Ok,

We all know the upside of owning a Mustang, or any other high performance car, however sometimes we forget the downside. I've never owned a Mustang, and I'm looking at several cars; included in those cars are the 2005 and the 03-04 Mach 1.

However.......no one owns a 05 yet and Mach 1's are very limited, so my question is for the V6, GT, and Mach 1 owners.....over the last couple years what problems has your Mustang presented, and how much were the repair bills? Simply put I'd like to know the car year, miles, problems, and cost.

I'd like a lot of replies, and honesty.....of course.

 

Like 6 months ago my amp (stock) malfunctioned and it was contiuously draining my battery causing my car to not start a few times. I didn't know what was going on so I got a new battery. It contiued to happen so I took it to the dealership and they didn't know what was wrong with it. After it not starting a couple of more times I took it back and they finally figured out what was wrong with it. Since it was under warranty it was of no cost. Other than that I have had no problems.

 

Back in 2001, I had the exact same problem......the stupid guy at Circuit City hooked up my amp, so forth.....after installation he told me my car was running at 9V(volts). I was puzzled.

My electrical clock, clock, radio etc......would give out after tapping the brake. I was set to get a new battery, when I found that the guy never tightened my connections to my battery terminals.

After that....the terminal would always build corrosive "gunk" causing my car not to start. This year my amp blew out only weeks after the warranty expired, and later in the year my car didn't start once again. I disconnected my amp, and I think from that point foward.....I'm giving up my bass dream.

 

Good thing they're replacing the sound systems for the 05 then eh?

 

my automatic tranny blew on my 1996 mustang..costs me 1900 bucks with tax..

was my fault tho .. power shifting for 60,000 miles :P

otherwise nothing wierd

totalled car with 139K on it when it was 6 years old

 

Out of the three Mustangs that I have owned, the 1990 GT convertible only had normal wear and tear issues. I had to replace the top On etime and a battery and starter solinoid one time. Other than that, they have been the most reliable carrs I have ever owned.

 

I have had a few issues with my Mach, all of which were covered under warranty.

1. Brake light coming on under normal braking. Found to be a right rear loose brake line.
2. Shaker scoop rattle. This was fixed as well.

That's it as far as issues with my car.

My three previous mustangs (95, 97, 2000) had these issues in no particualr order -- all fixed under warranty:

1. 95 - Had no warranty issues. But, sadly suffered death by crash in 97.
2. 97 - Loose passenger side door panel rattled when stereo turned up.
3. 97 - Head unit went out, was replaced under warranty.
4. 97 - Paint splotch on the Autumn Orange paint. Never fixed.
5. 97 - Hood latch would stick. fixed under warranty.
4. 2000 - Had no warranty issues.

 

2000 mustang gt

1. Scratched roof unloading from car hauler (fixed free)
2. cracked hood in latch area (fixed warrenty)
3. Stalling problem - (fixed warrenty)
4. Bad synchro 4th gear - (told nothing was wrong with the car till the warrenty expired) Still not fixed

 

your battery is on warranty too :bang:

 

Ive never had a problem with my 2000 or 2001, and I beat the tar out of both of em.

 

All in all, My Mach is mostly problem free after 6 months. The brake issue was a fairly big deal, but the other 3 worked fine

You'll see above I had no problems with 2 of 4 of my Mustangs. I think it just depends on what kinda mood the factory line is in? They obviously have the capacity to create a mostly error free car, but in some cases it just doesn't always work out that way! The good news is that most problems are fairly minor (like squeaks and rattles).

 

1999 Mustang GT:
1- The rear end had to be rebuilt twice under warranty.
2- The lights on the stereo went dead. Fixed under warranty.
3- The fuel gauge would sometimes read empty when the tank was full. They could never fix that one.
4- The break calipers weren't properly set when the car was built. This caused premature wear on the break pads. Fixed under warranty along with new pads.
5- A bearing in the cluth had to be replaced twice. Covered under warranty.
6- The car had squeaks and rattles that the service department could never fix properly.

All in all, this car had a load of problems. In my view, it was a lemon. Good thing it was a lease and I was able to walk away from it after 3 years.

2002 Mustang GT:

This car has had no problems, and has only been at the dealer for a tire rotation and balancing, and a passenger window adjustment (it was squeaking).

I find it amazing that the these two Mustangs were so different in their reliability. Maybe the old Dearborn plant (which built the current Mustang) was the reason for the extreme variation between the two cars. Maybe the fact that 1999 was a new model year played a role.

 

I have #3 right now.
I notice that if I fill it till it stops, but put no more than 15 cents extra in....it won't do it....
but if I do add more, the gauge messes up.

#6 is just a pre-04 Mustang issue.
04s seem to be better in that dept.

 

1999 GT (long):

Bad lower driver's door hinge
Defective torque convertor
Smell of burning oil frequently inside car - never fixed
Squeeking outer tie rod ends - dealer wouldn't fix, but I replaced them
blower motor replaced twice due to chirping bearing
Driver's seat back replaced twice due to squeaking in frame
Driver's torque box squeeking within one week of purchase - required welding and a week to find the cause
Rear seat back rubbing on frame causing squeeks
Leaking front windows
Deformed trunk gasket
Ujoint was failing on driveshaft - noticed when I replaced it with an Aluminum one.
Recall on cruise control cable
Paint coming off the roof near the rear "C" pillars on both sides
Difficult to close hood - eventually cracked the paint above the latch
Numerous squeeks
Stalling issues when placed into gear from Park
I'm sure I've forgotten about some others

It was the worst car I've ever owned and makes me consider why I'd want ever another one, but I still do.

 

I have #3 right now.
I notice that if I fill it till it stops, but put no more than 15 cents extra in....it won't do it....
but if I do add more, the gauge messes up.

#6 is just a pre-04 Mustang issue.
04s seem to be better in that dept. [/b][/quote]
sounds like a float lever not working properly. it gets stuck if you put too much gas in. had that on a ford mondeo some years ago, dealer fixed it.

 

Yeah figured as much.
I brought it in ... and they said they fixed it.
But of course...nope

 

yeah because to test it they would have had to fill your tank. But all they did was enpty it and then take it for a 50 mile joy ride.

Yes i had my car taken for the 50 mile joy ride by Fords lovely mechanics

 

I forgot one for my 97 -- Reading the posts reminded me. it's one I should have remembered, because its the only time I've ever had to have a car towed:

1. 97 - The fuel guage would show gas in the tank (like 1/4 tank or more), and there was none. Ran outta gas and had it towed to the dealership to have it fixed.

 

I owned a 1995 Mustang GT for six years never had any major machanical problems. The smog pump went out on it once at about 60,000 miles. I payed about $30 for the smog pump and about another $40 for a new belt.

 

You can't go wrong with an American RWD muscle/pony car for reliability. They are fairly simple without too many gagets to break.

If its a manual tranny, even better. They are high torque producing cars meant to take a beating and their components can usually easily handle the stresses put on them.

You will have a lot more issues with FWD cars and cars with a lot of computerized features.

I'm not at all worried about reliability with the new stang.