So I have no doubt that when the 2011s were announced, the folks who just came home with their hot looking new 2010s must have been somewhat bummed out. Obvioulsy, there is nothing wrong with a 2010- its a gorgeous machine that also happens to be plenty quick....but when the new version came along with 100hp more, it had to sting a bit.

Here we are, about 1 year after the 5.0s started shipping. Most folks are happy with them (like me) but there is now quite a bit of doubt swirling now about these cars- engine ticks, burnt out #8 cylinders, oil consumption, transmission problems... even for those of us who don't have these problems (yet?), it is, to some degree, sucking the fun out of ownership.

My previous car was a 2009 GT. It wasn't the fastest car I had ever driven but it pulled hard, sounded amazing and was utterly flawless for almost 20k miles. I never lost a second of sleep worrying about that drivetrain...even with a performance tune.

So what do you guys think- is the stock going up on 2010 GTs at all? I think I would feel pretty good about owning a 4.6L 3v these days. The peace of mind might just be worth the 100hp deficit.

Thoughts?

 

Owning a mustang is never a piece of mind in my experience. It's either a hit or miss with them. I believe that Ford has a good idea with the car but the quality is the main issue. The 05-09 had serious water leak issues. Including mine which later had to go through a lemon process. The 2011 5.0 was rushed way too fast to the market. The sporadic issues are now becoming widespread. The engine tick and the transmission problems are the major ones to note.

This is to be expected from first year vehicles, but the 2012's are reporting the same exact problems. Ford is pushing hard to get these out and the quality is getting worse and worse. When you lose quality, you lose customers. I will never buy a Ford again. You buy a new car for a piece of mind, not this worry and anxiety. While they push their quantity and overlook quality, they post record revenues on their books.

I lost faith in Ford long ago. I really enjoy the car and the idea behind it, but overall stress is a major downfall. I might be in the minority here, but let's wait until the winter and see how many new cases pop up.

 

Well.......

I bought a 2010 when I was originally headed in to buy an 11.

I like the car, caught crap for my buddies on buying a 2010 instead of the 2011, but I happen to like the car, sounds decent, pulls decent.....

However I will be trading it in soon to buy a 11/12 optioned the way I wanted.

Edit, this is my third mustang, and I will say if I was worried about breaking down or having problems, I wouldn't buy another mustang. I was always working on my coupe, the v6 couldn't keep an alternator running healthy and the 2010 has brake problems.

 

jj,
2 questions:
1. why do you keep buying mustangs if they always break down?
2. what do you buy? from what ive seen 99% of the cars out there have problems.
too many parts to break and conditions always lead to problems.

 

i got my 2010 expecting there to be some growing pains with the new engine/tranny. especially becuase i would have been lined up to get one of the first 11s. I also got to enjoy my stang 7-8 months before the first 2011s started arriving at dealers. so those were both wins. Obv missing out on 100hp and a 6 speed is a lose. but i am lining up to target a 2013 hopefully with the engine/tranny issues resolved.

 

This pretty much echoes my sentiments exactly.

I parted ways with my 2008 GT/CS for this 2011 Mustang. At the time my 08 had just over 20,000 miles and was exhibiting some of the worst suspension degradation I'd ever seen in a car. On a completely stock suspension it felt like the car had 150k on the stock equipment. So I was looking at pouring about 2000 in to the suspension on that car to get it to drive right and quite down again.

Absolutely appalling to have a suspension go away on a car like that after only 20,000 miles.

Instead I spent that money on a down payment on the 2011, which unfortunately has been in and out of the shop since the first day I owned it.

Because of some of the issues with this car I can't enjoy it the way I had wanted to. I was hoping to get back in to HPDE events this season and spend more time at the drag strip. I haven't been able to do that because the second I do that all the issues I've been having from day one will be attributed to racing or abuse as a scapegoat.

This car has such HUGE potential. Ford quality control is seriously lacking right now however and it shows.

Here is a synapses of my own time line with my car.

-Purchased December 9th, 2010, the car is November 2010 build.

-December 10th, receive check engine light. Dealer diagnoses as bad catalytic converter, parts are ordered. Also advised of a slight knocking coming from engine that is felt through the shifter.

-December 15th, car in shop for repair of faulty cat. Engine techs verify my engine related concerns. Ford states, normal operation. Dealership advises me to bring the car back if symptoms get worse.

-February, car is taken back to the shop as knocking is increasing both in severity and rhythm. Techs look over car again, state they feel the noise is excessive. Ford again states it is normal operation, no repairs authorized.

-March, car in shop for sync USB issues. Techs have to completely reset the system. Factory Default and Master reset per owners manual did not work. I file a customer complain with FCS. I've never owned a POS Ford until this car. Case ends up being closed as I don't have time during this period to be without a car. I had several clients flying in for studio time and having no wheels is not an option.

-April 10th, 2 days after first oil change, the engine knock suddenly without warning becomes extremely harsh. Can be heard over the radio, erratic idle and the engine now exhibits the ignitor tick that others are seeing after the first oil change. I call FCS an reopen my case. Car goes into the shop the next week. Ford hotline still claiming normal operation. I made sure to have a tech ride with me for verification of symptoms. His exact words are "I don't agree at all that is normal." I speak with FCS and the dealership General Manager/Owner. The GM has to fight to get ford to even send a field engineer to even look at the car. Engineer finally comes after 4th day in the shop and once again states, normal engine operation.

My dealership hands over the keys as they can't perform work on the car that Ford does not authorize. Ford customer service states the issue is being looked at but at this time no detrimental consequences to the operation of the engine in this condition. No other ideas or specifics are talked about. I'm left unsatisfied with an engine that sounds like a diesel. The ignitor tick has sense calmed down, but resurfaces periodically.

The weekend that I picked up the vehicle from the shop I decided I needed to try and have some fun with it. I took it to Bandimere speedway and ran it down the 1/4 mile three times in bone stock form. The transmission now whines in all forward gears with the exception of 5th and 6th, shift effort and feel has also changed substantially. The shifter was always a little balky in the cold, but it now crunches on nearly every shift regardless of operating temp. I've been locked out of third and second on occasion as well.

Obviously I haven't taken the car in for this as it did occur while I was racing. I'll take credit for that one. However to me it's absurd that a bone stock car run at 5800 feet above sea level where it's about 40% down on power can not be driven in a manor that is enjoyable without something going wrong. If I wanted a car to drive like a Buick, I'd have purchased a Buick.

In the end, although the people at Ford I have dealt with have been pleasant, they are nothing more than drones who have no power to make anything happen. The way I've been treated in my particular situation has left a very sour taste in my mouth. I have been treated like a number, but on top of that one that doesn't know what he's talking about.

This 2011 Mustang is my 7th Ford and 5th Mustang. It will be my last of both.

While I was discussing my issues with the Owner of my dealership he was very apologetic, however couldn't really offer any further help. Between my father and I we've spent around 700,000 with that dealership on trucks, cars etc over the last decade. He knows he's losing at least my business (I can't speak for my dad) because Ford put out a piece of crap that they won't stand behind. His response to me was "Big Ford doesn't need to be losing their customers either."

 

I have an April 13, 2010 build date 2011 with 6MT and have had very few issues, the main one being an airbag module that had infant mortality. I have no qualms about buying another 5.0 (2012). But I have been chided on this very forum for checking my oil too often...

However, I will agree that the 2010 is a fine car with great sensory inputs, particularly sound. My only issue in my driving of two of them was that the 2010 GT wasn't much quicker (by butt dyno) than my old Accord V6, whereas my 2011 is quicker than any other car I've ever owned.

OTOH, can't a 4.6 be easily modified to make up around half the difference between 315 and 412 HP?

 

This is my 8th mustang. None have been lexus as per quality. But, all have been reasonably reliable, pretty trouble free. This obviously doesn't apply to my hot rodded classics.

I don't stress this car a little bit. Obviously this might bite me on the ***, but I'll live with that. Hopefully this car will be as dependable as others.

 

Glad I got an early build (March 31). It's been flawless.

I'm a firm believer that they pay more attention early in the build cycle..My '08 Corvette (3rd day of production with the new motor and Trans) was excellent also.

YMMV

 

I like you have never had any troubles with my other Fords or Mustangs. My 99 Cobra was one of the best built cars I've owned to date, regardless of manufacturer.

The difference there of course was that Ford stood behind that car. Even with the engine debacle that happened, Ford stepped up and fixed the problem instead of hiding.

Lemons happen, it's a mass produced machine. I was bound to get one at some point. However the way Ford has handled my situation tells me they don't care about the people buying their product.

 

I have had about 4 mustangs in the past and I didn't want to be a guinea pig for a new motor and tranny, so decided to stick with what's been tried and true since 2005 and decided to go with a 2010 GT.

I have the 4.6 in my lincoln truck and have not had any problems after 70,000 miles (knock on wood). My thinking is I'm happy enough getting 315+ HP on my '10 and unless I'm tracking it or taking it to the strip every other weekend, I don't need the extra HP of a 5.0. I will say the 302 in my '89 GT never let me down. Sure, I limped home several times, but the car never left me stranded.

I'm sorry so many folks are having problems with their 5.0's but the only thing I regret was not getting the glass roof on my GT. I tend to keep my mustangs for a very long time so in 7 years I can look to get a 5.0 (or some goofy hybrid version of it).

 

1. Never said it bothered me, just said if I was worried about problems I wouldn't buy one, but to answer your question I buy them because I enjoy them and I enjoy working on cars.

2. Not sure of the question, but I know almost every car will have a problem. I don't sweat it. If it breaks down... You fix it and figure out what is wrong and if it is beyond your control you pay someone to fix it... Or.... Call a buddy.

 

You are of course 100% correct. It's shameful that they aren't backing you to the hilt. They need to get their act together.

 

A friend of mine that used to work for Ford told me to always buy in the middle of the build cycle. He said that early on they were still refining their processes. For the middle they had everything down pat. Towards the end then are now in cost cutting mode and tend to use cheaper materials that were now available. Don't know if that still applies but he had no reason to lie so I keep with that.

 

Jlmounce try going to talk to a lawyer. My dad bought a 99 GT and the owners son tool the car out the night before and blew the motor. The dealership didn't want to replace it or take the car back. While I was at the dentiist he went and talked to a lawer. He called the dealership and straightrnrd everything out. I know its not the dealers fault but try and see what advice a lawyer might be able to give you. It is worth a shot.

 

In a word: "No."

 

Wow this is the first I have heard of the 5 liters having issues.

I'm on my second Mustang right now, but my brother has owned several, and none of our cars have ever given us major issues. Some of the ones he had were heavily modded with superchargers and full suspension upgrades. Where he drove his on the weekends and to shows, I have always daily driven mine.

My 2001 v6 is at around 130k miles and still drives like a champ. Of course there have been some things I have replaced along the way, but it still impresses me how the car has held up.

My 08 CS is at around 60k and I drive it a lot! It has yet to give me one problem (knock on wood) and the ONLY thing I have been doing since day 1 is oil change with synthetic every 5k and tire rotation. I'm just now about to replace the tires and rims. Aside from that, the only mod in there is an axle back.

I think as someone stated earlier, it is a hit or miss with these cars.

 

I'd be lying if I said I didn't think really hard about trading in my 2010 for a 2011, but at the end of the day the 2011 had the options I wanted that weren't on my 2010. I certainly didn't buy it for the extra 100HP as my 2010 was extremely capable of getting me 2 speeding tickets

I was and am still aware of the issues with the 2011, but at the end of the day I don't lose any sleep over what could happen. Heck, when I bought my 2010 the CEL came on and power was cut in half when I was 5 minutes from my house because the dealership forgot to secure the CAI lid. Granted it was an easy fix, but it was a brand new car with a problem.

Now, I would absolutely hate to go through what some of you are with your cars, but at the same time it's a car and they can't all be trouble free. This of course does not mean Ford should not be standing behind their product and reading stories like the one jlmounce posted is BS. Ford has to know that all it takes is one person having a horrible experience and then sharing it to ruin the image that they've be striving for.

In the end, I blame the internet for all the paranoia and folks pointing to the 2011/2012 as being ticking time bombs. Fact is that there are more 2011/2012 with no issues than there are 2011/2012 with issues. Just get in your car and drive it and stop worrying if your transmission is going to grenade or not

 

Exactly correct. tens of thousands of them (2011's) have been problem free..

 

Which tranny has had trouble? Manual or auto