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.
There is an apparent design flaw in 2005 Mustangs as I have read hundreds of similar complaints as to what I am experiencing. Due to this design flaw after a recent day of heavy rain 1 headlight and 1 signal light will not turn off once the car has been shut off. I researched and apparently the smart junction box (sjb) got wet and the electrical unit is now malfunctioning. There was also a strong burning smell when I got home that night as well. Spoke with an online mechanic technician and he confirmed that the sjb needs to be replaced. There has been a long history of the car leaking on the passenger side whenever it rains due to the design flaw. Also my gas gauge never reads properly, inside lights are also dim/off and the check engine light has been going on and off for nearly a year and my mechanic could not diagnose why the reviews online said when they spoke to Ford that admitted that it was a known problem but because there has been no recall that they will not repair this for free. Estimates I read put the cost around $1000 to get this fixed and do not want to pay that kind of money especially when Ford admits to knowing there is a problem. I am hopeful that we can get Ford to do the right thing and issue a recall for this. It is a serious problem since the electrical system can cause a fire from reports I have read. This happened to meet on 12/21/18. I was driving home from work and parked the car and shut it off. As I locked the car I noticed that the drivers side headlight and passenger side signal light stayed on and I had to disconnect the battery to make them shut off. Also there was a strong burning odor when I lifted the hood.
After we had the first airbag recall replaced we started to experience the flicker 9F the airbag light. We assumed this was due to the necessity of the passenger side airbag needing to be recalled. Our service technician doesn't agree. They say the instrument cluster needs replacing. The only information I can find on that is that all other gauges fail if the cluster needs replacing. That is why I feel that the light is on directly because of the airbag recall.
Defect in under cowl drainage leads to rainwater leaking into passenger compartment. Water drains down wiring harness into the smart junction box casing electrical shorts that at first caused the right headlamp to shutdown after 15 seconds. Recycling the headlight switch brings the headlight back on for another 15 seconds. This condition renders the vehicle unsafe to operate from sunset to sunrise. Now the drivers side headlamp has begun the same problem. I checked online and it is apparent that this is a significant safety issue for which the vehicle manufacturer has no part available to fix. They initially informed me that the smj would be available to purchase last September. That has now been pushed back to February of 2016. They want over $400 for the part plus additional labor to program and install a component that should have been recalled years ago. This problem is already covered under a tsb and the defect can cause a multitude of malfunctions that could easily result in life threatening situations. I just recently checked and found over 286 reports on file with NHTSA, yet no apparent investigations appear to have been conducted, nor a recall. It is my sincer hope that NHTSA is not waiting for a body count before taking action. www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/2005-2010-Mustang-talk/301555-pics-vid-2005-dash-water-leak-fix.html#/forumsite/20799/topics/301555"page=1 https://docs.google.com/document/D/1rwsgwtizix5qu_tgsnhlx4mwgnsuji-zs6pjwsa_sre/mobilebasic"pli=1
Drove not knowing how fast I was going except my gps thank god, airbag said malfuntion popped me in the face, lights were dim couldn't see and drove into a pole. Third huge issue and Ford won'R fix B/C warranty I could have killed or been killed.
There is a manufacturer's defect that allows water leakage into the instrument panel/smart box junction and subsequently into the vehicle itself. Resultant issues include the inability to drive the vehicle (frozen shift), electrical failure with loss of instruments including various gauges, brake lights, ventilation/ac, power windows, and headlights, and physical water damage (mold/mildew). Ford is aware of the defect and later models were redesigned to compensate for the flaw. However, Ford refuses to issue a recall or acknowledge the deficiency, nor will they provide any kind of financial assistance with the necessary repairs directly caused by this defect. Should the Mustang experience the above mentioned electrical failures while being driven, an accident could occur. There are numerous similar incidents reported about this exact same issue, and Ford must be held accountable. I spoke to Ford "customer service" on 5/5/11 to report the issue and request financial assistance for the repairs. I was told to take my vehicle to the dealership, pay for the diagnostic test, and have the dealership confirm the "defect". I made a follow-up call to Ford "customer service" on 5/9/10 to report that the service manager did confirm the defect and that he had seen similar problems. However, Ford said they were not responsible, would not provide financial assistance, and that I was "misinformed" by my initial call to Ford in giving me hope they could somehow help me. Additionally, they stated that I "should not expect my Ford vehicle to last beyond 100K miles". in the meantime, we are responsible for the towing, diagnostic, and repair bills, so the Ford service department is profiting from this. This was our fourth Ford vehicle, and it will certainly be our last.
Driving down the highway in a drizzle rain, the headlights, blinkers, fuel gauge, stereo, stopped working, the ebrake light, fuel light, check engine light, oil light, came on. The traction control turned of and will not turn back on. On passenger side of vehicle floor was wet, the smart junction box had water on it and on the wiring harness.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. While driving between 50-55 mph in rainy weather conditions at night, the entire instrument panel and exterior lighting failed without warning. In addition, the front passenger side floor area and fuse panel exhibited water leakage. There was extremely poor night visibility due to the failures. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact heard a clicking noise coming from the instrument panel before it and the exterior lighting resumed operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but a diagnostic was not performed due to the cost. The vehicle has not been repaired. The vehicle was not accepted by the system. The failure mileage was 38,000 and current mileage was 50,000. Updated 5/26/09 the consumer stated the speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge were inoperative. Updated 05/28/09.
Complete lighting failure while traveling at night. While driving home all of my lights began to flicker then completely failed, no headlights tail lights dash ( seemed to be a complete electrical failure ) initially thought engine had quit but no it was still running. I did get an engine code indicator light on the dash. Once pulled over I checked the battery cables both were tight still no lights in the process I had put the car in park, transmission locked in park. After a short while lights came back on. Everything seemed normal so I resumed my attempt to reach home however a few miles down the road it did it again. Next day I took the vehicle into the dealership where they told me they had to reprogram the computer. Vehicle so far has operated fine so far. Not sure if the problem was related to the chips in the keys or the anti theft system however if this had occurred on a remote road or highway it could very well have caused an accident. I had no electrical period including the emergency flashers. The battery, alternator, and fuses were all functional.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cheshire, CT, USA