2013 Ford Mustang Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated May 6, 2026 · 271 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Mustang years
More complaints than other years 12th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
4 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 271 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Mustang. That ranks 12th out of 32 Mustang model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (145 complaints, 54%), typically at around 25,000 miles. Complaints mention 16 crashes, 2 fires, 9 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year.

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 2013 Ford Mustang problems

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

Air Bags145 · ~25,000 mi
Power Train48 · ~57,000 mi
Engine22 · ~52,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control19 · ~60,000 mi
Electrical System18 · ~62,500 mi
Unknown or Other14 · ~65,250 mi
Fuel/propulsion System10 · ~41,185 mi
Steering10 · ~42,000 mi
Structure8 · ~21,168 mi
Suspension6 · ~5,200 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags problems14554%25,000“takata air bags” (28%)—
Power Train4818%57,000——
Engine228%52,000——
Vehicle Speed Control197%60,000——
Electrical System187%62,500——
Unknown or Other145%65,250——
Fuel/propulsion System104%41,185——
Steering104%42,000——
Structure83%21,168——
Suspension62%5,200——
Seat Belts41%40,000——
Service Brakes41%13,900——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)31%61,000——
Tires31%18,598——
Wheels31%10,486——
Exterior Lighting21%10,003——
Engine and Engine Cooling10%46,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline10%138,000——
Lane Departure10%———
Service Brakes, Hydraulic10%———
Visibility/wiper10%———

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

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 103 complaints
2012: 2201222013: 13132014: 142014142015: 26262016: 10320161032017: 31312018: 192018192019: 21212020: 9202092021: 662022: 5202252023: 11112024: 5202452025: 442026: 220262

n = 271 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2013 Ford Mustang recalls (5)

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

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:driver 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 11, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V046000 · 327,796 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 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 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles 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 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles 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 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. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

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.

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 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…

Power Train · received May 6, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11735968

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.

Power Train · received Apr 24, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11733618

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, another driver failed to yield while entering the roadway, abruptly cutting in front of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact was unable to stop in time and collided with the rear…

Air Bags · received Aug 26, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11683199

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 15V319000 (Air Bags) and 19V001000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer declined to perform the recall repairs. The contact was informed that, because of the installation…

Air Bags · received Aug 6, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11678859

n 2019, I bought a used car from a well-known dealer in Puerto Rico. I recently took it to a mechanic for some repairs, and the mechanic informed me that the vehicle's internal odometer didn't match the odometer on the car's dashboard. There was a difference of 48,971 miles. I was deceived by this…

Power Train · received Apr 1, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11651981

Other Ford Mustang years

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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 2013 Ford Mustang?

Owners most often report air bags, power train, engine problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 145 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2013 Ford Mustang?

Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2013 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 2013 has 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.