NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 193 owner complaints for the 2018 Ford Mustang.
3Safety recalls
193Owner complaints
8Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: backover prevention and rearview camera, powertrain, and electrical system. Most-described problems: overheating or coolant loss and engine failure or replacement (26 complaints, 13% each). Most-reported area: engine (56 complaints, 29%; median mileage when it happened: 11,000). Includes the Shelby GT350. Excludes the electric Mustang Mach-E.
3 safety recalls for the 2018 Ford Mustang
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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.
A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.
Risk: Despite the transmission shift lever being placed in 'Park' and the instrument panel display indicating 'Park,' the vehicle may roll away after it has been exited if the parking brake has not been applied, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S09.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions.
4" digital instrument cluster. If the ignition is turned off when the transmission is not in PARK, the instrument cluster may not illuminate the PRNDL gear position display and the operator may not receive the "Key in Ignition" chime when the driver's door is opened. As such, these vehicles fails to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence/Starter Interlock/Transmission Braking Effect," and number 114, "Theft Protection."
Risk: Without a visual or audible warning to the driver that the vehicle is in PARK, the vehicle may roll away after it has been exited if the parking brake has not been applied, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 5, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C21.
Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2018 Ford Mustang vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission and a 12.
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: Engine and cooling: engine, gasoline, turbo/supercharger (Roush Performance Products, Inc., 18E-035).
What owners report
Owners have filed 193 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 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
Overheating or coolant loss26 · 13%
Engine failure or replacement26 · 13%
Misfires or rough running21 · 11%
Check engine light19 · 10%
Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting16 · 8%
Stalling or shutting off while driving15 · 8%
Backup camera problems12 · 6%
Loss of power or limp mode11 · 6%
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
Engine56 · 29%
Median 11,000 miles at failure, from 25 reports with mileage
Powertrain45 · 23%
Median 10,000 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
Electrical system31 · 16%
Most named: instrument cluster/panel (5)
Body structure15 · 8%
Most named: body (15)
Backover prevention and rearview camera12 · 6%
Most named: sensing system, camera (5)
Latches, locks and linkages12 · 6%
Most named: doors, latch (10)
Engine and cooling8 · 4%
Unknown or other23 · 12%
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 2018 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) and the 2018 drew 54.
Owner complaints
2018: 193 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
2018: 3 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 9.3%
Ford Mustang C RWD
Rollover risk 8.1%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Ford Mustang GT350R 2 DR RWD
Rollover risk 9.3%
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Mustang problems?
In the 193 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Ford Mustang, the problems described most are overheating or coolant loss (26), engine failure or replacement (26), and misfires or rough running (21). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2018 Ford Mustang safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 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.