2011 Ford Mustang Problems, Recalls & Reliability
583 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2011 Ford Mustang, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 49/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 6,200 miles.
Below average
Where 2011 sits among all Mustang years
What owners report
“Mt82 transmission is hard to shift into 1st and 2nd, also grinds going into second. Started to happen while driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Mustang
“Takata recall" the passenger airbag was never replaced since the start of the airbag recall..”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Mustang
“While driving at 40 mph the car lost power and was only able to move at about 2-3 mph. A 'wrench' warning light came on. Driving the car at this speed was unsafe and in hind sight i should have parked it and towed to a dealer.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Mustang
“While driving on the highway the motor shuts off. I have to quick pull off the road, restart the car. It will drive but again get up to highway speed, car shuts off. After about the 5th time, finally a code comes on, p2111 (throttle actuator control system - stuck open. Very dangerous driving on…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Mustang
“Ford knew that the transmission was going bad on these Mustangs. When I attempt to accelerate my car does not move. Imagine this happening in traffic and me being killed”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Mustang
“The vehicles drivers seat motor stopped working. Cannot move the seat to a safe driving position. Was told by mechanic that the track was bad. The car has 55,000 miles on it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Mustang
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 411 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 40,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 6,200 and 61,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17,…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014…
Fix: Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2014 Mustang vehicles manufactured April 6, 2004, to June 21, 2014, and 2005-2006 GT vehicles manufactured February 20, 2004, to September 22, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator, free of charge. The…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
63 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and engine — are on file for the 2011 Ford Mustang. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2011 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 2011 Ford Mustang reliable?
The 2011 Ford Mustang drew 583 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 49/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2011 Ford Mustang problems?
The top reported problems for the 2011 Ford Mustang are transmission & drivetrain (203 complaints), airbags (125), and engine (55).
At what mileage do 2011 Ford Mustang problems show up?
Owners most often report 2011 Ford Mustang problems around 40,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 6,200 and 61,000 miles.
Does the 2011 Ford Mustang have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2011 Ford Mustang. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.