Most common 1999 Ford Mustang problems
Share of the 258 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Mustang complaints by model year
Best Mustang years: 2023, 2025, 2021. Years to avoid: 2012, 2011, 2015, 1995, 2005. Compare all years →
1999 Ford Mustang recalls (3)
Parking brake › Conventional
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. If a vehicle is parked with the parking brake not fully applied and not in first gear, as directed in the owner guide, and the self adjustment pawl subsequently skips one or two teeth, the vehicle could move on some grades.
Remedy: Dealers will modify the parking brake control and install a plate or over-bracket to the control to lock the self adjust mechanism in position following adjustment.
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The seat belt retractor May have a pin shaft in the switchable elr/alr mechanism that is incorrectly formed. In some circumstances, the switching mechanism could become nonfunctional, preventing the seat belt webbing from being extracted from the retractor.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the lap and shoulder belt assemblies. Assemblies with julian date codes of 200 through 223 are suspect and will be replaced.
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: certain 1997-1999 rhd explorer equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc engines and cruise control built from May 29, 1996 through March 4, 1999; 1998-1999 explorer/mountaineers equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc or 5.0l engines or 1998-1999 rangers equipped with 2.5l, 3.0l ffv/efi or 4.0l engines and cruise control built from…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the cruise control cables. At the present time, the replacement cables are not available. Customers are being advised not to use the cruise control system until a replacement can be made.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 1999 Ford Mustang:
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
What 1999 Ford Mustang owners say
Engine & cooling all 57 →
I have experienced a spark plug blowout in my 1999 Ford Mustang with 4.6l v8. I have since read about the vulnerability of these engines to experience spark plug blowout. The first blowout was experienced prior to changing any spark plugs and therefore can not be deemed to be a cause of improper torquing, etc. A heli-coil was used to repair the spark plug blowout, only to have the spark plug blown out again at a later date. This time the cylinder heads were damaged and required replacement. The cylinder head replacement was a major inconvenience both in cost of repair, and in the severity of the malfunction. I am very disturbed to hear the number of complaints and number of other individuals who have experienced this same problem without any proper recognition or action by Ford. …
On January 3, 2005, the heater core on my 1999 Mustang had to be completely replaced, including the thermostat. The windows had fogged up before and the car smelled like syrup but I thought it was just vents. The heating core had to be replaced and the coolant had to be recharged and replaced also this came up to $700 dollars. On August 16 2005, 2 weeks after changing the coolant the water pump had to be replaced, once again the system had to be flushed the cost was$400. On July 2006 I had the coolant system flushed and changed, 1 month after the coolant was changed the windows starting fogging up, I was driving my vehicle and I was unable to get a clear view of the road due to the foggy windows, the heating core once again has to be replaced, is going to cost me another $600 dollars to fix this, I have all of the paperwork from Firestone, I have kept up with all of the maintenance …
Brakes all 45 →
Consumer parked vehicle in parking lot with manual transmission in neutral and parking brake set. Consumer's brother informed consumer that vehicle had rolled down the parking lot and into the grass. Consumer then notified the police. Upon arrival of the police, consumer entered the vehicle and verified to the officer at the scene of the accident that the parking brake had been set. Upon releasing the brake, the consumer noticed there was no tension in the brake. Consumer then took the vehicle to dealer to have repaired. The consumer informed the dealer that the e-brake could possibly be faulty and to have dealer check for problems. Upon return of vehicle, consumer asked dealer if they had found any problems, the dealer replied with no problems found. …
Consumer had taken vehicle to dealership for recall NHTSA 00V349000/ manufacturer's recall 00s37 repairs. After vehicle was repaired, consumer noticed that windshield was damaged. Manufacturer replaced windshield at no charge. Vehicle was parked on a slight incline with emergency parking brake on for fifteen minutes, and vehicle began to roll forward with parking brake engaged, eventually hitting a parked car. Damage to consumer's vehicle was estimated at one thousand dollars. The sheey Ford dealership located at 10601 midlothian turnpike richmond,va 23235 did not do a good job according to the consumer. Consumer states that no adjustments were done to the emergency brake after the first failure and feels the problem May occur again.
Air bags all 34 →
It was late summer, close to early fall 2017. My two sons, ages 17 and 15, had just gotten out of football practice and were getting into the 1999 Mustang to come home. (my 17 year old son, matthew, had been driving for quite awhile, and had no traffic infractions or violations yet either, nor does he now. He has beem a careful driver.) they were driving very slowly, as they had just exited their parking spot, and then proceeded ahead, and while driving in very slow motion went over a small bump or node, or barely anything, in the enumclaw high school parking lot. The airbags both blew out suddenly, slightly injuring my 15 year old son's hand, and blinding and pushing them both backward in their seats. Both of them jumped out of the car immediately, very scared. They had been driving very slowly, so were able to stop suddenly do this and still safely enough to immediately get out. …
My son was involved in an accident with our 1999 Mustang gt. The vehicle has 35,000 miles on it. VIN # [redacted]. My son 't-boned' a vehicle at approximately 30-35 MPH. Our vehicle sustained $8000 in front end damage. Neither the drivers or passengers air bag deployed. My son and his passenger were transported by ambulance to the hospital with neck and back pain. The police and ambulance driver both said the air bags should have deployed based on the severity of the crash.
1999 Ford Mustang engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 17 / 27 / 21 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 17 / 25 / 20 |
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1999 Ford Mustang a good car?
Based on 258 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1999 Mustang rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Mustang at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1999 Ford Mustang?
The engine & cooling — 57 complaints, 22% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine › gasoline. Next are the brakes (45) and air bags (34).
How many recalls does the 1999 Ford Mustang have?
There are 3 recalls for the 1999 Ford Mustang, the most recent from October 30, 2000 (conventional). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Mustang?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2023, 2025 and 2021. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2012, 2011, 2015, 1995 and 2005. See the full Ford Mustang years comparison.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford Mustang problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 60,000 miles; 29% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.