Most common 2011 Ford Mustang problems
Share of the 466 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 →
2011 Ford Mustang recalls (4)
Air bags › Frontal
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California,…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2014 Mustang vehicles manufactured April 6, 2004, to June 21, 2014, and 2005-2006 GT vehicles manufactured February 20, 2004, to September 22, 2006.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator, free of charge.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2011 Ford Mustang:
Inability to shift gears on acceleration
The Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) analyzed complaint data provided by Ford as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers.In total, there were 364 unique reports indicating various shift quality issues while driving.Ford identified several factors that may contribute to shift quality concerns in the subject vehicles, including cold transmission, clutch stay-out at high engine speeds, gear clash or…
What 2011 Ford Mustang owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 200 →
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission, on occasion, did not shift into second and third gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed clutch pad. The contact was informed that the clutch pad needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and did not assist. The contact was informed to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power and hesitated to accelerate. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: AS-21687 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Air bags all 125 →
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the front driver's side seat air bag deployed upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.
"Takata recall", car was involved in accident on November 3, 2016. Car was brought immediately to body shop for repair. Once body shop received car, the driver (steering wheel) air bag was ordered at Ford. Geico, my insurance company notified me on December 3, 2016 that they will no longer cover my rental car expense since its the fault of the car manufacturer why the air bag is not available. So in order to avoid loosing my job I have to pay $26/day for the rental car. I have had to pay over $500 just for the 20 days I have had the rental car. I called Ford customer service and they told me they will not cover the cost of my rental car and they are very sorry I am inconvenienced. This is totally unacceptable, this car was purchased for over $65,000 in 2011 as it is a shelby cobra gt500 convertible. …
Engine & cooling all 55 →
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.
6/22/2015: I was driving home from work and my car suddenly turned off and the check engine light turned on. It is very subtle when it happened; no jerky movement noticed. I realized what have happened after my failed attempts to accelerate. I was able to use the car's momentum to make it to a parking lot. I step out and examined my car but nothing was out of the ordinary. After 10 minutes, I attempted to start it up (first attempt after incident) and it started up normally. Everything functioned as normal and even the check engine light is gone. I thought it was a fluke incident so I drove home and forgot about it. 6/30/2015: I was driving on the highway and my engine cut off again. I was very scared because I was on the california 91 freeway and it was during traffic hours. I was able to draw experience from the last incident and cruised my car to the side of the highway. …
2011 Ford Mustang engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 19 / 30 / 23 |
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 6-speed manual | RWD | 19 / 28 / 22 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl | 6-speed manual | RWD | 17 / 26 / 20 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 18 / 25 / 20 |
| 5.4L 8-cyl supercharged | 6-speed manual | RWD | 15 / 23 / 17 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2011 Ford Mustang a good car?
Based on 466 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2011 Mustang rates use caution: 1.8× as many complaints as a typical year of the Mustang at the same age. It is one of the Mustang years we suggest avoiding. 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 2011 Ford Mustang?
The transmission & drivetrain — 200 complaints, 43% of all complaints for this model year, most often about manual transmission. Next are the air bags (125) and engine & cooling (55).
How many recalls does the 2011 Ford Mustang have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2011 Ford Mustang, the most recent from February 16, 2021 (frontal). 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 2011 Ford Mustang problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 22,000 miles; 69% 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.