Vehicle report
2012 Ford Mustang
Free recalls, owner complaints, and NHTSA safety ratings for the 2012 Ford Mustang, plus how to check this specific vehicle before you buy.
The 2012 Ford Mustang has 7 NHTSA recalls on record and 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Its overall NHTSA crash-test rating is not rated. Below is the full breakdown, plus how to check this specific vehicle by VIN before you buy in Alberta.
7
Open recalls
15
Complaints
Not Rated
Overall safety
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2012 Ford Mustang recalls (7)
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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.
Remedy: 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 MODULE
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.
Remedy: 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.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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.
Remedy: 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.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
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.
Remedy: 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.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
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 LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR (TRS) THAT WAS CALIBRATED OUT OF SPECIFICATION FOR REVERSE GEAR.
Remedy: 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.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
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.
Remedy: 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 MODULE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
2012 Ford Mustang safety ratings
Not Rated
Overall
Not Rated
Front
Not Rated
Side
5
Rollover
Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.
2012 Ford Mustang owner complaints (15)
- AIR BAGS
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.
- VISIBILITY
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.
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Down shifting in to first and reverse problems nothing wrong with transmission
- AIR BAGS
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.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
- POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER
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
- POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING
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.
- POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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.
- POWER TRAIN
The transmission down shifted to first gear and the rear tires locked up. Skidding on the highway.
- AIR BAGS
driver and passenger airbags were replaced under a recall and now theres a airbag warning light showing up on my dash.
- POWER TRAIN
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.
- TIRES
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.
- SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN
The rear end creaks and the 2nd gear grinds and pops out in the manual transmission
- POWER TRAIN
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.
Checking a used Ford Mustang before you buy
The recall, complaint, and safety data above describes the 2012 Mustang in general. To know the condition and history of the specific vehicle you're looking at, check it by VIN. A VIN check shows whether this particular Mustang's recalls are still outstanding, and a full history report adds accident, title, and ownership records the data above can't show.
Before you buy a 2012 Ford Mustang in Alberta:
- Run a free VIN check on the exact vehicle for its own recalls and safety data.
- Run an Alberta Personal Property Registry lien search so you don't inherit debt.
- Get an independent pre-purchase inspection.
- If it's a dealer, confirm their AMVIC licence.
See other model years of the Ford Mustang, or browse more Ford models.
2012 Ford Mustang — questions and answers
Does the 2012 Ford Mustang have any recalls?+
Our check found 7 NHTSA recalls associated with the 2012 Ford Mustang. Check the specific vehicle by VIN to see which remain outstanding, since some may already have been repaired. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.
How many complaints does the 2012 Ford Mustang have?+
NHTSA lists 15 owner complaints for the 2012 Ford Mustang in our results. Complaints are problems reported by owners and don't always lead to a recall, but a pattern of similar complaints is worth weighing before you buy.
Is the 2012 Ford Mustang safe?+
The 2012 Ford Mustang has an overall NHTSA crash-test rating of not rated. Review the front-crash, side-crash, and rollover ratings above, and pair safety ratings with a mechanical inspection of the specific vehicle.
How do I check a 2012 Ford Mustang VIN?+
Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN into our free VIN check to see recalls, complaints, and safety ratings for that exact vehicle, then run an Alberta Personal Property Registry (PPR) lien search before you pay.
Are recall repairs on a Ford free?+
Yes. Safety recall repairs are performed at no cost by a franchised Ford dealer, even for a used vehicle and even if you're not the original owner. Confirm the required parts are in stock before relying on the fix.
Get the full vehicle history report
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