91 of the 658 complaints about the Ford Mustang (13.8%) concern Transmission / powertrain, making it the model's third-largest problem area. That share is 1.2× the Transmission / powertrain share across all tracked vehicles.
91Complaints · Transmission / powertrain
13.8%Share of complaints
1.19×vs. all vehicles
18Last 12 months
6.6%Share involving a crash or fire
6Related recalls
Analysis
By model year, Transmission / powertrain complaints peak with the 2018 model (40, 21% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2023 model (1). 18 Transmission / powertrain complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 20 in the 12 months before — a steady pace.
Owners most often describe: “transmission”, “gear”, “shifting”, “clutch” and “speed”. 6 of these reports (6.6%) describe a crash or fire, with 1 injury and 0 deaths mentioned.
6 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 25V164000 (2025-03-14, model years 2025).
I was driving down the road in my 2018 Mustang ecoboost. When all of the sudden slowing down it locked the rear wheels up. I slid off the road and fortunately I didn’t hit anything but it did pop my side skirt off in the rear of the car.
Transmission / powertrain · 2025-12-31 · ODI 11708074 · Crash
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that his son parked the vehicle and set the parking brake and exited the vehicle; however, the rolled away and crashed into a tree.
Transmission / powertrain · 2022-10-24 · ODI 11490557 · Crash
Was driving my vehicle roughly 10-15mph after a stop, noticed vehicle wasn’t shifting into the gears properly as it was only in 2nd gear and the RPMs kept climbing, when it finally shifted into 3rd gear my transmission proceeded to lockup cause my rear tires…
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-08-04 · ODI 11754868
The 10-speed automatic transmission on my 2020 Mustang failed internally at approximately 18,073 miles. The vehicle began shifting harshly at low speeds with an intermittent clunk.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-08-03 · ODI 11754618
My 2018 Ford Mustang EcoBoost with the 10R80 automatic transmission began experiencing hesitation, delayed engagement, and harsh jerking during low-speed acceleration (15-20 mph), especially when cold.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-07-23 · ODI 11752476
My car has always been a little rough on shifting since around 40k miles when I got it. I never really noticed after awhile and never had any problems. No lights flashing or codes no issues with anything under the hood.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-05-21 · ODI 11739282
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:VALVES/VALVE BODY Campaign 25V164000 · 2025-03-14 · Model years: 2025
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, Bronco, 2024 Ranger, 2025 Mustang, Explorer, and Aviator vehicles. The transmission valve body may have been machined incorrectly, which can cause reverse gear failure, or unexpected forward movement in reverse or neutral gear.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the transmission main control valve body, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S19.
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:LINKAGE:HYDRAULIC HOSE/FITTINGS Campaign 24V394000 · 2024-06-03 · Model years: 2024
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024 Mustang vehicles. The clutch pressure line may be improperly secured and contact hot exhaust components, which can result in melting of the clutch pressure line and cause a brake fluid leak.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the clutch pressure line and repair it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 14, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S36.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Campaign 23V070000 · 2023-02-10 · Model years: 2022, 2023
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Bronco, and 2023 Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. The transmission may contain a loose bolt which could prevent the transmission from engaging the park gear, although the gear shifter position may indicate that the vehicle has been shifted to "PARK."
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transmissions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S06.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM) Campaign 22V382000 · 2022-05-27 · Model years: 2019, 2020
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Mustang vehicles equipped with 5.0L engines and manual transmissions. The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may broadcast an unintended faulted signal to the modules controlling the reverse camera, reverse light, and driver assist features, which may disable all of these functions.
Remedy: Dealers will update the PCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 15, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S37.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) Campaign 20V263000 · 2020-05-08 · Model years: 2019, 2020
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Expedition and 2019-2020 Mustang vehicles. The "Transmission Not In Park" warning message and associated chime duration are shorter than intended.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began May 26, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S21.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Campaign 18V213000 · 2018-04-04 · Model years: 2018
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S09.
How common are Transmission / powertrain problems on the Ford Mustang?
91 of the 658 complaints about the Ford Mustang (13.8%) concern Transmission / powertrain, making it the model's third-largest problem area. That share is 1.2× the Transmission / powertrain share across all tracked vehicles.
Which Ford Mustang model years have the most Transmission / powertrain complaints?
By model year, Transmission / powertrain complaints peak with the 2018 model (40, 21% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2023 model (1).
Is there a recall for Ford Mustang Transmission / powertrain problems?
6 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 25V164000 (2025-03-14, model years 2025).