2012 Ford Mustang Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 469 owner complaints for the 2012 Ford Mustang.

Recalled components: air bags and powertrain. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (41 complaints, 9%). Most-reported area: powertrain (177 complaints, 38%; median mileage when it happened: 12,200).

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

Year to avoidBest year

Excludes the electric Mustang Mach-E.

6 safety recalls for the 2012 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 2012 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 469 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 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 mode41 · 9%
  Median 50,000 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Check engine light19 · 4%
  Median 57,000 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration17 · 4%
  Median 15,800 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Rust or corrosion17 · 4%
  Median 37,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off16 · 3%
  Median 39,000 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
• Hesitation or slow acceleration16 · 3%
• Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting12 · 3%
• Shifter errors or stuck in gear11 · 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

• Powertrain177 · 38%
  Most named: manual transmission (20); automatic transmission (3) · Median 12,200 miles at failure, from 160 reports with mileage
• Air bags158 · 34%
  Median 38,900 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
• Speed control35 · 7%
  Median 31,000 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
• Engine30 · 6%
  Median 45,600 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
• Body structure23 · 5%
  Most named: body (20) · Median 36,300 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
• Electrical system21 · 4%
  Median 56,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system18 · 4%
  Median 57,200 miles at failure, from 17 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 2012 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 2012 drew 166.

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.

2012 Mustang MPG

Questions