2020 Ford Mustang Reliability Report

Brake pedal brackets snap under hard braking. The pedal drops to the floor, and the parking brake is the only way left to stop the car. Several owners with a brake recall notice say they waited months for parts. One dealer said parts would not arrive until April of 2021. Three complaints describe crashes in which the car did not slow, or kept moving, with the brake pressed. No cause was confirmed in those cases. Other reports include a Hill Start Assist failure warning and rear calipers clamping the rotors at about 12,000 miles.

Coolant leaks into the cylinders, causing a check engine light, misfires, rough running, shaking, and loss of power, often at low speed. Dealers usually recommend replacing the whole engine. Most of these failures land in the 60,000s, just past the powertrain warranty, and one owner at 64K was refused coverage. Other complaints describe failed pistons with smoke from under the hood, overheating with hesitation on acceleration, and a large oil leak at about 72,000 miles.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes. All six complaints involve a collision, and four report injuries. Several describe heavy front-end or side damage, including spinning into a barrier, with no deployment at all. In one frontal crash only the driver's knee airbag fired, and the connected app later flagged a fault in the front passenger airbag system. These are owner accounts of crash outcomes, and none reports a confirmed defect.

The backup camera goes blank or shows a distorted image in reverse, followed by "Camera Unavailable - Contact Dealer." Dealers replace the camera or repair damaged wiring, and reported failures fall between about 56,671 and 90,000 miles. Two complaints are not about a failure at all. Those owners hold a notice for recall 25V695000, but the repair part is unavailable, and they say the wait is unreasonable.

The backup camera sometimes shows a blank or distorted image, or the screen displays "Contact your Dealer" at startup. Owners link this to recall 20V575000. In one case the car was not covered by the recall, and in another the camera failed again after the recall repair. A separate report describes the front passenger window moving by itself. It was fixed with a new window motor and wiring harness at about 20,000 miles.

Head gasket failure lets coolant into the combustion chamber. Owners see a check engine light, coolant loss, and overheating while driving. Dealers recommend replacing the long block or the entire engine. In one case, an independent shop replaced only the head gasket and the problem came back. Another complaint, at about 86,000 miles, involves a failed catalytic converter and active grille shutter assembly.

The rear wing spoiler comes loose and flies off while driving. In one case it happened again after the trunk and spoiler had already been replaced. A separate complaint describes a fuel tank that takes about 10 gallons instead of 16. The range reading drops to zero without warning and the car runs out of gas. That car had a street-racing history, and the complaint is flagged as fire-related.