2012 Ford Mustang Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Apr 29, 2026 · 469 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Mustang years
Far more complaints than other years 4th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
4 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 469 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Mustang. That ranks 4th out of 32 Mustang model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (177 complaints, 38%), typically at around 12,250 miles. Complaints mention 20 crashes, 2 fires, 9 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

Ford Mustang
A 2024 Ford Mustang GT at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2012 Ford Mustang problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Power Train177 · ~12,250 mi
Air Bags158 · ~38,923 mi
Vehicle Speed Control35 · ~31,000 mi
Engine30 · ~45,599 mi
Structure23 · ~36,251 mi
Electrical System21 · ~56,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion System18 · ~57,187 mi
Steering16 · ~37,000 mi
Suspension16 · ~15,000 mi
Unknown or Other15 · ~24,345 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Power Train problems17738%12,250“manual transmission” (15%)—
Air Bags problems15834%38,923“takata air bags” (25%)—
Vehicle Speed Control357%31,000——
Engine306%45,599——
Structure235%36,251——
Electrical System214%56,000——
Fuel/propulsion System184%57,187——
Steering163%37,000——
Suspension163%15,000——
Unknown or Other153%24,345——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)123%19,750——
Service Brakes102%16,925——
Wheels61%600——
Exterior Lighting51%63,000——
Seats51%41,970——
Fuel System, Gasoline41%53,759——
Engine and Engine Cooling31%4,600——
Traction Control System31%35,130——
Visibility31%56,000——
Equipment20%22,750——
Seat Belts20%13,300——
Tires20%———
Visibility/wiper20%15,200——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic10%1,350——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 98 complaints
2011: 662011662012: 31312013: 372013372014: 32322015: 562015562016: 98982017: 572017572018: 36362019: 222019222020: 772021: 7202172022: 772023: 4202342024: 442025: 4202542026: 11

n = 469 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2012 Ford Mustang recalls (6)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 16, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V081000 · 1,067 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJan 7, 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V001000 · 782,384 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJan 10, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V024000 · 654,695 vehicles

Problem: 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, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Power train:automatic transmissionApr 27, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V248000 · 153,581 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks, 2012 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Mustang vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission that may unexpectedly downshift to first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.

Risk: An unexpected downshift into first gear can cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning and the rear tires may slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S19.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not driveMay 28, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V319000 · 1,018,622 vehicles

Problem: 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 February 20, 2004, to September 22, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 10, 2016. Even if interim repairs were performed under safety recall 14V-802, owners must bring their vehicles in for the final remedy. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S21. Note: This recall supersedes safety recall 14V-802.

Exterior lighting:back up lights; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)May 3, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V190000 · 10,500 vehicles

Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 ford f-150, 2012 expedition and lincoln navigator, and 2012-2013 mustang vehicles, for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard nos. 102, "transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect" and 108 â“lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.┠these vehicles may have a transmission range sensor (trs) that was calibrated out of specification for reverse gear.

Risk: If this condition exists, the transmission may not go into reverse or when the driver pushes the shift lever in the reverse â“r┠position and the vehicleâ’s transmission does go in reverse, the â“r┠may not illuminate on the dashboard of the f-150, expedition, or navigator models and/or the backup lamp on the rear of the f-150, expedition, navigator, or mustang vehicles may not illuminate. These conditions increase the risk of a crash or a pedestrian being struck due to the vehicleâ’s not signaling it is in reverse.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the trs as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on june 11, 2012. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Inability to shift gears on acceleration (PE11024) — opened Aug 3, 2011, closed Dec 14, 2011.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

I am the owner of a 2012 Ford Mustang GT currently located in Kuwait. My vehicle has an open Takata airbag safety recall, which is a life-threatening defect. I contacted the authorized Ford dealer in Kuwait and Ford Middle East, but both refused to perform the recall repair, stating that the…

Air Bags · received Apr 29, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11734459

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front windshield wipers independently activated. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the front windshield wiper fluid reservoir failed to drain the excess water…

Visibility · received Jun 9, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11665862

Down shifting in to first and reverse problems nothing wrong with transmission

Unknown or Other · received Jun 5, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11665087

I bought the car on Dec 20th 2024. The dealership informed me of the recall and turned off the passenger side airbag. I returned to the dealership as scheduled about 2 weeks later. When I went to pick up my car after work the service center said they couldn't fix the problem because the airbag…

Air Bags · received Mar 17, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11648635

Speedometer went to zero while driving and seemed to be in neutral. Could not accelerate. Also low fuel warning light came on when I had a full tank. After car was shut off and restarted speedometer seemed fine for about 1 mile, then self accelerated. Now continues to read zero and can not…

Electrical System · received Feb 8, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11641506

Other Ford Mustang years

← 2011 Mustang · 2013 Mustang →

See all Ford Mustang problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Ford Mustang?

Owners most often report power train, air bags, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 177 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Ford Mustang?

Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2012 Ford Mustang a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Mustang model years, the 2012 has far more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.