2000 Ford MUSTANG: complaints, problems and recalls
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.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
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 ↗
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 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 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 10003521 · 2003-01-28 (January 28, 2003)
WHEN FILLING GAS THE GAS POURS OUT OF THE FILL PIPE BEFOR IT HAS SHUT OFF THE PUMP. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT MOST PUMPS THAT I HAVE VISITED. THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL YOUR ARE NEAR THE TOP OF THE TANK. THE GAS JUST SPILLS OUT FOR A FEW SECONDS. COULD CAUSE FIRES, ENVIROMENTAL DAMAGE AND DAMAGE TO PAINT ON CARS.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10003521 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10003836 · 2003-01-14 (January 14, 2003)
WHILE DRIVING 35MPH, BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10003836 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 10006247 · 2003-02-03 (February 3, 2003)
ANOTHER VEHICLE LOSS CONTROL AND HIT THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006247 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
00V349000 · Parking Brake:Conventional
Reported: 2000-10-30 (October 30, 2000)
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. IF A VEHICLE IS PARKED WITH THE PARKING BRAKE NOT FULLY APPLIED AND NOT IN FIRST GEAR, AS DIRECTED IN THE OWNER GUIDE, AND THE SELF ADJUSTMENT PAWL SUBSEQUENTLY SKIPS ONE OR TWO TEETH, THE VEHICLE COULD MOVE ON SOME GRADES.
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT AND A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE PARKING BRAKE CONTROL AND INSTALL A PLATE OR OVER-BRACKET TO THE CONTROL TO LOCK THE SELF ADJUST MECHANISM IN POSITION FOLLOWING ADJUSTMENT.
NHTSA campaign record ↗99V250000 · Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage
Reported: 1999-09-20 (September 20, 1999)
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR MAY HAVE A PIN SHAFT IN THE SWITCHABLE ELR/ALR MECHANISM THAT IS INCORRECTLY FORMED. IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, THE SWITCHING MECHANISM COULD BECOME NONFUNCTIONAL, PREVENTING THE SEAT BELT WEBBING FROM BEING EXTRACTED FROM THE RETRACTOR. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT MALFUNCTION OF THE MECHANISM COULD PREVENT THE BELT FROM BEING SWITCHED INTO THE ALR MODE. THE ELR MECHANISM IS NOT AFFECTED BY THIS CONDITION.
Consequence: IF THE MECHANISM MALFUNCTIONS AND DOES NOT ALLOW THE WEBBING TO BE EXTRACTED, THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELT COULD NOT BE WORN BY A VEHICLE OCCUPANT. IN THE EVENT THAT THE MECHANISM DOES NOT ALLOW THE ALR MODE TO BE ENGAGED, THE OPERATOR MAY BE UNABLE TO PROPERLY INSTALL A CHILD SEAT IN THAT SEATING POSITION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLIES. ASSEMBLIES WITH JULIAN DATE CODES OF 200 THROUGH 223 ARE SUSPECT AND WILL BE REPLACED.
NHTSA campaign record ↗