Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Ford Mustang owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while in reverse, he observed a grinding sound emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing chain guides needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
Traveling to temple, texas to visit mom for her birthday; I set my cruise at 70 MPH as usual while traveling. I approached a slow moving vehicle, slowed down to make sure there was no one coming, turned my signal on and touched the gas pedal to increase speed. When I passed the vehicle and got back in my lane, my car continued to gain speed and was quickly up to 85 MPH and increasing. I touched the brakes to slow it down and they would not hold or slow down the vehicle.I was terrified knowing there are a lot of curves on that particular road and possibly no way to avoid hitting someone. I looked for the safest place to pull over and saw an empty church parking lot and hoped I could get the car stopped in that area. By this time, I was applying the brakes as hard as I could, I managed to get it there but not before hitting a historical marker and snapping it off at the bottom. …
The electronic throttle body and electronic throttle sensor were sending my car into "limp mode", and very nearly caused two accidents before I could have the issue diagnosed and repaired. The first instance of "limp mode" came while I was driving home on the freeway in commute traffic. It was warm, traffic was erratic stop-and-go, and I had the ac on. After a period of coasting at idle, traffic opened up; but when I tried to accelerate the car staggered and nearly stalled. I thought it was due to heat and the ac. The car then jerked forward before running smoothly again. The second time, I was on my way to work, again in freeway commute traffic. Traffic was at a stop for several minutes, and then I heard a news report that there were accidents ahead. I moved over to the 4th lane of 5, in preparation for exiting at the next off ramp. …
Sudden acceleration. Happened 3-4 times before. Cruise control on highway. I rolled into it (that is not flooring it) and it would not stop accelerating. Used brakes to control car, turned off ignition, and stopped on shoulder. I had to wait what seemed like 2-3 minutes before it would restart without racing. Tonight was different. I had braked off cruise control as I exited 94e to 65n. As I began to plan my merge onto 65 a guy alone in the right lane would not move over, I rolled into and the acceleration happened again. There was no shoulder at first and the brakes were almost overwhelmed. I turned off ignition and coasted forward until I got a shoulder. On my second restart it reved to 3,000 RPM then very slowly got to a normal idle. I started driving again.
The engine shuts off while driving after it heats up. This has happened several times in these last couple of months after purchasing the used vehicle. I took it to the dealership to fix. They replaced o2 sensors and I got it back last night and today I was driving on the freeway when the car just shut off on me again and the rpms dropped to zero. I was able to pull the car off to the side safely. I put the car in park and restarted it. I drove for about a minute or two and it shut off again, so again I pulled over and restarted the car. This happened about three or four times before I was able to reach my final destination.
In city traffic at a stop light, went to step on the gas to accelerate, the engine started extreme shaking & the car would not go. Shut off the engine & restarted it. The wrench light & check engine light came on the dashboard and car went into limp mode & lost all acceleration. After multiple attempts at restarting, the car was not drivable. Had the car towed to the dealership, advised service rep of consumer satisfaction program 13n03 & was informed that Ford will not honor the program for 2006 Mustang.
I was at a stop getting ready to merge with traffic when the car just died. I restarted the car but it ran real ruff I barely got off the road. I had to towe the car home it's the throttle -by-wire this system needs to be addressed before someone gets hurt. Thanks lee
My wife was pulling into a parking space--I was in the car as well. About half way into the parking spot, the engine suddenly began reving and the car jumped forward causing a head on collision with the truck in front of us.
Our Ford Mustang gt that was purchased for our 17 yr old daughter was purchased 2-21-2006 it had its first problems at 629 miles on 3-4-2006 the dealership replaced some followers and some lifters and some camshaft parts. We've been told all should be replaced the whole bank. Dealer won't do anything about it car started smoking a week later and making ticking noise again. Dealer said it didn't do it there so nothing was done. Next, car started hesitating after driving on hwy couple hrs. Dealership replaced fuel pump and gear box was hot and rattling so they replaced it. Then car accelerated on its own from 50 to 90 miles hr. …
On August 13, 2013 at 1:45 pm while driving to a car dealership in elgin, il, my wife and I were driving north on rt59 which is a 45 MPH zone. My pressed the accelerator pedal and the car started to sputter and hesitate. She pressed the pedal a little more and the car just took off by its self. Before we knew it, we were traveling at 70 MPH though a large population area. My wife was terrified and tried pressing the brakes to the floor but they only slowed the car a little. I told my wife to tap the accelerator pedal to see if the speed would reduce. It only increased in speed. I told my wife to tap the pedal again. The car did not slow and she was still unable to slow the car with the brakes. I told my wife to press the pedal harder. The car lurched forward and then began to slow down. …
Engine complaints in other Mustang years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Ford Mustang?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Ford Mustang, 6% of the model year's 575 complaints. The component named most often is engine (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Ford Mustang engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2006 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 2006 Ford Mustang engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.