2004 Ford Mustang: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 116 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is vehicle speed control (33% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 1 new complaint in the last 90 days · latest recall May 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 116 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Po442 Evaporative Emmison system leak. Heat catalyst egr set malfunctions. Primary and secondary a/c system deficiencies.”Owner report · Suspension · Jul 2026
“Never know when car is fully gas up always put gas in at 1/4 to 1/2 tank, will overfill if not very carefully so really just put no more than 10 to 15 dallas never shows full. Do not want to overflow on me for one two it's bad for my baby #1 mustang”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Mar 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford mustang. While driving 25 mph, the accelerator pedal became caught in the floormat and caused the vehicle to accelerate. The contact had to shift into neutral to stop the vehicle. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 169,865.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Nov 2018
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford mustang. While attempting to drive off from a parking space, the vehicle accelerated from 0 to approximately 40 mph. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of another vehicle the air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was damaged, but was not towed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Sep 2018
“The spark plugs have a tendency to blow out. An explosion makes the plug strip the threads and do damage to the head. There is also potential for fire as fuel vapor is then release directly into the engine compartment.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2017
“Back in 2016 I was involved in an accident in which my gas pedal seemed to have got hung up on the carpet which caused my gas pedal to accelerate a little when I was at a red light causing me to have an accident.. I was coming to a stop at a red light when the pedal seemed to have got stuck. I had my foot on the brake but the car seemed to want to continue to move I just thought my accelerator was set a little high until saw that the pedal was getting caught on the carpet.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2017
“We were in an accident on 2-28-2016 and was hit from the side and pushed into a ditch while passing a ford 250 he turned into us while driving 50 mph. The airbags did not go off.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2016
“Tl* the contact owned a 2004 ford mustang. While driving approximately 15 mph, a vehicle ran a red light and crashed head on into the contact's vehicle. The contact's vehicle was turned sideways and crashed into a pole. The frontal air bags failed to deploy. The contact was pinned inside the vehicle. The fire department pried the door open to rescue the contact. The contact was transported in an ambulance to the hospital, but no injuries were reported. A police report was filed. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14v802000 (air bags) in december of 2015. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford mustang. The contact stated that headlamps failed to respond intermittently. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not provided.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jul 2015
“Passenger side front seat belt retracts only and will not extend, so therefore is non-functional. This is not a case of twisted belt, as we have accessed the part and ensured "flat" wind. My son just bought car. Prior owner says it never worked for several years. Driver's side seat belt is also barely functional. Both present major safety hazards to occupants. Looking on-line this seems to be a well known problem with the manufacturer's design which should be corrected. *tr”Owner report · Seat Belts · Jul 2014
When filing, owners marked a crash in 20 of these complaints and injuries in 8 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE INTERFACE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSON MAKING THE CONNECTION MAY BELIEVE THAT THE QUICK CONNECTOR IS FULLY ATTACHED.
Remedy: UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Remedy: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
ON CERTAIN MUSTANG COBRA PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR SURFACE OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY COME INTO CONTACT WITH FLOOR CARPETING DURING HEAVY THROTTLE APPLICATION. THE UNIQUE SURFACE PROFILE OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY CATCH IN THE CUTOUT ON THE FLOOR CARPETING BEHIND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SHIELD OVER THE CUTOUT IN THE CARPET BEHIND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 26, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
How other years compare
Check your exact Mustang by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Ford Mustang reliable?
NHTSA has 116 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Ford Mustang. The most complained-about area is vehicle speed control (33% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Ford Mustang problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 14,840 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Ford Mustang have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting:headlights. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.