1996 Ford Mustang problems
Owners have filed 329 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Ford Mustang. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 22% of complaints. Next are brakes (14%) and suspension (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 329 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 23 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 22 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 71,000 miles 35 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 35 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 71,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 71,000 miles (17 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 23 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 22 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford Mustang with enough data (206 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving the vehicle the consumer smelled smoke, consumer states that it smelled like wire burning. Consumer opened the hood of the vehicle, and fire came from the front end of the vehicle. There were injuries. There were no warnings. Please provide any further information.
Dealer did not warn my 4'11", 100lb wife of dangers of air bag due to her size. Dealer was aware of wife neck problem. The passenger required brain surgery following accident. Despite repeated attempts dealer will not respond.
Driving 30MPH; started applying brakes when they locked up; vehicle went into other lane & hit another vehicle. Damaged driver's front; air bags did not deploy. Driver hit steering wheel; lost control of vehicle. Had vehicle towed to dealer & they took responsibility for repairs. Manufacturer won't honor warranty.
I have a 1996 ford mustang LX. I was driving my car at night and I had it on cruise control and it blew up.I took care of my car and checked the engine and the antifreeze before I leave my house.I gave my car a 15 minute warm up period before I leave my house.the engine overheated and blew up due to faulty engine gasket. I have had to change the starter,the water pump(2x), radiator, and pistons because of that. I am very mad at ford and I told them so in dearborn mi.
I purchased a 1996 ford mustang from auto credit #3 in airway heights, washington. On 1/2/2011, I receive the vehicle and after three hours of driving, the driver side rear emergency brake locks up. This puts me into an uncontrolled 180 degree spin. On 1/3/2011, I take the vehicle to a les schwab tire center. I told the mechanic to check the brakes.