING THE CAR TO DOWNSHIFT THROWING ME FOWARD AND HITTING MY HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL.
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS05/01/2013CRASH1 INJURED
VEHICLE TURNED RIGHT FROM A STOP, ONTO A TEXAS STATE HIGHWAY. SHIFTING MANUALLY FROM FIRST GEAR TO SECOND GEAR, THE VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL (APPARENTLY DUE TO LOSS OF TRACTION BECAUSE THERE WAS A COATING OF FINE SAND ON THE TIRES). THE VEHICLE CROSSED 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC, AND IN DOING SO, WENT INTO A ROLL-OVER, REPO…
Three of 210 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (7)
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisi…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Californi…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2014 Mustang vehicles manufactured April 6, 2004, to June 21, 2014, and 2005-2006 GT vehicles manufactured …
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2012 Ford Mustang
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
7 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
