NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 377 owner complaints for the 2016 Ford Mustang.
5Safety recalls
377Owner complaints
13Complaints citing a crash
6Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: seat belts, backover prevention and rearview camera, and engine and cooling. Most-described problem: backup camera problems (53 complaints, 14%). Most-reported area: engine (75 complaints, 20%; median mileage when it happened: 35,000). Includes the Shelby GT350. Excludes the electric Mustang Mach-E.
5 safety recalls for the 2016 Ford Mustang
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Water and road salt may corrode the front seat belt anchor pretensioner cables.
Risk: A corroded cable can break, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining an occupant, and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The fix and full notice
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. Dealers will also inspect the A-pillar sealing patches, and as necessary, install A-pillar body plugs, and/or inspect and replace the front outboard seat bolts. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 20, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S92. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov September 17, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles.
The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Risk: A rearview camera that displays an inverted, distorted, or blank image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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 January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 2025.
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, 2016-2019F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles.
The rearview camera wiring may be loose or damaged, which can result in a blank or distorted image.
Risk: A rearview camera that displays a blank or distorted image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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, 2023. Remedy parts are expected to become available in the 4th Quarter of 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S06.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles.
A hose may separate from the engine oil cooler tube assembly causing an oil leak.
Risk: A sudden loss of engine oil may cause engine failure, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, an oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
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 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S40.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles manufactured February 24, 2015, to August 30, 2016.
The front and rear seat belts and child seat tether anchors may have been damaged in shipping from the supplier to the vehicle assembly plant and may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."
Risk: If the restraint components do not function as intended, the occupants may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
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 contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C13.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Mustang vehicles manufactured September 26, 2015, to October 1, 2015.
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.
What owners report
Owners have filed 377 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 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
Backup camera problems53 · 14%
Median 35,000 miles at failure, from 24 reports with mileage
Stalling or shutting off while driving24 · 6%
Median 17,500 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Check engine light24 · 6%
Median 72,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Air conditioning or heater failures24 · 6%
Overheating or coolant loss23 · 6%
Engine failure or replacement20 · 5%
Smoke or a burning smell20 · 5%
Loss of power or limp mode19 · 5%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Engine75 · 20%
Median 35,000 miles at failure, from 43 reports with mileage
Electrical system72 · 19%
Median 32,000 miles at failure, from 39 reports with mileage
Backover prevention and rearview camera52 · 14%
Most named: sensing system, camera (19) · Median 51,000 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Powertrain29 · 8%
Median 5,500 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Body structure28 · 7%
Most named: body (22); body, door (4) · Median 50,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Latches, locks and linkages27 · 7%
Most named: doors, latch (19) · Median 59,000 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
Fuel and propulsion system20 · 5%
Unknown or other69 · 18%
Median 30,000 miles at failure, from 30 reports with mileage
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 2016 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 2016 Mustang drew the most (68).
Owner complaints
2016: 377 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Ford Mustang
Model year
Complaints
2016
377
2017
265
2018
193
2019
149
2020
120
2021
55
2022
49
2023
15
2024
80
2025
17
2026
7
Safety recalls
2016: 5 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Ford Mustang
Model year
Recalls
2016
5
2017
6
2018
3
2019
6
2020
8
2021
6
2022
9
2023
6
2024
12
2025
6
2026
5
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Ford Mustang 2 DR RWD
Rollover risk 8.1%
Ford Mustang C RWD
Rollover risk 8.1%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Mustang problems?
In the 377 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Ford Mustang, the problems described most are backup camera problems (53), stalling or shutting off while driving (24), and the check engine light coming on (24). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Ford Mustang safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Ford Mustang earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Mustang has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Ford dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: MUSTANG.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.