1997 Ford Mustang GT problems & reliability
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford Mustang GT. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 16 | 70% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 4% |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 4% |
| Power Train | 1 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 4% |
| Steering | 1 | 4% |
| Structure | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“As I was making a left hand turn on the highway at approx. 15mph, I heard a loud pop/crack coming from the front of the vehicle. At this time the car started to drift off to the right and onto the side of the road. I tried to turn the steering wheel left to compensate for the change and the steering wheel continued to…”
Steering · filed Nov 1, 2011
“Engine was using coolant/took to ford dealer & they advised it's coming from crack in top of the intake manifold and there had been a recall on these due to class action lawsuit, but time to file ended 4 mos. Ago & we'd have to pay out of pocket. *tr”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jul 9, 2008
“The plastic intake manifold cracked while driving my 1997 mustang with 4.6l. Cost $1020 plus towing, to repair at local ford dealership. Ford refused to provide any financial assistance, citing the chamberlain settlement's exclusions. *jb”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jul 4, 2006
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
Technical service bulletins
5 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford Mustang GT.
Some vehicles with manual transmission or with automatic transmission may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detach from the engine. *tt
13950 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2001
Some vehicles equipped with manual transmission and with automatic transmission may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detach from the engine. *tt
8278 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2000
Some vehicles equipped with manual transmission and with automatic transmission may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detach from the engine. *tt
13950 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2000
Some vehicles with manual and automatic transmissions may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detached from the engine. *tt
8278 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2000
Some vehicles with a t-45 transmission may shift from 4th to neutral (pop out) when the clutch is released. *tt
11504 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 1998
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1997 Ford Mustang GT in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Ford Mustang GT?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.