This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The temperature gauge, fuel gauge, and speedometer began malfunctioning. Now if car gets hot the fuel and temperature gauges cease to operate and the speedometer fluxuates between not working to being somewhere between 0 and 30 mph to fast or slow. Ford said it wasn't a warranty repair and I received two estimates between $500 and $700 to repair the problem. Looking at the various Ford Mustang forum sites I have observed hundreds of owner's with the same problem for the 2005-2009 Mustang. As this is my wife's car, and I don't have the funds right now we have had to park the car since it is too dangerous to drive not knowing the car speed, if it is over heating, or running out of fuel.
First the gas gauge hand would stay on empty even when filling up or it would go straight down way past the full mark. Never know how much gas I have. Now the speedometer is not working properly. It will either stay at 0mph while I'm driving or say I'm going 20-30mph when the car is shut off and not even running. At times it says I'm going 110mph when I'm driving through town which is a 35mph and clearly I am not driving 110mph. I find this to be a great hazard to other drivers since I never know how fast I'm going. After doing internet research it seems many Mustang owners have this same issue. I feel that having a defective speedometer is a safety hazard that needs to be addressed if safety is really important to the NHTSA.
I took my 2005 Mustang to the dealer after it had rained and water came into the car, ,all the electric turned of then back on when I was driven on the highway, they said they couldn't find anything wrong, ,I see this has been a problem from what I have been reading, ,now the gauges don't work, ,was told it was the cluster because of the water, ,can you get anything done about this.
My tachometer and my temperature gauge are both not working. The motor that moves the needle has gone bad and I researched it and many people are having this same problem! please look into it because many Mustang owners are fed up. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Started out with speedometer, then the car would startone day but not the next now any thing that is electrical does not work checked online and there are several complants about this. Ford knows about the problem but will nothing about it.
- Clyde, OH, USA
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The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the speedometer would become stuck. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer and the contact was advised that the entire cluster would need to be replaced. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 65,000.
Speedometer began working erratically at around 33,000 miles. Speedometer needle would hover at 20mph when in idle and would jump up to 80mph and then work sometimes, other times it would stay at zero. Have not noticed any changes due to weather (rain or temperature). Compared speedometer reading with gps speed and found inconsistencies of up to 10 mph when the speedometer did work.speedometer complete failure at 33,500 miles. Temperature gauge failed at same time. I'm concerned about not knowing how fast I am going. I drive "pacing" traffic which still is not safe. Multiple incidents of instrument cluster failures reported on several Ford Mustang forums by current owners. Fords solution is a new instrument cluster which costs about $700. Apparently the problem is with the failing stepper motors that drive the gauges. This should be a recall item as it does present a serious & potentially deadly situation in not knowing what the car's actual speed is. Instrument clusters usually don't fail much less at 33,000 miles! there is clearly a design flaw, please issue a recall on this item!
When car is shutdown, the speedmometer needle sticks at different points on the dial. When running the speedometer registers speeds not consistent with actual speed as measured by gps. Ford motors has elected to repair this defect by replacing the entire instrument cluster at an estimated $770 price. An internet search will show that this problem -- caused by defective stepper motors -- is pervasive for this model year. I believe that knowing one's speed is critical to driving safely for the driver, the car's occupants and pedestrians (e.g. school children) near by.
The fuel gauge began to act erratically before ceasing to work altogether. I took the car to fairway Ford (placentia, ca) and reported the problem. The service writer dismissed me by saying the repair was too costly and that there was no known universal problem with the 2005 V6 Ford Mustang. He did not document the problem reported on my service record. I have a colleague with the same year and model who has the same problem.
The instrument gauges are not working properly. The speedometer will often stick at 0-20mph while it is well over that. The temperature gauge is also stuck on cold even when the car has been warmed up for quite some time.
The instrument panel in my 05 Mustang has completely failed. In 2008, the gauges would become erratic at times. (tach, speedometer, etc) this has become more problematic over the last couple of years usually only occurring in colder weather. At this point, the gauges have completely failed. Case in point: During the summer of 2011 the car "actually" overheated due to a cracked thermostat housing and the gauge never displayed the issue before the failure. We were fortunate to have picked up on the issue (while driving the car at highway speed) before a fire or other unfortunate event occurred.... or before the car was permanently damaged. When I've consulted with the local Ford dealer ship, (cookeville, tn) they act as if this the instrument panel failure is something new. This issue is posted on every major Mustang forum or support site. Heck, there are even businesses on the "web" that advertise their ability to replace the "stepper motors" that control the gauge functions. Apparently the stepper motors that Ford opted to use in their instrument panels are the cause of the issue. Furthermore I receive customer complaint updates via the carfax web portal monthly. Each update contains dozens of new reports with this problem. So.....the excuse that Ford doesn't know anything about this issue..... doesn't hold water. If Ford wants to offshore its components to 3rd world countries for cheaper labor and parts..... fine. The least they could do is stand behind their products when / if they fail. After all, they should have extra $$$ in the coffers from the savings of offshoring their components. Any help you fellas could provide in pressuring Ford to step up and take care of their problem would be greatly appreciated.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that none of the gauges on the instrument panel were operable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the instrument cluster needed replacement. In addition, the dealer advised that the stepper motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage 64,000.
The speedometer, gas gauge and fueling gauge on the instrument cluster has failed. Today the lighting behind the panel started to go out. This is a known common problem on the Mustang with several people reporting to Ford without any response to the public. We paid good money for these cars and this is a safety hazard. I cannot afford the 600+ quote, so I'm using a gps to gauge my speed and I'm having to track my mileage so I know when to get gas. Ford needs to recall and fix before someone looses their life.
All the gauges on my 2005 V6 are failing. First, I had problems with the fuel gauge, which I figured was bad gas (sulfur?) a fuel system cleaner seemed to fix that one. Then it was the temp. First it read hot, now it's stuck on cold. Then the tach and speed got sticky. Anyway, I was told by mechanic buddy the many Ford Mustang 2005 is having gauge problems, and the culprit is the syepper 'motor'. Ford has heard of the problem but won't do anything about it (no recalls) unless you guys do something about it. My son was stop by the police because of the speedometer was displaying the speed incorrectly. This problems needs to be look at. Pleas help.
Failure of instrument cluster and water leak in passenger side foot well. Speedometer non-functioning, fuel indicator non-functioning, and engine temperature gauge non-functioning. Provides serious safety hazard without knowing vehicle speed. Any substantial rain results in water pooling in passenger side foot area, and saturation of fuse box area, which provides concerns for a vehicle-wide loss of electrical power and brake/steering control. I have looked at several online owners' forums and there are numerous cases of this commonly-documented safety problem, but Ford Motor Company refuses to address it until NHTSA issues a recall. I have called fmc, and they refused to address the issue.
I filled up the gas tank and the fuel gauge needle registered past the full level and now is giving erratic readings. The temperature gauge has quit working with needle pointing to the floor.
My fuel gauge on vehicle has quit working and says I have no gas when I have just filled up, the speedometer also goes erratic and says I'm going 120 when actually going much slower, the cold hot gauge either reads hot, regardless of if I just started the car or if its been running for an hour.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Santa Rosa, CA, USA