wjones14

Have you found the source of your rattles yet, Paul?

My '05 had a rattle that drove me crazy through 1-1/2 winters - it would only happen in cold weather for some reason. I thought for sure it was coming from the gauge area. It seemed to be coming from the tach, and would only happen on acceleration or deceleration when the revs where between 2500 and 3300 rpm.

Then this Christmas I took off the door panels to replace the 6"x8" component speakers, and the rattle went away when I replaced the panels. I think the rattle may actually have been the plastic trim piece behind the inner door opener handle - when I put it back I bent the clips so it would be snug. That day, the "dash" rattle disappeared.

davisinla

Mine also seems very much temperature related, worse when it's cold. At times, the interior is like a tomb. Other times, it sounds like the car's got 100,000 miles on it.

One seems to be at the A-pillar on the drivers side. I am thinking about stuffing some felt down between the dash and pillar.

The other, a bit more elusive, and the most bothersome, is at (or behind) the gauges. I have not been able to determine if it is the plastic housing or something behind it.

I have one more intermittent one in the back seat area. At first I thought it was the right rear seat belt. But after buckling it, I still hear it from time to time.

Thanks for your advice...I will listen closely to see if any of these are actually coming from the door panel. That would be an easier fix than the dash.

I really would prefer not letting the dealer look for these. I can't imagine letting them pull my dash apart.

Cowtown

I think for feature content it's a pretty decent middle ground. Only things I wish that I wish I had were steering wheel audio controls (cause they're handy and safer), heated seats (Cause I'm a Canuck) and possibly power passenger seat.

Of course 2 of those things are addressed in 07+ cars and I could have waited, but I got to drive and show my car all summer so I think it was worth it. I had one of my best road trips ever in my new Stang last summer.

Hollywood_North GT

I wholeheartedly agree...BUT, spend some time on the forums for import vehicles (Honda, Toyota, Acura, etc.) and you will find threads over there where people are reporting squeaks and rattles in their cars.

The fundamental question is >> does our Mustang demonstrate a greater frequency of this problem than other vehicles? So far, no one has done a quantifiable study of this.

davisinla

I agree that you can find examples of problems in ALL cars. But JD Power HAS studied initial quality. Head on over there and see what they say about the Mustang.

I can only speak from personal experience having owned many Japanese cars since 1980. My new 1980 Civic was as tight as the proverbial drum. I mean SOLID. Nothing when wrong with that car in over 100,000 miles. Same with the '92 Accord that replaced it. It's great to get a new car that remains tight for years.

My current daily driver is a 2002 Highlander - at 130,000 miles, there are certainly some interior squeaks and rattles - but they are about equal to the Mustang when cold. Sorry, but that bugs me.

Once again, I love driving the Mustang - it is a performance bargain. But between the clunky drive train, sticking revs between shifts, and rattles, I sometimes feel like I'm driving a great used car.

Hollywood_North GT

I'll have to see what happens when I get mine next week. I know this has been discussed broadly on this forum and others, and it's part of the reason why Ford are in the financial predicament they are; people just aren't going to tolerate inferior manufacturing quality in this day and age - no-one is going to accept shoddy build quality in the 21st century with so many "solid" vehicles to choose from, and global competition getting hotter every year.

I have owned a few Japanese cars as well, and my results have approximately paralleled yours - no problems with squeaks or rattles whatsoever during the first several years of ownership. But, when you use cheap, hard plastics throughout your interior, you invite this sort of thing, I suppose. Like you, I would have happily paid $2K more for improved build quality and greater attention to detail.

I have a feeling Ford may address this issue on the 2010 model, meanwhile, at least our cars LOOK terrific (inside and out), go like stink and are fun to drive. Few cars turn heads the way the Mustang GT does for anything close to the price.

davisinla

I think we are ALL in 100% agreement on this, Amigo!

muslenutz

I wasnt trying to get everyone all nuts here, I was just taken back afterwards compared to my friends 300z. Its just kind of sad, this is what kills so many american products. Toyota really sets a high mark, they must be paying people a little more I guess. Like I said most of the time I am the fastest car insight which is a feeling well worth 30k

Hollywood_North GT

Not so much anymore.

Have you seen the interior of the new Tundra? GMC's new Silverado smokes it hands down.

Or the new Camry? Very mediocre quality, with many people reporting trim bits that fall off.

If you want a high quality interior from Toyota these days, you pretty much have to buy a Lexus.

I honestly don't think the Mustang is that bad - and the actual interior DESIGN is terrific. My only gripe is that the surface plastics should have been of a higher grade...and details like auto flip forward front seats and passenger grab handles should have been included.

muslenutz

are the seats actually leather... look like pleather. Very Comfy seats though

eci

The seating surfaces are leather. The rest is vinyl.

Hollywood_North GT

And only in the front.

Rear seats are pleather, otherwise called vinyl or naugahyde...better known as plastic!

65205

When I ride in my sister's Yukon,purchased 1 month after my Stang, I'm wishing for Bose instead of Crapper 1000, I want seats with memory, I want a rattle free ride. Then I get into my GT and say to myself "thank God I don't drive a maw maw Yukon! This car is bad ace, looks hot and can run circles around that SUV!" People don't wave to the Yukon. No one has ever left a "face print" on her window like the Stang. There are a lot of things I am less than happy with, but if I didn't love this Stang so much, I'm sure I would not care! Besides, she's just being true to her roots. I would have paid more though,for higher quality.

Mustangfreak

I guess its just me tha expects squeks and rattles from a Ford. It doesnt bother me. But I get something out of it. Ford may not know how to make a car that doesnt rattle, but they know how to make darn good V8's.

Centurion96

Pony car - Yes, sports car - No. 42 years ago I was driving a Mustang V-8 coupe, it was never a sports car then and it was never called a sports car. Sports cars back then had 2 seats and mostly small 4 and 6 cylinder engines, can you say: Midget, Sprite, XKE, Triumph, Austin Healy, and Porsche. Then there were the exotics, like Lamborgini, Maseratti, and Ferreri. The only piece of Detroit Iron that came close to being called a sports car was the Corvette and then only Corvette owners and GM types called them sports cars, everyone else called them plastic pigs. SUV is another label that is used incorrectly thanks to the talking heads who are barely able to read off of a teleprompter but that's another story. Talking heads need labels to make their lives easier and they don't care how incorrectly they label things. To call a pony car or a muscle car a sports car is doing an injustice to the pony and muscle cars of the past.

I have some performance magazine specs on the 271 HP Shelby Mustang with 3.73 gears that at 7.1 secs. 0-60 can't touch the current GT model's 5.0 secs. with 3.55 gears. After 43 years, the rattles, leaks, clunks, and poor fit and finish should no longer be there. Please don't use the sports car excuse for shoddy quality control and poor (as in cheap) design tradeoffs. My 68 Camaro had footwell lamps and I'm trying to remember if my 65 Mustang had them as well. Please understand that cheap and inexpensive can be mutually exclusive, the Japanese showed us that in the 70s.

It is a shame that every twenty years or so Detroit has to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the relative decade.


From the rocket ranch

BB

Semper Fi

Mustangfreak

I'm not reading your whole post because it seems you think I don't know what the Mustang is. I only said sports car because not everyone knows what a pony car is. And when I correct someone calling the Mustang a sports car, they just stare at me with a dumb look.

Hollywood_North GT

The difference is that this time they might not make it.

Juice

"I've owned WAY too many other inexpensive/economy cars over the past 20 years (Civic, Accord, Miata, several Toyotas, etc.) that don't come directly from the factory with dash rattles."

I am not defending Ford, but Toyota, Honda and others have their fair share of build problems too.
My best freind has an Acura TL that has been in the shop for door rattles three times, has a glovebox rattle that can't be fixed and has already lost a water pump, all before 20000 miles. My Miata had to have the passenger seat partially reclined so that it wouldn't shudder over bumps. The first winter we had the Miata the dash cracked around the radio opening and after two years, the hot glued seams of the convertible top started to come undone. It also rode like a go cart, and after a particularly brutal trip from Maine to Virginia, I promptly traded it in for a trouble free Thunderbird. My daughter is driving our 97 Taurus, which is holding up as well as my freind's 97 Camry. The Camry has had more pieces fall offf the interior so far. The car that has spent the most time in the shop in the first two years was our VW Beetle Turbo.

The Mustang is a driver's car, not a baby Lincoln or a Tokyo by night techno wonder. If you want the electonic gizmos, buy a TL or a Lincoln. I will agree, there were a couple suprises where Ford cut some corners, like the el cheapo sunvisors (My 87 GT had lighted mirrors), deleting the chrome trim around the shifter and the hard dash shell, but overall I am happy with my car. The options that were not available in 2005 are now available in the latest models, but again, you have to fork over the extra bucks to get them. MY 2005 vert was fully loaded and came home for $33K. SO you have to ask yourself, was all the weight adding doo-dads worth the extra 5 grand on the sticker?

johnpony

Hey muslenutz be thankful you dont live down under just paid 120k, Yes thats right 120k for a 2007 GT with the lot.But its only money and you can't take it with you.

Cheers Mate, John Pony

muslenutz

Crikey!!