U.S. public vehicle records

2003 Ford MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

35 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

17,363 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2003 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 22 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 5 of 35 complaints (14.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Engine operation	8	22.9%
Braking behavior	5	14.3%
Steering behavior	4	11.4%
Transmission and shifting	3	8.6%
Electrical and battery issues	1	2.9%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars

Suspension:Rear

Air Bags

Equipment

Seats

Steering

Structure

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 5; Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars: 3; Suspension:Rear: 3; Air Bags: 2; Equipment: 2; Seats: 2; Steering: 2; Structure: 2

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 13; 25,000 to 49,999: 3; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 3; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (13). 13 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2003: 10; 2004: 1; 2005: 8; 2006: 1; 2007: 3; 2008: 4; 2009: 1; 2010: 1; 2011: 1; 2012: 1; 2013: 2; 2014: 2

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 8 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 5 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 4 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10000934 · 2003-01-10 (January 10, 2003)

SVT COBRA IS INTERMITTENTLY STALLING WHILE THE CLUTCH IS FULLY DEPRESSED AND DECELERATING TO A STOP. THIS INTERMITTENT STALLING OCCURS MOST FREQUENTLY AT IDLE. THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED AT LEAST TEN TIMES IN THE FIRST 1174 MILES OF OWNERSHIP. OCCURS WITH GREATER FREQUENCY IN WARM WEATHER WHILE THE ENGINE IS HOT. TWO SERVICE DEPARTMENTS CHECKED THE ENGINE AND ONE RESET THE IDLE CONTROLLER. THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE CONDITION, HOWEVER, THE STALLING PERSISTS WITH NO CHANGE IN SYMPTOMS. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE RESTARTS IMMEDIATELY, THE CON…

Owner-reported narrative. 800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10000934 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10014135 · 2003-04-08 (April 8, 2003)

THE MOST RECENT BEING JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, MY VEHICLE WILL SOMETIMES HAVE A PROBLEM IN WHICH IT STALLS WHILE MOVING AT A SLOW SPEED WHILE A GEAR IS NOT ENGAGED. THE CAR IS A 2003 SVT FORD MUSTANG COBRA CONVERTIBLE. A CALL TO FORD'S SVT DIVISION HAD NO SOLUTIONS. MANY PEOPLE THAT I KNOW WITH THE SAME CAR ARE EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. IT HAS OCCURRED TO ME 4 TIMES. THANK YOU SO MUCH! *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10014135 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10016849 · 2003-05-01 (May 1, 2003)

2003, COBRA SVT CONVERTIBLE, THE CAR STALL WHEN DECELERATING TO A STOP WHEN THE TAKEN FROM A GEAR TO NEUTRAL WITH THE CLUTCH IN/OUT AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKES. THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO HAVE THIS OCCUR ON A TEST RIDE, THEY HAD NO ANSWER TO WHY THIS HAPPENS. THEY ADDED A DEVICE THAT I HAVE TO PUSH WHEN THIS OCCURS SO I CAN CAPTURE A PICTURE OF THE CARS COMPUTER IS DOING WHILE THIS OCCURS. I HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF OTHER 03 COBRA OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. FORD NEEDS TO HAVE A TSB ON THIS SOON THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN PRODUCTION OVER A YEAR. THIS…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10016849 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10025378 · 2003-07-03 (July 3, 2003)

2003 SVT FORD MUSTANG COBRA CONVERTIBLE KEEPS STALLING AT STOP WITH CLUTCH FULLY DEPRESSED, DOES IT MOST WHILE RUNNING AIR CONDITIONING DURING HOT WEATHER, THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 1000 MILES ON IT AND HAS STALLED 7 TIMES, ONCE NEARLY REAR-ENDING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME DUE TO NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. OUR LOCAL DEALER HAS HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS (SAME) AND HAS ME SCHEDULED TO GO IN LATE JULY TO "REFLASH THE COMPUTOR" THOUGH IT HASN'T MADE MUCH DIFFERENCE ON OTHER FRIENDS COBRAS. PLEASE HELP !!!!!!

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10025378 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10222965 · 2008-03-31 (March 31, 2008)

CAR BEGAN STUTTERING ON ACCELERATION. DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE OF THE TORQUE CONVERTER. UNIT REPLACED. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 20,211 miles reported. Look up ODI 10222965 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10225580 · 2008-04-24 (April 24, 2008)

I PARKED THE CAR ALONG THE CURB AT UCLA AND SPENT THE NIGHT AT THE DORMS. THE CAR WAS RUNNING PERFECTLY FINE, I DIDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT AND THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS. WHEN I AWOKE THE FOLLOWING MORNING A FRIEND AND I WERE HUNGRY SO WE DECIDED TO GO TO MCDONALD'S. IT WAS APPROX. 1.5 - 2 MILES AWAY. WHILE WE WERE SITTING IN THE DRIVE THROUGH, I STARTED TO HEAR A LOUD NOISE, KIND OF LIKE A BELT SQUEAKING INSIDE THE HOOD. I COULDN'T TELL IF IT WAS FROM MY CAR OR THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF ME, SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF. THE NOISE STOPPED. WHEN I TUR…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10225580 at NHTSA ↗