2012 Ford Mustang
The Verdict
The 2012 Ford Mustang has 463 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are transmission (162 complaints) and electrical (160 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 29/100, it earns a "Check Engine" rating. If you're shopping for a Ford Mustang, consider the 2025 model year which has 97% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2025 has 97% fewer complaints
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Klunk Score: Check Engine
More complaints than most vehicles. Known issues exist — budget for potential repairs.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 169 | 63 | 92 | 102 | 43 |
| 2001 | 93 | 27 | 60 | 82 | 18 |
| 2002 | 77 | 13 | 38 | 61 | 22 |
| 2003 | 106 | 11 | 36 | 78 | 37 |
| 2004 | 78 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 7 |
| 2005 | 118 | 45 | 516 | 162 | 24 |
| 2006 | 105 | 25 | 318 | 91 | 28 |
| 2007 | 142 | 19 | 369 | 49 | 30 |
| 2008 | 48 | 11 | 242 | 11 | 29 |
| 2009 | 27 | 4 | 137 | 6 | 6 |
| 2010 | 42 | 8 | 182 | 16 | 11 |
| 2011 | 70 | 14 | 132 | 68 | 182 |
| 2012 | 83 | 7 | 160 | 51 | 162 |
| 2013 | 36 | 5 | 153 | 32 | 43 |
| 2014 | 50 | 12 | 236 | 24 | 24 |
| 2015 | 175 | 44 | 103 | 78 | 34 |
| 2016 | 162 | 15 | 76 | 92 | 22 |
| 2017 | 160 | 6 | 38 | 38 | 17 |
| 2018 | 54 | 4 | 26 | 65 | 35 |
| 2019 | 36 | 4 | 27 | 55 | 19 |
| 2020 | 32 | 15 | 24 | 27 | 16 |
| 2021 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 7 |
| 2022 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 1 |
| 2024 | 17 | 6 | 35 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
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 vehicle is a “gray market import” and not eligible. They also attempted to condition the repair on paid service, which is unrelated to safety recalls. Additionally, the authorized dealer informed me that my vehicle has a total of four open recalls, not just the Takata airbag recall. Despite this, they still refused to perform any of the recall repairs due to the vehicle being a “gray market import.” This refusal leaves me driving an unsafe vehicle with no official repair solution. Safety recalls should not be denied based on geographic location, as they are a manufacturer responsibility tied to the vehicle. I am requesting investigation into this issue.
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 as intended. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic for a second opinion, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the windshield wiper motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired at the consumer's expense; however, after 3 months the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same local independent mechanic for the windshield wiper motor replacement. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Down shifting in to first and reverse problems nothing wrong with transmission
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 didn't exist and sent me on my way. I tried calling the sales person but had to leave a message. There has been no other communication.
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 accelerate unless I restart engine.
Transmission seems to lose power while driving, the car will barely pull itself but the rpms increase if I accelerate. This has happened several times while driving and occasionally there are dash lights lighting and speedometer/gas gauge doesn’t work but that doesn’t happen every time. When it happens I pull over and shut it down and restart and it runs correctly until it happens again! I do a lot of highway driving and the car just “falling flat” on a multi-lane highway at 70+ mph is definitely a safety issue! I have taken it to my local fastlane shop and the car was driven but didn’t malfunction at that time. He advised me to try to drive it there if it happened again, but I have never been close to the shop at the times it happens or they are closed. There is no advance warning, it happens at various speeds and even on takeoff after stopping for traffic lights. I once was pulling into traffic when it happened and didn’t have enough power to get to my lane before it fell flat! Fortunately I could back up before getting hit by oncoming traffic.
Windshield wipers turn on randomly and will not stay on when switch is on, also sprays washer fluid on windshield randomly and wipers do not work making it a very dangerous driving hazard
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started stalling. The contact pulled over to the side of the road; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission range sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V190000 (Power Train, Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Recently started having erratic shifting issues. Will downshift randomly out of nowhere while driving. Sometimes will just be stuck in 1st gear and won’t go anywhere until I pull over and shut off/start up again. Dangerous because I never know when it will do it. Might seem like everything is fine and then all of a sudden, it downshifts and loses power. Rpm’s rise but car has no power. Have to figure out how to get out of the way. As stated in ford’s “ Customer Satisfaction Program 16N02,” my 2012 has all the symptoms and I have DTC code P0731 but dealer refused to service my vehicle because it doesn’t show up with my VIN, even though it’s a 2012 and I clearly need my Molded Leadframe replaced.
The transmission down shifted to first gear and the rear tires locked up. Skidding on the highway.
driver and passenger airbags were replaced under a recall and now theres a airbag warning light showing up on my dash.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear and the vehicle's rear tires ceased. Additionally, the speedometer failed. The air bag warning light, the traction control warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The contact used an OBD reader and read the DTC code P0720. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V248000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
There was a pencil mark on the inside tire wall where there was a leak. On the test drive there was a light on the dash indicating low pressure. Prior to pick up I was told it was repaired. On -27-23 I was driving the car and was lusting towards the center of the road after I regained control I had the tire checked at a tire shop and found that a patch had been put on the inside of the tire on the sidewall. The problem was reported to BBB and the dealer has not responded. I am in possession of the tire. No one has inspected the tire.
The rear end creaks and the 2nd gear grinds and pops out in the manual transmission
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle started to jerk and downshifted. The contact then stated that the speedometer and RPM’s started to fluctuate rapidly. All the warning lights were illuminated. As a result, the contact crashed into a metal road post and a tree. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission seized and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed by the mechanic of the NHTSA Campaign Number 16V248000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified however, the contact was unsuccessful. The 90,000.
The transmission is leaking between where engine and transmission meet and it will not go into gears correctly
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the rear wheels locked up and the speedometer displayed 0 MPH. The vehicle started sliding sideways, causing the contact to almost lose control of the vehicle. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The contact then pulled into the nearest gas station, parked, and turned off the vehicle. The contact resumed driving; however, the failure reoccurred while driving 40 MPH. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer who informed the contact that they could not diagnose the vehicle as the transmission specialist was not available. The contact drove to his residence. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer where it was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V248000 (Power Train). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into the drive and reverse, the vehicle would no drive forward or move backward. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Transmission unexpectedly slipped gear while driving at a steady pace in traffic. Caused RPMs to rev high and loud, with inability to control speed suddenly. Had to quickly pull over and turn off car. After waiting a few minutes, was able to restart car and continue driving without issue. This has happened 3-4 times now. Took to my local mechanic who stated there is an issue with a sensor inside the transmission. Spoke to my Ford dealer I purchased the car from, and was informed that this is a known issue occurring with many 2012 Form Mustangs, and they expect a recall to be announced shortly.
Speedometer went down to zero going 55mph. Car thought it was going 0 MPH, which causes transmission to go into first gear . Car reved awfully and had almost caused an accident both times this has happened to me. scanned the codes and it gives me p0722, common problem with these exact year mustangs and many other vehicles. Dealership denied my warranty to replace molded lead frame in transmission which causes this issue. This has already been a warranty extension and recall on many of these exact same cars and I do not know why mine doesn’t qualify. This is a huge safety issue and I’m left to fend for myself according to ford even though it is their products fault.
463 total