2013 Ford Mustang: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
61%
74 of 122 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
61% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2013 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 81% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 149 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 27%).
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,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILI10/16/20201 INJURED
MY MOTHER BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW, THE NEIGHBORS HACKED INTO THE SYNC SYSTEM ONCE AND HAD ISSUES OUT OF RADIO SINCE, BUT SHE'S NOT CONCERNED OVER THAT, THE 6SPEED TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT ON ITS ON, BE RUNNING 55 AND DOWNSHIFT TO FIRST, AND GO TO PULL OUT IN 6TH AND HAD ALMOST GOT HER HIT MORE THAN ONCE , I HOOKED COM…
POWER TRAIN05/06/2026
I have a 2013 ford mustang with 6R80 transmission as my wife was driving down the high way the suddenly shift down to 1 or second at 65 miles per hour and the car skidded out of control almost killing her and the people in the other lain I checked on recalls for this problem and I am getting conflicting answer. It says…
POWER TRAIN04/24/2026
Car has delayed shifting and is still down shifting when the car has already stopped. 2011-2012 mustangs have some extended coverage for this problem. 16N02. My 2013 was manufactured at flat rock in 2012 but not covered.
Three of 74 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 (6)
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 2013 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisia…
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 2013 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.
6 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.
