puffyafros

I got off work early friday and was on my way out of town for a mini road trip to visit family. Load the Mustang up and went to pick up the wifey from work. Maybe two blocks down the road I got an error on my message center that said FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE. And all of the sudden the power had been cut in half. I proceeded to pick up my wife and then parked it. An hour later my heart was being torn out as I watched her being lifted on that flat bed. Perfect weekend drive, destroyed. I had it towed to the dealership which I had just taken to the previous week for its first oil change. My baby's only got just a touch over 2,600 miles on it. What could possibly be wrong with her?! So when we arrived at the dealership and took her down from the tow truck they started her up and pulled in to the garage. The foreman tells me "She's runnin' just fine now". Yeah, very funny. They gave me a crummy taurus and sent me on my way.

This morning I get the call. They're ordering a new Electronic Throttle Body. This is new technology for the Mustang this year. Previous years they were cable driven. This is the first one they've heard of going out. There never seems to be any rhyme or reason when something electronic malfunctions. It's something that could happen at 100 miles or 100,000 miles. I'm totally bummed that my new car has to go under the knife so soon. I'm hoping that all this new electronic stuff isn't going to be an ongoing problem. Anybody had this or something similar happen to them yet? Or am I just the lucky one?

dustindu4

This happened to several people already and the throttle body was the fix for it. There will probably be a TSB out for it soon. It seems to be a new problem.

puffyafros

Well, i'm glad i'm not alone. And it's good to hear that the throttle body is the fix. thanks for your response.

TN615

Dug,
Since I got my car about 6-months ago, and mind you I have 16,000 miles on the car right now....
Every once an a while I'll either downshift to 2nd from 3rd or 4th...
Or Ill downshift to 3rd, from 4th or 5th... and It's like my engine cuts out for a second or 2....????
It just happened yesterday, and I have no idea what's going on.
It's like my fuel line gets pinched for a second and my car jerks to no power to the engine...???

Do you think I might have to same problem?

daveyramone

Mine had a somewhat similar problem. Twice at about 5000rpm in 2nd gear, I'd floor it and the car would fall flat on its face before taking off. Seems the electronic throttle body was getting the wrong message and closing completely instead of opening all the way. The dealership reflashed the computer and it hasn't done it again... yet. Anyone want to tool up a real throttle cable refit for the 2005 Mustang? I'd buy one!

puffyafros

I'm not sure if that's the same problem or not. I didn't really experience any notable performance issues leading up to this problem. I never experienced anything like that in a downshift. It could be the result of having an electronic throttle, just experiencing a delay or lag in power during those downshifts but you'll definately know when/if it gives out on you. I'd say your problem would be worth calling the service department about and see if they think it's related to the throttle.

puffyafros

I second that!

TN615

Thanks Dave & Dug.

puffyafros

No problem, hope everything works out for ya.

rrobello

This just happened to mine and I took it to the dealer and like you they first said everyhting was fine but then they drove it and the failsafe came on and it turned out the throttle position sensor, it was shorted out and they replaced it on the spot and fixed the problem. Much quicker than the throttle body to fix, worth checking out.

puffyafros

Hmmm ... fixed it right on the spot. I had wondered if it might just be a fried sensor and not actually a problem with the throttle body. Thanks for the info.

puffyafros

Just heard back from the body shop, seems they can't find a new throttle body in the country. They're on back order, which means many new mustangs must be having the same problem. He has no idea when they'll be able to get their hands on the part. Which means I'm Taurus driver who knows how long. I'm so bummed. And the weather is getting warmer here, so I could be driving in my Mustang with the windows down for the first time if I had it. :bang: :angry:

97svtgoin05gt

Hang in there man, you'll get it back before you know it. We're cutting teeth on new tech here with this car. There are bound to be some things. This car is sooo important to Ford, they won't leave you or us hanging at all.

Keep the faith!!

puffyafros

Thanks for the encouragement, man. I know it'll all work out in the end.

Gaspi101

I thought they started implementing electronic-controlled throttle bodies since 2005? I had an 05 GT, and the throttle was not cable-driven. I didn't think this was new technology, and they're reputed to be very reliable.In my experience, it's more responsive than the cable-throttle body too. You may just have had a bad part.

Gaspi101

LOL...I just realized the date of the post....2005?! HAHA...****, there is too much internet. What's going to happen when there's 20 years of posts on a forum?!