2000 Ford MUSTANG problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
308 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
64,306 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2000 model year. Data snapshot: . 97 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags:Frontal is the most frequently named component, appearing in 25 of 308 complaints (8.1%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 77 | 25.0% |
| Transmission and shifting | 26 | 8.4% |
| Steering behavior | 22 | 7.1% |
| Engine operation | 14 | 4.5% |
| Fuel system concerns | 13 | 4.2% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 9 | 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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags:Frontal | 25 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 19 |
| Seat Belts:Front:Retractor | 16 |
| Parking Brake:Conventional | 15 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 14 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 12 |
| Air Bags | 11 |
| Parking Brake | 11 |
Air Bags:Frontal: 25; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip: 19; Seat Belts:Front:Retractor: 16; Parking Brake:Conventional: 15; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 14; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 12; Air Bags: 11; Parking Brake: 11
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 16 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 21 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 22 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 16 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 19 |
| 150,000 and above | 3 |
Under 25,000: 16; 25,000 to 49,999: 21; 50,000 to 74,999: 22; 75,000 to 99,999: 16; 100,000 to 149,999: 19; 150,000 and above: 3
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (22). 211 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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 63 |
| 2001 | 67 |
| 2002 | 45 |
| 2003 | 31 |
| 2004 | 27 |
| 2005 | 16 |
| 2006 | 8 |
| 2007 | 9 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 10 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 5 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
2000: 63; 2001: 67; 2002: 45; 2003: 31; 2004: 27; 2005: 16; 2006: 8; 2007: 9; 2008: 6; 2009: 10; 2010: 3; 2011: 5; 2012: 5; 2013: 1; 2014: 2; 2015: 2; 2017: 2; 2018: 1; 2020: 3; 2021: 1; 2025: 1
Pattern summary
Air Bags:Frontal leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 77 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 26 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 22 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 10002289 · 2003-01-07 (January 7, 2003)
CONSUMER STATED WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES LOCKED UP CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO HAVE A VEHICLE ACCIDENT. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS *TT
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10002289 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10002565 · 2003-01-28 (January 28, 2003)
THERE WAS A PIN THAT SNAGGED THE BRAKE LINES AND CAUSED THE BRAKES TO FAIL. *JG
Owner-reported narrative. 19,158 miles reported. Look up ODI 10002565 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10005073 · 2003-02-01 (February 1, 2003)
VEHICLE HAS 24000 MILES ON IT. AT APPROX. 12000 MILES THE CLUTCH LOST TRAVEL DISTANCE, AND COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED USING THE MANUAL ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE. CLUTCH FROZE ONE MORNING AFTER A VERY COLD SUB-ZERO NIGHT. UPON STARTING VEHICLE WITH CLUTCH PARTIALLY ENGAGED, CLUTCH BURNED. THEN FELL OUT OF 4TH GEAR WHILE TRAVELING AT 40 MPH. DEALER CLAIMS IT IS A WEAR ITEM AND BAD DRIVING RESULTED IN PRESSURE PLATES BEING UNUSUALLY WORN, A PROBLEM WITH THE LINKAGE WAS ALSO NOTED BUT NOT ASSESSED AS CONTRIBUTING TO THE WORN PLATES. CUSTOMER CONTENDS THE LIN…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10005073 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10049525 · 2003-12-10 (December 10, 2003)
AS I WAS DRIVING AND REACHED 30 MPH IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFTING TO THE NEXT GEAR. IT MADE A SCREECHING NOISE AND WOULD NOT PASS 30 MPH MEAN WHILE THE RPM WAS TO 8. THEN IT JUMPED AND PASSED 30 MPH. THIS HAPPENED EVERY TIME IT REACHED 30 MPH. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS SLOW TO SHIFT. THIS 2000 MUSTANG ONLY HAS 40,000 MILES!!- AND I WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DAMAGED--ON TOP OF THAT THE WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THE $1,600 COST. I'VE HEARD A LOT OF THE SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT FORD MUSTANG 'S TRANSMISSION. F…
Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10049525 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10006598 · 2003-02-05 (February 5, 2003)
STEERING BOLT CAME LOOSE. DEALER NOTIFIED.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006598 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10008817 · 2002-05-14 (May 14, 2002)
THE PROBLEM IS THE ENGINE STALLS. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM OR COLD. IT ALSO HAPPENS AFTER THE CLUTCH HAS BEEN DISENGAGED AFTER BEING AT SPEED AND THE RPMS ARE DECREASING TO THE PROGRAMMED IDLE RPM. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF STOPPING AT THE IDLING RPM, THE ENGINE RPM DIPS TO LOW AND THE ENGINE STALLS. I LOSE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WHICH CAUSE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THIS HAPPENS MORE OFTEN IF I AM GOING AROUND A TURN OR TURNING ON THE AC (BOTH ITEMS REQUIRE MORE POWER FROM THE ENGINE)WHILE DISENGAGING THE CLUTCH.…
Owner-reported narrative. 30,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10008817 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10002363 · 2003-01-08 (January 8, 2003)
CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED DURING WARM WEATHER AND NO WARNING THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10002363 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10009854 · 2002-06-04 (June 4, 2002)
ON 8/27/2001 I TOOK OUR CAR TO OUR FORD DEALER DUE TO IT FEELING LIT IT WAS RUNNING OUT OF GAS EVEN THOUGHT IT HAD GAS. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. ON 09/02/2001 WHILE DRIVING TO CALIFORNIA WE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. DUE TO IT BEING A HOLIDAY WEEKEND IT COULD NOT BE LOOKED AT UNTIL 09/04/2001. FUTURE FORD OF ROSEVILLE CALIF. HAD TO REPLACE THE FUEL TANK SENDER, CLUSTER ASY. SNDR & PUMP ASY. AND FILTER ASY. ON OUR WAY HOME FROM A TRIP TO CA. ON 05/30/02 WE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN, THIS TIME WHILE ON HWY 50 IN UTAH. THE CAR BUCKED …
Owner-reported narrative. 17,403 miles reported. Look up ODI 10009854 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10028910 · 2003-07-22 (July 22, 2003)
I HAVE A 2000 FORD MUSTANG V6, AND I HAVE AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER (MAGIC FORD, IN VALENCIA CA ITS BEEN IN THE DEALER FOUR TIMES) CANT FIX AND CANT FIND OUT WHATS WRONG WITH THE CAR. WHENEVER I DROVE THE CAR AND IT GETS HOT AND WHEN I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND TRY RESTARTING THE CAR, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START, I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE ENGINE COOL OFF, THEN THE CAR WOULD START, IT HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I STOPPED AT THE GROCERY STORE, AND TRY STARTING THE CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START, SAME THING WHEN I STOPPED AT THE GASOLINE STATION, I…
Owner-reported narrative. 29,459 miles reported. Look up ODI 10028910 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10000661 · 2002-12-31 (December 31, 2002)
MY 2000 FORD MUSTANG LOST ALL ITS POWER AFTER I JUST PULLED OUT OF A PARKING LOT. I THEN NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE PASSENGER SITE. ABOUT 1-2 MINUTES LATER I SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE SAME PLACE. AS I EXITED THE CAR AND CLOSED THE DOOR ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS FLASHED ON AND A HORRID NOISE CAME FROM THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BUT BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED 10-15 FOOT HIGH FLAMES WERE SHOOTING IN THE AIR FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR [THIS ALL STARTED TO HAPPEN INCREDIBLY FAST] AN…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10000661 at NHTSA ↗