2016 Ford Mustang Problems, Recalls & Reliability
495 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Ford Mustang, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 47/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 44,170 miles.
Below average
Where 2016 sits among all Mustang years
What owners report
“There is a knocking coming from the passenger side engine cylinder head right after an oil change and now at the second oil change it is still there.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Mustang
“Air conditioning is failing after 60,000 miles. Suspect it is the already well documented evaporator core going bad.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Mustang
“Heated cooled seats are not working. Checked the connector pan underneath the seat and there's a burnt area on both the pin and on the module”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Mustang
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V082000 (Back Over Prevention) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and the manufacturer were contacted.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Mustang
“When putting the manual transmission in gear (1-5 and R) the transmission makes a clunk noise. The noise appeared when the car was less than one year old. Also experienced a few gear clash during shifting while clutch properly disengaged.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Mustang
“This car was never wrecked and had approximately 7,000 miles on it while driving 70 mph on the highway, the passenger door dislodged and came halfway open. Within 5 miles, the drivers door did the same exact thing.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Mustang
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 262 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 35,950 miles. Half of those reports fall between 14,000 and 64,000 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 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. Water and road salt may corrode the front seat belt anchor pretensioner cables.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace both front seat belt anchor pretensioner assemblies, as necessary. In addition, dealers will remove sections of the carpet and underlayment that contact the cables.…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles.…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera wiring may be loose or damaged, which can result in a blank or distorted image.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the decklid wiring harness and/or replace the rearview camera, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 23, 2022 and June 26,…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles manufactured February 24, 2015, to August 30, 2016. A hose may separate from the engine oil cooler tube assembly causing an oil leak.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil cooler tube assembly, free of charge. The recall began on March 23, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Mustang vehicles manufactured September 26, 2015, to October 1, 2015. The front and rear seat belts and child seat tether anchors may have been damaged in shipping from the supplier to the…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front and rear seat belt assemblies and the child seat tether anchors, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Technical service bulletins
167 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2016 Ford Mustang. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 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 2016 Ford Mustang reliable?
The 2016 Ford Mustang drew 495 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 47/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2016 Ford Mustang problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Ford Mustang are engine (81 complaints), other (74), and electrical (74).
At what mileage do 2016 Ford Mustang problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Ford Mustang problems around 35,950 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 14,000 and 64,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Ford Mustang have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 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.