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When someone thinks of a true muscle car, they often think of the 2020 Ford Mustang. After all, this car is supposed to be “Intimidating. Even at Idle.” Yet, most customers find that the defects far outweigh the benefits. This sports car suffers from a defective powertrain, a malfunctioning electrical system and poor service brakes.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2018 2019 2021
Contents
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Ford Mustang
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Air Bags | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | |
| Wheels |
Problems with the Powertrain
The powertrain helps all of that power make its way to the pavement when it works right, which isn’t often.
Here’s one Edmunds review worth reading. “The Ecoboost 10 speed automatic is terrible. Worst automatic I’ve ever owned. Ford updated the software and it still jerks a lot. Ride on the 19 inch wheels is awful on broken or patched pavement. The interior is very noisy at 50 to 65 mph with an annoying drone.”
While these drivability issues are concerning, the recall is more alarming. NHTSA Campaign Number 20V263000 states that the “Transmission Not in Park” message and chime aren’t as long as they should be. As a result, owners can get out of the vehicle without being shifted into Park, causing the car to move unintentionally after exiting. Apparently, this car wants to go so much that it plans to roll away on its own.
Problems with the Electrical System
While this isn’t a luxury model, there is a lot of high-tech equipment installed. For this reason, the electrical system must be completely functional, but it’s not.
One NHTSA complaint states, “Digital Instrument Cluster goes blank without warning, usually when starting it up after it’s been running. It takes between 10-30 minutes to come back on. Dealer doing warranty work has run through all Ford recommended tests and reinstallation of AS Build Data – nothing works. This has happened since the vehicle was brand-new; I now have 19,000 miles on it. Ford does not have a TSB for the 2020 GT Mustang with this problem. I cannot drive the vehicle without the instrument panel.”
Electrical problems go even deeper. First, NHTSA Campaign Number 20V306000 discusses a recall for vehicles that have a misaligned forward-looking camera. This doesn’t just change the operation for visibility but also affects several driver-assist functions, such as Driver Alert, Auto High-Bean Control, Adaptive Cruise Control and Pre-Collision Assist. Additionally, NHTSA Campaign Number 20V575000 states that more than 600,000 vehicles might be equipped with a poor electrical connection, causing distortion to the rearview camera. Without these systems in place, the chance of accident rises significantly. That’s “intimidating” in and of itself.
Problems with the Service Brakes
While it’s clear the Mustang has the power to go, it must also have the ability to stop. However, this seems to be another problem customers are dealing with.
Another NHTSA complaint says, “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The cause of the failure was not determined.”
One would hope this would be a system without a recall, but that’s not the case. NHTSA Campaign Number 20V573000 says that vehicles might have a brake pedal bracket that can fracture while trying to stop. This defect makes it much harder to stop, leading to a higher chance of a collision. What’s truly intimidating of this muscle car is the amount of defects present. The Mustang spends a lot of time getting warranty work and not enough time enjoying the drive.
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Complaint Data
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Feb 14, 2023 |
| State | GA |
| Description | Brake light stop switch replaced 2/2/23. Now brake lights cut off if any pressure is released but foot is not removed from brake pedal. Additional harder pressure is required for brake lights to come back on. Brake lights will flicker and then cut off while foot is on brake pedal. Intermittently comes on as it should. This is an extreme safety hazard. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 07, 2023 |
| State | MD |
| Description | 2020 ford mustang. Consumer writes in regard to nhtsa safety recall 20v-575. The consumer tried to have the recall repaired several times over a 2 year period, but informed the camera is on back order. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Jan 30, 2023 |
| State | GA |
| Description | Pre-collision assist not available, hill start assist warning messages multiple times since 12/24/22. Both errors happened after having the 10r80 transmission worked on and recalls associated with vin corrected from 10/06-12/22. Warning messages popped up on message center on dash at time of error. This greatly increases the risk of being in an accident and causing harm to myself or someone else. Vehicle has not been inspected. Ford was contacted 01/30/23. I was told to check for obstructions in front of camera behind rear-view mirror. No obstructions found, car is kept in pristine condition. Awaiting response from ford for an appointment day and time to have issue corrected. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Jan 17, 2023 |
| State | GA |
| Description | When trying to start got steering lock malfunction service now. Car would not start stranded for 10 hrs. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 02, 2023 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Evaporation core is leaking. Many people have reported the same issue. Refrigerant was leaked into the car while driving and now needs a costly repair. The vehicle was only looked over by a mechanic. There is/was no warning lamps. |
| Category | Tires:tread/belt |
| Date | Dec 20, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Tire size: 255/40 zr19 our vehicle only has 14,757 miles and these tires lack good traction under normal driving conditions. In more than one occasion, the vehicle would start fishtailing when entering a highway from a side street. So far, we have been lucky and managed to keep the vehicle from leaving the roadbed or crashing into another vehicle. However, every time this happens, we get the scare of our lifetime. |
| Category | Electrical System, Visibility:rear Window Wiper/washer:motor |
| Date | Sep 02, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact stated that the passenger's side rear window failed to roll up completely. The contact also stated that the front passenger's side window would continuously roll up and down upon starting the vehicle and while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the windshield wiper relay had failed. The trunk and hood warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated upon engaging the front passenger's and driver's side seat heaters, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear seats. The dealer was notified of the failure and picked up the vehicle for diagnostic tests. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000. |
| Category | Power Train, Service Brakes |
| Date | Aug 10, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Caught in stop and go traffic at night for 45 minutes. Car started moving forward even though my foot was only on the brake pedal. My first thought was I'd accidentally pressed both the brake and gas pedals, but I could see my foot on the brake pedal since the under-dash area is lit in the premium model. It happened for about one minute the first time, then happened again a couple minutes later. I hit the bumper of a tour bus during the second instance at about two mph. The tour bus driver apparently didn't notice the hit and changed lanes a few minutes later. I didn't see any damage to the tour bus, but my license plate bracket and license plate were bent, and the middle part of my bumper didn't snap back together correctly. The ford dealer was unable to duplicate the problem, and the brakes and vacuum pressure module didn't show any leaks. The service advisor said it was impossible for the transmission to engage without pressing the gas pedal, but I suspect the 10-speed transmission since the engine rpm didn't appear to change. There were no warning lights before or after the incident and the service advisor said no codes had been set. In retrospect I should have tried putting the transmission in neutral, used the emergency brake,or turned off the ignition (but a tractor trailer was about ten feet behind me). |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 01, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Brake light switch stopped working at around 30k miles. Cruise control stopped working and acceleration does not work. Will go no more than 45 mph and stall and stop. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Jun 22, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I was in an accident hitting my entire front end, which has a lot of damage. With the impact the car had obtained, I feel as though the airbags should have deployed. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Mar 28, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Driving at posted speed, went to pass a vehicle and the accelerator stuck in full open (down) position. Car lurched forward and luckly I was able to put it on neutral, pull over and manually un-stick the accelerator pedal. |
| Category | Power Train:automatic Transmission, Service Brakes |
| Date | Feb 13, 2022 |
| State | MD |
| Description | I was contacted by the nhtsa, after I had an accident in my 2020 ford mustang ecoboost with the automatic transmission and ability to manually shift. I spoke with an investigator by the name of [xxx]. The investigator wished me good luck, as it was relayed to me that I was the only one who had the problem which resulted in me having an accident. I have since then found multiple sites with multiple complaints of the same issue, and I was told that there's a fourth class action suit right now that I should be a part of. Please have someone who is familiar with what's going on with ford call me at: [xxx]. Thank you for your help! Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). |
| Category | Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Jan 11, 2022 |
| State | GA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle was jerking and shaking uncontrollably. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly while driving on the interstate. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. Then the vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that no issues were found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a second dealer; don rich ford co inc (221 e montgomery st, villa rica, ga 30180) who diagnosed the grille shutter and the sensor fuel injectors had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to a third dealer; pugmire ford (1 ford way, carrollton, ga 30116) who diagnosed that the valve body and other unknown components of the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that he has sustained back injuries due to the failure but had not sought medical assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to nhtsa for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 23,600. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Dec 14, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | The contact owned a 2020 ford mustang. The contact stated while driving at 65 mph, in the center lane a tractor-trailer side swipe and hit the contact front passenger side door which caused the contact vehicle to spin around and hit a median wall, and spin out again with the vehicle coming to a stop in the middle of the intersection. The front tires were ripped from the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained bruises on the lower and upper back, bruises to both knees. The contact also sustained vision impairment to where he started seeing black dots and a bruised left arm. The contact was also suffering from panic attacks. The passenger sustained a bump on the forehead, neck, and lower back bruises, as well the right knee was severely swollen. There was no medical treatment at the scene, but the contact went to the hospital the next day. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center where the insurance company deemed the vehicle was a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000. |
| Category | Structure:body, Suspension, Wheels |
| Date | Dec 14, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | This vehicle has been in an accident with damage exceeded 00. 00 (I have a ford dealerships estimate to prove damage on the vehicle has not been eepaired nor reported) again, substantial, front drivers side, hood, wheel, breakline, door and underbody damage occurred to this vehicle. It was never reported to carfax nor any online reporting agency. This vehicle is being resold with a 'clean' carfax because damage has never been reported. |
| Category | Air Bags, Seat Belts, Service Brakes |
| Date | Oct 14, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | On july 26, 2021, I had a head on collision ( driver side to driver side ) where I felt like the vehicle didn't want to stop. Even when I applied the brake, the vehicle kept going forward. In that collision, even though I was wearing my seatbelt, my head went straight up and I hit the top of my car. My head felt crunched into my neck and shoulders, and the belt restrained me enough to pull my right shoulder back and down from having my head crunching further into the top of my car. Although I wasn't given a ticket for the accident, the police found me to be at fault. Later, I went to an urgent care where they diagnosed me with having a concussion. I haven't seen any other necessary doctors, because I don't have the money out of pocket. I don't know that my remaining pip will cover anymore. I am still having issues with my head, neck, back, and hip now. I recently saw a dentist and I may have tmj. I never have experienced such pain of my entire left side of my face. My migraines have increased in frequency and intensity, and other health issues are agitated and inflamed. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
| Date | Sep 09, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v573000 (service brakes, hydraulic, service brakes) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact called the local dealer and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Steering |
| Date | Jun 09, 2021 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Periodically receive indication of 1) steering assist fault service required 2) hill start assist not available 3) advancetrac unavailable. While these messages appear on the dash, the electric power steering system fails. This happens frequently, where there is no power steering when operating vehicle. Could be potentially dangerous while making low speed turns. The system is up to date. Local ford service center believes the problem is the motor of the steering rack. The part is on back order with no indication of the dangerous problem being repaired any time soon. |
| Category | Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Apr 16, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | 2020 ford mustang. Consumer writes regarding accelerator safety incident. *ld the consumer stated the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while being driven. The dealer was notified and could not replicate the failure. *js |
| Category | Exterior Lighting, Seats, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Apr 08, 2021 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | Renting vehicle for long term use. Drive as mostly single woman and commute up to 2 hrs. Side lights are attention grabber for night time use. Ex driving on 8 and stopping at rest stop or for gas drew much unwanted attention. My cell phone slid under passenger seat and I had to exit vehicle move car forward and back to try and pry out. This could have broken my needed means of communication or hurt my hand as seat is low for better comfort but no room to grab things underneath. Also back seats strap to allow entry to trunk. As an advocate this is an easy access to stow away passengers or have someone hide in trunk. The traditional strap in between seat and much tighter makes this more of a process but would make more sense to drivers like myself as a victim of sexual assault. Thank you for your time. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Apr 02, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Tl * the contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact stated while driving and pulling into a parking spot, the contact heard a loud clicking sound coming from the vehicle. Additionally, the interior lights and headlights started flickering. The contact stated that the vehicle loss motive power and stalled, without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to towne ford of redwood city (1601 el camino real, redwood city, ca 94063) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was caused by the battery however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure . The failure mileage was 20,318. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Warnings, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Service Brakes |
| Date | Feb 12, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | I was pulling into a parking space, I stepped on the brakes. The care spend up with the tires spinning and jumped the curb and hit a tree. When . I tried to reverse to reverse the tires continued to spend and the car continued to move forward jumped the curb . And hit a tree a co worker witness my car s wheels spinning forward when I had my foot on the brakes. The enitre right front sife of the car is destroyed and the passenger side door is not opening. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Jan 21, 2021 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds in cruise control, the brake warning lights failed to illuminated properly. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. No dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Nhtsa campaign number: 20v573000 (service brakes, hydraulic, service brakes) was a possible solution to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,740. The vin was not available. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 16, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | On 8/29/2020 a ford agency located in miami, fl sold me my 2020 ford mustang vehicle with a factory defect in the brake system and they did not make the participation in time to correct the mechanical defect of my vehicle according to to nhtsa. The truth is that I had an accident in the city of miami, fl on 10/29/2020 8:27 pm going up the exit ramp 826 palmeto expressway in the city of miami, fl with the total loss of my vehicle shooting the bags of air. The accident occurred because the police proceeded to stop the traffic in a preventive way and suddenly because a motorized caravan was passing all the vehicles we had to apply the brake with the misfortune that my vehicle due to the failure in the braking system with who sold it to me, the brake line broke causing this damage to my car, the collision from the rear with a truck. I attach photos of the breakage of the brake lines, photos of my vehicle's condition, a letter issued by the accident clinic where I keep doing rehabilitation therapy and a police report. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
| Date | Nov 16, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v573000 (service brakes, hydraulic, service brakes) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Automax ford located at 3301 e central texas expy, killeen, tx 76543, was contacted and it was confirmed that parts were not available until april of 2021. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Nov 02, 2020 |
| State | AE |
| Description | Brake pedal brackets that broke during emergency breaking |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Oct 27, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Manufacturer recall 20s52 and nhtsa recall 20v573 notified walker ford, fl, no action being taken. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 30, 2020 |
| State | OH |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer and ricart ford located at 4255 s hamilton rd, groveport, oh 43125, were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,000. The vin was not available. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Sep 30, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | If dooe is not fully closed and engine is switched to drive, system says transmission not in park rather than just door ajar |
| Category | Electrical System, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Sep 24, 2020 |
| State | OR |
| Description | Digital instrument cluster goes blank without warning, usually when starting it up after it's been running. It takes between 10-30 minutes to come back on. Dealer doing warranty work has run through all ford recommended tests and reinstallation of as build data - nothing works. This has happened since the vehicle was brand new; I now have 19,000 miles on it. Ford does not have a tsb for the 2020 gt mustang with this problem. I cannot drive the vehicle without the instrument panel. |
| Category | Electronic Stability Control, Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Sep 15, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The actual getrag defective and faulty manual transmission on ford mustang 2020 still causing serious personal safety issues nowadays. In manual transmission vehicles, downshifting gears on a reliable, effective and efficient transmission 'part', it's a serious and determining factor at the moment the driver needs to slow down safely or even stop the vehicle, especially on longer downhill roads so brake overheating and possible failure of them can be avoided or in the eventual case of towing a load... Shifting gears at also important when increasing speed is required or even expected, like at the moment a car incorporates or merge in to a freeway from the ramp and it's required to match the ongoing and specially, the oncoming vehicles or traffic, this risk increases if the oncoming vehicle is a loaded trailer to set 1 example. Being able to efficiently increase speed if 'slowing down' option is not the advisable in the particular circumstances; is actually a determining factor at the moment of avoid a lateral deadly collision or in the best of the cases an injury. This defective transmission had situated me in this kind of risky situations of collision and deadly crashes, that fortunately were managed to be avoided. Ford it's actually facing on this year (2020) a 'class action' (case 2:20-cv-11310-ljm-drg ecf no. 1) for refusing us the customers, to get replaced, repaired, and totally solution and 'cure' the problem with this dangerous and unreliable transmission part. Unlike! Ford refuses to acknowledge their responsibility and trying to scam us and even charge us expensive amounts for repairs, claiming that 'it's a wear and tear' issue or 'aggressive driving', 'drivers performing burnouts' etc. Trying to scam us with even a 1 month of using, brand new cars and with their warranty, claiming that it's due to the clutch and clutch is the only thing they don't cover. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Aug 31, 2020 |
| State | MI |
| Description | I made a safe driving training with my new 2020 ford mustang gt (eu model) (as I do for every new car I bought). During the first break training (emergency braking from 50km/h (~31mph) to 0 ) the break pedal broke. Luckily just right before the vehicle stops and not at the beginning of the maneuver. It was not possible to move the vehicle anymore, as the pedal was loose now and braking not possible anymore. I think maybe other batches of this plastic break-pedal holders might be affected (please see attached pictures). |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Aug 24, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving straight at approximately 65 mph heavy pressure was applied to brake pedal causing the bracket holding the brake pedal lever to snap. The brake pedal then sunk to the floor causing the brakes to no longer be functional. The entire brake pedal assembly was then dangling from the one of it's connection points. A piece of the pedal bracket had snapped from the pivot point and was then loose on the floor of the vehicle. Emergency brake had to be applied to stop the vehicle and luckily there was no accident caused. This is a serious issue and could have caused a fatal accident. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 27, 2020 |
| State | NC |
| Description | Washing my car around the exhaust pipes I cut my finger to the bone. This is the second time I have cut myself on these pipes. Afraid my son or another person will have the same issue. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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