10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,487 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Ford Mustang:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #21

May 122019

Mustang

  • 85,600 miles
From a stop, car wouldn't shift pass first gear. Had to stop, restart car. Wrench and empty gas warning lights came on. While traveling, car suddenly downshifted into first gear. Empty gas warning light came on. Had to pull over, restart car.

- Sherman Oaks, CA, USA

problem #20

Feb 212019

Mustang

  • 86,000 miles
Car shifts down by itself and shows dashes on the odometer as the speedometer gets stuck on zero. It alse shows wrench light when this happens. The 2013 Mustang has 6R80 transmission and the dealership is charging me 950$ to fix the car. They said they will replace the molded leadframe.

- Denton, TX, USA

problem #19

Dec 142018

Mustang

  • 65,000 miles
I was driving down I-35 in the arbuckle mountains in Oklahoma going 70mph when my car suddenly disengaged the cruise control and downshifted to first gear. It felt like the brakes were being applied forcefully and then the car returned to driving normally. This happened two more times until I was able to pull off on the shoulder as I had almost gotten into an accident the first time it did it. During this time the car was in the drive selector and when the problem would happen the car would show it had entered sport mode and then the downshifting would occur. This would happen without warning and suddenly, without any input from me. This terrified me as I was going at such a high speed and it was sprinkling out and a car was following closely behind me. Luckily I was not involved in an accident. We had the vehicle towed to a nearby Ford dealership to be looked at and are awaiting the results. As I researched the problem later that night I found that many Ford 2011-2012 vehicles had been recalled for the exact same issue. Mine is a 2013 model and was not included in the recall, therefore I was unaware of any problems with the vehicle.

- Lantana, TX, USA

problem #18

Aug 092018

Mustang

  • 95,210 miles
I was shifting my car into 3rd hear and the shifter got stuck causing the transmission to not let me get out of gear this happened in my neighborhood.

- Sugar Land, TX, USA

problem #17

Mar 022018

Mustang

  • 31,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. When the contact shifted into third or fourth gear, an abnormal noise was heard and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to hodges Ford (13452 ga-251, darien, ga 31305, (866) 390-7709) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.

- Brunswick, GA, USA

problem #16

Nov 222017

Mustang

  • 76,000 miles
Was driving my 2013 Mustang home from my parents house the car didn't want to shift or move even at full throttle stop in the middle of the road shut the vehicle off and restarted it drove home just fine. Went to drive it later that night and again car didn't want to shift nor move but this time I lost my speedometer and all my digital display in the center went blank. As the days and weeks went by the problem started becoming more frequent so I took it to an auto zone to get the codes checked had codes P0720 and P0722 (output speed sensor inside molded lead frame) come up on the code reader. I then called my cousin who is a Ford dealer mechanic to look up my codes and he told me to come by the shop and showed me what the codes were from the software from Ford they used. We then looked up to see if there was a recall on the part and found a recall from Ford for the 2012 Mustang with the 6R80 which is the same auto transmission that I have. The cut off build date for the recall was February 2012 and my vehicle was made in August of 2012. I also read of other people with the same year and transmission that I have having the same issues as me. I called Ford customer service to see if I they would extend the recall to cover 2013 Mustangs they said they would not. I personally have had multiple times where the shifting has almost caused a wreck. An instance here recently was I was pulling out of the parking lot of the company I work at and the car started off fine then stalled and didn't want to go and almost got T boned. Another instance was a couple days before thanksgiving and I was headed to my parents house and just merged onto the highway and the car started acting up and could of easily caused a pile up near the ramp and got someone killed.bought the car from a Ford dealership with 34K miles now has about 76K miles.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #15

Aug 012017

Mustang

  • 61,000 miles
Loss of power to the engine while driving. When this happens, the service wrench and check engine light comes on. Also, a sort of shuddering noise comes from the engine. When this occurs, I can not accelerate. The car pretty much goes limp and I have to pull over and restart my car. It could be from an electronic throttle body failure. This has happened five times.

- Carville, LA, USA

problem #14

Apr 282017

Mustang

  • 53,000 miles
Manual transmission has problems going into gear. Synchros are being replaced a second time with less than 60K miles and this car has never been on a race track. There are times when I've tried merging onto a freeway only to find myself not being able to get into 5th gear. Now I'm told my clutch has to be replaced. Something seems wrong. Although a 2013 my car was purchased in 2012 and I imagine has the same parts as those who filed complaints resulting in an investigation of the 2012 Mustang transmissions.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #13

Aug 272016

Mustang

  • 77,220 miles
Approximately 150 miles into a trip while traveling on interstate in 6th gear at 80 mph I had to slow for break lights ahead. Tried to downshift into 5th and immediately the tach red lined and the transmission would not engage. Tried to go back to 6th and same issue. Used the foot brake to slow to a stop and was able to drive in 1st through 4th gear or reverse. Drove to nearest Ford dealership in 4th gear for repair. The external diagnosis was fine so the tech went to remove the transmission. He noticed the vent cap missing off the transmission and only 1 qt of fluid left. There was a burnt smell and metal shavings in the assembly. The transmission was replaced due to catastrophic failure. Just 3 days prior to this the car had been serviced and the transmission, cap, fluid all checked out well. The tech at the dealership explained the pressure inside the transmission could cause a major burn-off of the fluid if the cap came off as it appeared. So a slow leak was not the case here. The removal of the vent cap was the root cause.

- Buford, GA, USA

problem #12

Apr 172016

Mustang

  • 40,000 miles
I was unable to shift gears while driving and the service dept advised I had bad synchros and was fixed under warranty. Fast forward a couple of months and had difficulty switching gears from 1st to 2nd had really bad grinding and would take a couple of times to shift. Then, when starting my car from my house, I was unable to get the gear into reverse while the car was on. It just wouldn't go in to gear... not any gear in fact. I had to turn the car off and put it into reverse and then turn the car on. While the clutch was fully pressed down the car started moving backwards when I removed my foot from the break. (the car was level and that never happens). Then after backing up I couldn't get it out of reverse. I had to turn the car off and put it in 1st and then start the car. The same thing - it moved with the clutch in and couldn't get it out of gear. I had the car towed to the dealer's service department. After the tow, for whatever reason, they were able to drive the car without issue. I'm not used to driving a car with such transmission problems that can't be diagnosed.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #11

Apr 062015

Mustang

  • 34,000 miles
Okay, I've had this incident a couple of times already. I was getting off the highway and a wrench icon came on the dashboard, I took it to the Ford dealership where I purchased the vehicle at. The Ford dealership found nothing, and it has happened several more times after I took it. I'm driving and the wrench icon comes on, I have no acceleration, I press the gas and it won't speed up. I have to be pulling over and turning off the car for a few minutes.

- Donna, TX, USA

problem #10

Jan 012013

Mustang

  • miles
Noticed I couldn't get the car (2013 boss 302 - bought new) to shift into 3rd gear at higher rpms. (not on the track, just on the freeway). Mentioned to local dealer and it was brushed off because the car was so new. Well, it still happens and seems to be worsening. Only 3rd gear and only higher rpms. When trying to get into 3rd it just grinds and does't latch.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #9

May 072015

Mustang

  • 9,000 miles
Cannot shift from forth to fifth in my car and 2nd gear experiences a lock out / missed shift and will not go in to 2nd. Bad transmission and syncro. Problems

- Brooklyn Park , MN, USA

problem #8

Apr 102013

Mustang 6-cyl

  • 650 miles
Increasing speed to merge onto kellogg in wichita, Kansas westbound from oliver and transmission began to jerk, then in a very short time span, about 2-3 seconds, entire vehicle shut down. Dealer did some repair work but the car has had numerous electrical incidents including failing to start, shutdowns, failure of pass side window to go all the way down, failure of climate control causing fogged windows, speakers shorting out, trunk opening on its own, and so forth. Numerous, but still small percentage of automatic transmission (6R80) issues that seem to match mine. No error codes suggest intermittent fail of contacts at passthru connector, possibly related to poorly seated connector insert. Bare wire was discovered in pass door when windows was serviced. Vehicle should be investigated for the transmission failure to issue tsb as needed to correct was well as investigation into wiring harness. Note - we have had 3 incidents where the problems could have caused crash.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #7

Jun 022014

Mustang 6-cyl

  • 24,000 miles
I parked my V-6 auto transmission Mustang on a slight incline and exited the vehicle. Approx 60 seconds after exiting, the Mustang started to roll down the hill. I was able to catch up to it, dive in head first and push transmission gear selector forward to make sure it was in park(it was). It continued to roll down hill until it impacted a building. After impact I confirmed shift lever locked in park. The transmission did not lock drivetrain and there were no skid or slide marks from rear wheel lockup. Days later, I returned to scene and recreated incident, parking in same location. Same angle, etc. Placing the car in park held it's position. Placing the car in any other gearshift position and releasing the brake pedal caused an immediate roll back. There is absolutely no way I exited this vehicle unless the vehicle was in park, it would of rolled immediately and the door would of knocked me over. My summary is: Park selection of gearshift lever failed to lock drivetrain, allowing car to roll down hill and impact a building.

- Gilbert, SC, USA

problem #6

Dec 092013

Mustang 8-cyl

  • 5,500 miles
12-9-13 transmission issue brought to Ford deale email to Ford: Subject: Repair order 43617 I would appreciate Ford to have a consideration of the following: 1. I would like to see a new transmission put into this 2013 boss 302 laguna saga with under 6000 miles. 2. resurface fly wheel. 3. replacing the clutch and pressure plate. I paid over $66,000K for this vehicle. And for Ford to have the nerve of placing a made in china "getrag" mt-82 into an american muscle car is in my opinion is despicable.

- Santa Clara Ca, CA, USA

problem #5

Apr 242013

Mustang

  • 222 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, he began to shift gears and heard a grinding noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 222.

- Corpus Chirisci, TX, USA

problem #4

Jun 082013

Mustang 8-cyl

  • 4,329 miles
I accelerated from a traffic light, from a full stop. At approximately 20 mph I depressed fully the clutch pedal in order to shift into 2nd gear. The clutch pedal remained in the fully depressed position and did not return to the raised position. The gear shift lever could not be moved into any gear, but could be moved freely within the neutral position. I raised the clutch pedal by placing the tip of my shoe under it and pulling upward, but no change was observed in the operation of the gear shift lever. I could start, and turn off the engine as usual, thus I had power brakes and power steering as I pushed the car and then coasted to a store's parking lot. I had the car towed home. There was no change in the operation of the gear shift lever or the clutch pedal after the car had been parked overnight. The clutch pedal remains fully depressed, unless one raises it. The condition described above has not affected the operation of the starter interlock, thus the engine will not start unless the clutch pedal is fully depressed.

- Kerrville, TX, USA

problem #3

Nov 172012

Mustang

  • 23 miles
When shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. The vehicle would not shift into 3rd with the clutch fully depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer immediately. The dealer acknowledge the issue but was unable to repair the issue stating that they were told from Ford Motor Company that it was normal operation.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #2

Aug 292012

Mustang 6-cyl

  • 4,300 miles
# 1 steering/suspension noise in the front of the car (bushing - cr3Z-3078-C and cr3Z-3079-C arm asy).# 2 fsa 12E06 powertrain control module.# 3 check fuel fill inlet.

- Mayaguez, PR, USA

Read the next 1 complaints »