Reliable Auto DB

2012 Ford Mustang reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 469 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Mustang over 15 years — 55 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Mustang years here — over the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Automatic transmission.

2010 Ford Mustang GT coupe
Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

469

Per year

55

Recalls

7

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (177 of 469), then Air bags (158) and Speed control (35). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 23,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 4,161 and 56,000 miles. Those filings include 20 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, 9 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Mustang has 271 complaints, 18 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Ford Mustang. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-16 · NHTSA campaign 21E013000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Vehicles affected 249
Recall air bags, frontal 2021-02-16 · NHTSA campaign 21V081000
Summary 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. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
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. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Vehicles affected 1,067
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2019-01-07 · NHTSA campaign 19V001000
Summary 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. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
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. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Vehicles affected 782,384
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2017-01-10 · NHTSA campaign 17V024000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
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. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Vehicles affected 654,695
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2016-04-27 · NHTSA campaign 16V248000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks, 2012 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Mustang vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission that may unexpectedly downshift to first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S19.
Vehicles affected 153,581
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2015-05-28 · NHTSA campaign 15V319000
Summary 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. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
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. The recall began on June 10, 2016. Even if interim repairs were performed under safety recall 14V-802, owners must bring their vehicles in for the final remedy. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S21. Note: This recall supersedes safety recall 14V-802.
Vehicles affected 1,018,622
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, transmission control module 2012-05-03 · NHTSA campaign 12V190000
Summary FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 FORD F-150, 2012 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR, AND 2012-2013 MUSTANG VEHICLES, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NOS. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT" AND 108 “LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.” THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR (TRS) THAT WAS CALIBRATED OUT OF SPECIFICATION FOR REVERSE GEAR.
Remedy FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE TRS AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
Vehicles affected 10,500

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (469 total)

Powertrain
177
Air bags
158
Speed control
35
Engine
30
Structure
23
Electrical system
21
Fuel and propulsion system
18
Steering
16
Suspension
16
Electronic stability control (ESC)
12
Service brakes
10
Wheels
6
Exterior lighting
5
Seats
5
Fuel system, gasoline
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Traction control
3
Visibility
3
Equipment
2
Seat belts
2
Tires
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Hydraulic brakes
1
Show 15 more Show less
Crash-flagged

20

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

9

Death reports

1

Of the 307 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 23,000 miles. The middle half fall between 4,161 and 56,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

66201131201237201332201456201598201657201736201822201972020720217202242023420244202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I am the owner of a 2012 Ford Mustang GT currently located in Kuwait. My vehicle has an open Takata airbag safety recall, which is a life-threatening defect. I contacted the authorized Ford dealer in Kuwait and Ford…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-04-29
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front windshield wipers independently activated. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated…"
    Visibility · filed 2025-06-09
  • "Down shifting in to first and reverse problems nothing wrong with transmission"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-06-05
  • "I bought the car on Dec 20th 2024. The dealership informed me of the recall and turned off the passenger side airbag. I returned to the dealership as scheduled about 2 weeks later. When I went to pick up my car after…"
    Air bags · filed 2025-03-17
  • "Speedometer went to zero while driving and seemed to be in neutral. Could not accelerate. Also low fuel warning light came on when I had a full tank. After car was shut off and restarted speedometer seemed fine for…"
    Electrical system, Speed control, Unknown or other · filed 2025-02-08

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Ford Mustang 2 DR RWD 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars
2012 Ford Mustang C RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Mustang 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 19 30 23 MPG $2800
Mustang 3.7L, 6-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 19 28 22 MPG $2950
Mustang 5L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 18 25 20 MPG $3250
Mustang 5L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 17 26 20 MPG $3250
Mustang 5.4L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 23 18 MPG $4450
Mustang convertible 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 19 29 23 MPG $2800

Specs and fitment

5th generation (S197 facelift), 2010–2014
Body styles Coupe, Convertible
Oil 5W-20 (3.7L V6/5.0L GT); 5W-30 (4.0L V6, 2010); 5W-50 (Shelby GT500/Boss 302) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 225/60R17 (V6 base) to 255/40ZR19; Shelby GT500 255/45ZR18 front / 225/60R17 (V6 base) to 255/40ZR19; Shelby GT500 285/40ZR18 rear

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA investigation PE11-024 examined 364 reports of shift-quality problems in 2011-2012 Mustangs with the manual transmission, including higher shift effort in cold temperatures, a "clutch stay-out" delay above 4,000 rpm, and gradual loosening of clutch-plate bolts on some early-production cars; Ford addressed these with a lower-viscosity fluid (TSB 11-3-18), replacement clutch pedal parts (TSB 10-19-4), and a revised fastener implemented in production, and NHTSA closed the investigation without a recall, finding no indication of loss of motive power or unreasonable safety risk. Separately, NHTSA recall 16V-247 covered about 202,000 2011-2012 F-150 and 2012 Expedition, Mustang, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles for a 6R80 transmission output-speed-sensor lead-frame fault that could force an unintended downshift into first gear; Ford reprogrammed the powertrain control module and offered a free lead-frame replacement for up to 10 years/150,000 miles. This generation is also covered, together with the rest of the 2005-2014 Mustang range, by the Takata airbag inflator recalls — campaign 15S21 for the driver-side inflator and 19S01 for the passenger-side inflator — which replace the inflator to prevent a rupture in a crash. In an August 2024 supplement to 19S01, Ford escalated the passenger-side campaign to a DO NOT DRIVE advisory, stating that the age of these vehicles makes it increasingly possible that a part inside the airbag could rupture and send metal fragments into occupants during a crash, causing serious injury or death. It applies to any affected vehicle on which 19S01 has not been completed; check a VIN against NHTSA's recall lookup before driving one.

Compare

Next year 2013 Ford Mustang See every Ford Mustang model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Ford Mustang reliable?

Owners have filed 469 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Mustang over 15 years — 55 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Mustang years here — over the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Automatic transmission.

What are common problems with a 2012 Ford Mustang?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (177 of 469), then Air bags (158) and Speed control (35). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 23,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 4,161 and 56,000 miles. Those filings include 20 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, 9 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2012 Ford Mustang more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Mustang has 271 complaints, 18 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Ford Mustang been recalled?

The 2012 Ford Mustang has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Ford Mustang?

Owners have filed 469 complaints about the 2012 Ford Mustang with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Ford Mustang get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Ford Mustang is 21 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

Does the Ford Mustang have a towing capacity?

Ford's RV & Trailer Towing Guide rates the 2015-2023 (S550) Mustang at 1,000 lbs with an aftermarket hitch, and does not rate the GT350/GT350R to tow at all. Ford publishes no towing rating for the 2010-2014 or 2024-present Mustang.

What generation is my Ford Mustang?

2010-2014 is the facelifted S197 (5th generation), 2015-2023 is the S550 (6th generation, first with independent rear suspension), and 2024-present is the S650 (7th generation).