2017 Ford Mustang problems & reliability
264 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Ford Mustang, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. 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.
9 complaints report injuries (11 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2017 Ford Mustang vehicles were involved in 76 fatal crashes with 45 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Back Over Prevention | 63 | 24% |
| Structure | 39 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 36 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 34 | 13% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 29 | 11% |
| Engine | 26 | 10% |
| Power Train | 22 | 8% |
| Seat Belts | 16 | 6% |
| Steering | 11 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 10 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 41,050 miles (middle 50% between 23,250 and 63,375 miles), based on 138 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Was driving, all the sudden I heard a pop and a little bit of smoke and the smell of burning plastic came from under passenger seat. Pulled over, noticed it was coming from electrical harness under seat that controls the heated and cooled seats. Disconnected plug and saw that it had burnt out & caught fire. Have left…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 24, 2026
“The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed smoke on the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the smoke became heavy on the interior of the vehicle. The contact stopped the vehicle and became aware that the heavy smoke was coming…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 22, 2026
“Horn when first pushed does not work....Push it 3-4 times rapidly and it works fine...Intermittent....Yesterday a kid not paying attn pulled out in front of me on a bicycle....I hit the horn, horn did not work, came sooooo close to hitting him......With a horn operating properly it would not have been as nearly deadly…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 15, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
Technical service bulletins
155 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Ford Mustang. The 10 most recent:
Customer Satisfaction Program 25N15 - Supplement #1 Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacement
25N15 S1 · Other · issued Apr 20, 2026
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacemen
25N15 · Other · issued Jan 5, 2026
Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacement
25N15 · Other · issued Dec 22, 2025
This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to: Display…
TSB 25-2570 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2025
Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in…
SSM 54366 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 12, 2025
Ford Motor Company is voluntarily conducting a study on some customer-owned vehicles to proactively replace the front seat belt retractors and return them to Ford for further analysis. Inspecting your vehicle will help…
24H02 · Other · issued Jun 9, 2025
This is a proactive investigation program by Ford Motor Company to obtain field parts for evaluation. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the field performance and functionality of the obtained front…
24H02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 24, 2024
While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions. While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024…
SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 10, 2024
This article supersedes TSB 21-2175 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some 2016 MKS, 2016-2017 Navigator, 2016-2018 F-150/Focus/C-MAX/Edge/Fiesta/MKX/Transit Connect/Mustang, 2017-2018 Continental/Fusion/MKZ…
TSB 24-2165 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 27, 2024
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
The 2017 Ford Mustang has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 2017 Ford Mustang?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 41,050 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.