Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Ford Mustang owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on a rainy night, the headlights started flickering. The contact stated that upon exiting the freeway, while driving 30 MPH, the headlights completely turned off and the hazard lights were inoperable. The contact drove to the nearest gas station and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Body control module. It gets wet when it rains because of an engineering mess up. It shorts out my lights. Sometimes it can't get out of car because it messes with the locks and windows. Can't use my electric mirrors anymore. Instead of being a much needed recall they decided to not even make replacement bcm. It is a problem everything it gets wet that should have been recalled and fixed. At least a thousand other incidents of this happening to others.
Defect in under cowl drainage leads to rainwater leaking into passenger compartment. Water drains down wiring harness into the Smart junction box casing electrical shorts that at first caused the right headlamp to shutdown after 15 seconds. Recycling the headlight switch brings the headlight back on for another 15 seconds. This condition renders the vehicle unsafe to operate from sunset to sunrise. Now the drivers side headlamp has begun the same problem. I checked online and it is apparent that this is a significant safety issue for which the vehicle manufacturer has no part available to fix. They initially informed me that the smj would be available to purchase last September. That has now been pushed back to February of 2016. They want over $400 for the part plus additional labor to program and install a component that should have been recalled years ago. …
After heavy rain for a couple weeks. I was driving strait, in the rain on a city street. I noticed my radio turned off. Then also noticed my headlights and blinkers were also not working. After reaching my destination before it got too dark I stopped and tested all lights including brake lights. All of the exterior lights weren't working, the gas light came on (although I had atleast a half tank) TCS light and also the emergency brake light were on in the instrument panel. After parking the Mustang in the garage for a couple weeks until I had time to check the status of the car. I noticed the floor of the cab (passenger side) was damp. The car battery was dead (less than a year old, red top optima) and there was mold actually growing in parts of the interior of the car. …
There is an apparent design flaw in 2005 mustangs as I have read hundreds of similar complaints as to what I am experiencing. Due to this design flaw after a recent day of heavy rain 1 headlight and 1 signal light will not turn off once the car has been shut off. I researched and apparently the Smart junction box (sjb) got wet and the electrical unit is now malfunctioning. There was also a strong burning smell when I got home that night as well. Spoke with an online mechanic technician and he confirmed that the sjb needs to be replaced. There has been a long history of the car leaking on the passenger side whenever it rains due to the design flaw. …
Complete lighting failure while traveling at night. While driving home all of my lights began to flicker then completely failed, no headlights tail lights dash ( seemed to be a complete electrical failure ) initially thought engine had quit but no it was still running. I did get an engine code indicator light on the dash. Once pulled over I checked the battery cables both were tight still no lights in the process I had put the car in park, transmission locked in park. After a short while lights came back on . Everything seemed normal so I resumed my attempt to reach home however a few miles down the road it did it again. Next day I took the vehicle into the dealership where they told me they had to reprogram the computer. Vehicle so far has operated fine so far. …
Dt: 2005 Ford Mustang gt -had an electrical system problem which resulted in a crash. While turning off of the highway into a residential area the transmission malfunctioned causing uncontrollable acceleration. The brakes were appliedbut the vehicle continued to accelerate. The front brakes did not stop the vehicle. The vehicle went into a clock wise spin. The car turned onto the driver's side and then hit a tree. What happened next was that the electrical system was still acting strange, the trunk opened and trying to close it back down the lights came off and on. The door locks would lock and unlock by themselves. The vehicle had $6,300 worth of damage. The dealership did not assist the consumer with anything. The vehicle was purchased on August 29, 2005 as a new vehicle which only had 72 miles on it. Upon impact the airbags did not deploy and the fuel cut off switch did not activate. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. While driving between 50-55 MPH in rainy weather conditions at night, the entire instrument panel and exterior lighting failed without warning. In addition, the front passenger side floor area and fuse panel exhibited water leakage. There was extremely poor night visibility due to the failures. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact heard a clicking noise coming from the instrument panel before it and the exterior lighting resumed operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but a diagnostic was not performed due to the cost. The vehicle has not been repaired. The vehicle was not accepted by the system. The failure mileage was 38,000 and current mileage was 50,000. Updated 5/26/09 the consumer stated the speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge were inoperative. Updated 05/28/09.
My instrument cluster failed due to the wiring in the dashboard from the factory was chafing on each other and shorted out. I first thought it was just a fuse but they kept blowing. So I brought it to one dealer they said the cluster needed replacement due to a short in it and would cost $600.00 because my warranty ran out in nov. 2007 but the car only has 28K on it, it's a pleasure car. I called Ford care and they said since I have no service record with them there was nothing they could do for me. I brought the car next to my local mechanic and he ordered a new cluster through Ford and brought it to a separate dealer where they found the wiring problem and also replaced the cluster costing me $591.00 plus the cost of the diagnosis from the first dealer of $177.00. I feel Ford should still pay for these repairs due to the fact it came from the factory like this.
I recently purchased a 2005 model Mustang gt from jim skinner Honda in dothan alabama. The vehicle has a significant water leak into the passenger floorboard and into the Smart junction box area. The water penetrates into the wiring harnesses and box itself. Being that most operations on this vehicle are electronically controlled it is my opinion (mechanic) that water intrusion into this area could cause an engine failure and has caused lighting malfunctions on the taillights of the vehicle. When raining the vehicle typically experiences electrical ghosts of various sorts. Also the vehicle would not start during some heavy water intrusion instants. But given time this problem can and will lead to a fire or a electrical malfunction causing a crash and/or death.
Headlight complaints in other Mustang years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2005 Ford Mustang?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the lights of the 2005 Ford Mustang, 2% of the model year's 868 complaints. The component named most often is brake lights (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford Mustang headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2005 Ford Mustang, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Ford Mustang headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.