2001 Ford Mustang Problems, Recalls & Reliability
297 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Ford Mustang, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 44/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 66,500 miles.
Below average
Where 2001 sits among all Mustang years
What owners report
“Where it shows how many miles it's digital and it constantly goes off. Smells of gasoline and like something is burning every time drive it. Has a very rough idle and when a /c is on the car has absolutely no power, also burns gas very quick. Exterior head lights lights are dim and i just installed…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Mustang
“The vehicle would not stop unless the brake pedal was pressed to the floor, this problem occured intermittently, the dealer replaced 2 master cylinders, after the 2 master cylinders were replaced the problem began to reoccur but the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Mustang
“While driving, the consumer had an accident. There was direct frontal impact traveling at 65 mph. The air bags did not deploy. The consumer hit his head on the windshield.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Mustang
“1. There is a dreadful gas fume odor inside the car every time i put fuel in the car especially when i fill the tank. 2.the emergency brake does not work properly. When engaged my car still rolls a little. 3. The seat belts do not retract properly and tend to twist and tangle when i try to do it…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Mustang
“The frontal seat belt has a loop and will not retract back to the space and will get stuck. Please fill in additional information dealer is aware of the problem. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Mustang
“ABS light came on, sometimes when braking/slowing down at freeway speeds, the brakes won't catch and it feels like I'm going to ram into the cars ahead, I've replaced the rotors, the calipers, the brakes, the wheel bearings, ABS light won't go away, I've looked into it on the bullitt community…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Mustang
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 129 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 55,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 33,290 and 71,900 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD…
Fix: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108,…
Fix: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE…
Fix: UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO…
Fix: CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
CERTAIN ALFAOTTO COMBINATION HEADLAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS,…
Fix: ALFAOTTO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ALFAOTTO AT 626-656-2992 OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALFAOTTO.COM.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. IF A VEHICLE IS PARKED WITH THE PARKING BRAKE NOT FULLY APPLIED AND NOT IN FIRST GEAR, AS DIRECTED IN THE OWNER GUIDE, AND THE SELF ADJUSTMENT PAWL SUBSEQUENTLY SKIPS ONE OR TWO…
Fix: DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE PARKING BRAKE CONTROL AND INSTALL A PLATE OR OVER-BRACKET TO THE CONTROL TO LOCK THE SELF ADJUST MECHANISM IN POSITION FOLLOWING ADJUSTMENT.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
122 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2001 Ford Mustang. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2001 Mustang TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2001 Ford Mustang reliable?
The 2001 Ford Mustang drew 297 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 44/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2001 Ford Mustang problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Ford Mustang are engine (42 complaints), brakes & stability (36), and airbags (33).
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Mustang problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Ford Mustang problems around 55,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 33,290 and 71,900 miles.
Does the 2001 Ford Mustang have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 Ford Mustang. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.