1996 Ford Mustang: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 329 complaints
329
Total Complaints
71,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Top Issue
23
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

56,000 25th Percentile
71,000 Median Mileage
99,245 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
30
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
19
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
16
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
16
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
13
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
11
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
10
SUSPENSION:REAR
10
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
9

Severity Assessment

23
Crashes
6
Fires
22
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CAR WAS IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE LOST BRAKE HAD ABS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE CAR WAS TOTALLED. TT"
"WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE ACCELERATOR STICKS TO THE FLOOR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"
"THE CAR SHUTS OFF WHEN IDLING DURING TRAFFIC. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28