2011 Ford Mustang Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 466 owner complaints for the 2011 Ford Mustang.

Recalled components: air bags. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (38 complaints, 8%). Most-reported area: powertrain (200 complaints, 43%; median mileage when it happened: 4,900).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

Excludes the electric Mustang Mach-E.

4 safety recalls for the 2011 Ford Mustang

Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA also lists 1 equipment recall for parts sold for this vehicle, not the vehicle itself: Air bags: frontal (Ford Motor Company, 21E-013).

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 1 investigation that names the 2011 Ford Mustang; it is closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 466 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Mustang. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Loss of power or limp mode38 · 8%
  Median 53,200 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off27 · 6%
  Median 47,500 miles at failure, from 27 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration25 · 5%
  Median 19,800 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
• Hesitation or slow acceleration21 · 5%
  Median 46,400 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
• Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting20 · 4%
  Median 2,600 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Shifter errors or stuck in gear19 · 4%
  Median 6,200 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
• Check engine light17 · 4%
  Median 50,000 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
• Airbag warning light or airbag fault10 · 2%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Powertrain200 · 43%
  Most named: manual transmission (95); automatic transmission (6) · Median 4,900 miles at failure, from 186 reports with mileage
• Air bags125 · 27%
  Median 58,000 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
• Engine48 · 10%
  Median 57,800 miles at failure, from 47 reports with mileage
• Speed control39 · 8%
  Median 43,000 miles at failure, from 37 reports with mileage
• Steering25 · 5%
  Median 60,000 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
• Electrical system24 · 5%
  Median 63,000 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system23 · 5%
  Median 54,000 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other15 · 3%

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Ford Mustang recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2011 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2014 Mustang drew the most (219) and the 2011 drew 190.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2011 Mustang MPG

Questions