Most common 2002 Ford Mustang problems
Share of the 166 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 →
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2002 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 2002 Ford Mustang owners say
Engine & cooling all 47 →
1 - engine makes horrible sound in cold weather. Also appears to be issue with electrical wiring harness which caused a fire. Very bad gas mileage - big change in decreased mpg. Have issues when trying to fill up gas tank where fuel gun filler wont allow me to fuel as the gas pump at most gas stations will immediately stop and kick out the fueller gun and spit gas out of my tank and spill on my car. There is also oil on my spark plugs and ports. 2 -powertrain - poor stability in driving and squeaky noises coming from rearend. I bought this car brand new and went through four automatic transmissions, first time at 800 miles on the odometer only. Ford replaced all defective transmissions while car was under warranty. Presently I am re-experiencing the same exact transmission problems. …
My wife was pulling in to the drive way on her way from doing some errands a drive of less than 5 miles and its a rural road where you cant drive more than 30 miles an hour when she smelt like something was burning. She checked the gauges and everything seemed fine and then saw smoke coming off the hood. She only had time to park the car and get off as the whole engine bay got engulfed in flames.the fire fighters arrived and were able to control the fire from spreading but the front half of the car was totally destroyed.
Air bags all 21 →
While my daughter was driving on a in town road she came upon construction, all traffic was stopped because the 2 lanes were down to 1. As she was waiting for traffic to start moving her boot got caught under seat lever (thigh high boots flap got caught) and it made her foot slip from brake, she then bumped into the van in front of her, less then 5mph and both which there was no passenger or anything on her seat airbags deployed destroying her colume. Absolutely no front end damage, no damage to other vehicle, car still runs and seatbelts still work. Having it checked for malfunctions.
Subject:airbag failure comments: twice now my son has had an accident with his 2002 Mustang and the airbag did not deploy. Fortunately he was not hurt. My major concern is that I had the airbag specifically tested at the repair shop at the last repair before accepting delivery of the car. I was told someone is hired by the repair shop to come out and run tests by hooking up instruments to the car and getting a read out. To the best of my knowledge this was done but my son just had his 2nd accident and his car hit a concrete barrier at better than 40 MPH and the airbag still did not deploy. I have reported it to consumer service at the Ford website but have not received a response. I am very concerned about my son's future use of this car and that fact that my wife owns an identical Mustang of the same manufactured year of 2002. …
Seat belts all 21 →
I recently was traveling on the interstate late after work on interstate 10 at 60 MPH when I was struck from behind at a high rate of speed which caused the car to spin out of control , hit a guard rail and thrown into onto oncoming traffic. As stated in police report. Both front and rear of the car sustained severe damage however none of the airbags deployed causing facial trauma seatbelts failed, as it did not hold my 100 lb body in place.causing injury. From being thrown all over the car causing loss of conciousnous. Back driver side wheel and hub was torn off from impact and axle was broke. Car had 96 k miles and well maintained.and cared for. However this car has faulty airbags, seatbelts, among other issues that ca result in a human life!
There was a vehicle in front of me. Both vehicles were traveling at the same speed. The car in front of me anchored the brakes. I was 3 car length behind. Th ABS failed and did not allow the brakes to resume. We hit the back end of the car in front at 35mph. The passenger seatbelt broke ending my fiance head into the windshield. The airbags did not deploy car was totaled and the Toyota did not have a scratch: myself and my girl are both injured. I purchased this car 5/14. I believe there May not be airbags and I also think this car escaped having to have a salvage title. We are upset to say the least. As it is one thing but to put a consumers life at risk is another. This is the second car from this dealer since March 2014 that we had been given a death trap.
2002 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 | 5-speed manual | RWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 16 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Ford Mustang a good car?
Based on 166 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 Mustang rates better than average: 48% fewer complaints than 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 2002 Ford Mustang?
The engine & cooling — 47 complaints, 28% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine › gasoline. Next are the air bags (21) and seat belts (21).
How many recalls does the 2002 Ford Mustang have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2002 Ford Mustang. You can still confirm with your VIN using our 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 2002 Ford Mustang problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 46,000 miles; 54% 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.