2021 Ford Mustang problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel System, Gasoline (10) · Power Train (9) · Fuel/Propulsion System (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Mustang model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
20 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Electrical System:body Control Module/Bcm 2025-10-10 · campaign 25V689000 · 2,101 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Mustang vehicles repaired incorrectly under recall number 23V727. The brake fluid level sensor may not activate the visual warning indicator when the brake fluid is low. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2025-07-07 · campaign 25V455000 · 850,318 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco, Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, 2021-2022 Lincoln Navigator, Mustang, F-150, and 2022 Expedition vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump may fail, which can result in an engine stall while driving.
Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Back Over Prevention:software 2025-06-27 · campaign 25V442000 · 200,237 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System:body Control Module/Bcm 2023-10-27 · campaign 23V727000 · 187,922 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Mustang vehicles. The brake fluid level sensor may not activate the visual warning indicator when the brake fluid is low. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:knee Bolster 2022-02-16 · campaign 22V083000 · 327 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Mustang vehicles. An insufficient weld on the front passenger knee air bag may result in an improper air bag deployment.
Risk: An improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain 2021-12-16 · campaign 21V980000 · 93 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Mustang vehicles. The side curtain air bag inflators may have been manufactured with the incorrect amount of compressed gas, which can result in improper air bag inflation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 226, "Ejection Mitigation," and 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Risk: An air bag that does not inflate properly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (150)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-22 · 26-2431 v2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin supersedes 26-2226. reason for update: update the service procedure for 2021-2022 f-150 3.5l ecoboost vehicles with new ford diagnosis and repair system(fdrs) c clutch data anomaly detection test.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-21 · TSB 26-2431 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin supersedes 26-2226. reason for update: update the service procedure for 2021-2022 f-150 3.5l ecoboost vehicles with the new ford diagnosis and repair system (fdrs) c clutch data anomaly detection diagnostic test. some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above may exhibit at l
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-09 · 26E04 · Emissions
new vehicle delivery hold - emissions recall 26e04 certain 2021-2025 model year f-150, maverick, mustang, ranger, expedition, bronco sport, explorer, bronco, navigator, and aviator vehicles powertrain control module software update
Power Train 2026-05-08 · TSB 26-2226 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin supersedes 26-2046. reason for update: update the parts list to change the claim quantity of the c clutch friction plates (hl3z-7b164-a), c clutch steel plates (hl3z-7b442-f), d clutch steel plates (hl3z-7b442-d), add the rear driveshaft flange cv joint-to-pinion flange cup bolts and r
Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection 2026-04-02 · SSM 54720 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
various 2020-2026 ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with blind spot information system (blis) may experience an inoperative blind spot monitoring with a "blind spot system fault" message displayed in the instrument panel cluster (ipc). this may also be accompanied by diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs)
Power Train 2026-04-02 · SSM 54719 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2021 2026 vehicles equipped with the 10r80 transmission, a new transmission clutch circuit leak test has been introduced in the ford diagnosis and repair system (fdrs). this test utilizes the pressure and vacuum transducer (pvt) when available. when referred to a specific clutch (a-f) test by
Showing the 6 most recent of 150 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-22 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my vehicle, vin [xxx], is subject to nhtsa recall 25v455 (ford recall 25s75) involving a defective low-pressure fuel pump that may cause engine hesitation, loss of power, or engine stalling. this recall was announced in july 2025 and remains open on the nhtsa vin lookup as of june 2026. more than eleven months have passed since the recall was annou…”
2026-05-17 · Structure:body“driver door opened to secondary latch position while driving on the highway at 70mph on 5/16/2026. the warning system came on and driver had to navigate holding the door and stopping safely during high speed traffic to close the door. will take to dealership when next available opening day. no accident or police were involved. driver found older wa…”
2026-05-02 · Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking“the backup camera goes blank and says to contact ford…”
2026-04-07 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 2,700 mi“the contact owns a 2021 ford mustang. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle shuddered while depressing the accelerator pedal. the contact stated that there was a banging sound coming from the vehicle. there was no warning light illuminated while pulling over to the shoulder of the roadway. the contact restarted the…”
2026-03-25 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 48,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 ford mustang. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started losing automotive power. the vehicle had stalled several times. the vehicle was able to restart, and the loss of automotive power was intermittent. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v455000 (fuel system, gas…”
2026-03-06 · Power Train“a steady check engine light came on after starting the car; brought it to ford dealer of montebello and they stated coolant leak and got into one of the cylinders that caused misfires.…”
2026-02-26 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 13,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 ford mustang. the contact stated that in may 2025, there was a misfire in the engine after refueling with warm fuel. the check engine warning light was flashing on the instrument cluster. the contact later received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v455000 (fuel system, gasoline); and associated the misfire with the r…”
2026-02-04 · Fuel/Propulsion System“at highway speed (60-65mph), in 6th gear, cruise control activated, the car began to surge and stall and loose power. applying more throttle to maintain speed did not help. pulled to roadside and engine stalled. no check engine light at that time. re-started with rough idle, check engine light illuminated, attempted to drive again but there was no …”
2026-01-26 · Back Over Prevention · 72,500 mi“the contact owns a 2021 ford mustang. the contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera display glitched and switched between a black and a blue colored screen. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. the dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that a diagnostic tes…”
2026-01-07 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 44,878 mi“the contact owns a 2021 ford mustang. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated and the engine misfired, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. the contact called a local dealer and was advised that…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.