Reliable Auto DB

2016 Ford Mustang reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Ford Mustang holds 376 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 23 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 5 recalls on file, including Pretensioner, Camera, and Hoses and fittings.

2016 Ford Mustang coupe
Photo by © M 93, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Complaints

376

Per year

23

Recalls

5

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (75 of 376), then Electrical system (72) and Back-over prevention (52). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 35,300 miles, and the middle half falls between 13,650 and 63,325 miles. Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, 10 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Mustang has 436 complaints, 31 per year, and the 2017 has 265 complaints, 14 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 Ford Mustang. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2025-09-12 · NHTSA campaign 25V614000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. Water and road salt may corrode the front seat belt anchor pretensioner cables.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace both front seat belt anchor pretensioner assemblies, as necessary. In addition, dealers will remove sections of the carpet and underlayment that contact the cables. Dealers will also inspect the A-pillar sealing patches, and as necessary, install A-pillar body plugs, and/or inspect and replace the front outboard seat bolts. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 20, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S92. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov September 17, 2025.
Vehicles affected 332,778
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-09-04 · NHTSA campaign 25V572000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 2025.
Vehicles affected 1,456,417
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2022-02-16 · NHTSA campaign 22V082000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera wiring may be loose or damaged, which can result in a blank or distorted image.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and repair the decklid wiring harness and/or replace the rearview camera, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 23, 2022 and June 26, 2023. Remedy parts are expected to become available in the 4th Quarter of 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S06.
Vehicles affected 330,784
Recall engine and cooling, cooling system, hoses and fittings 2016-10-26 · NHTSA campaign 16V779000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles manufactured February 24, 2015, to August 30, 2016. A hose may separate from the engine oil cooler tube assembly causing an oil leak.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil cooler tube assembly, free of charge. The recall began on March 23, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S40.
Vehicles affected 6,582
Recall Seat belts 2015-10-26 · NHTSA campaign 15V707000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Mustang vehicles manufactured September 26, 2015, to October 1, 2015. The front and rear seat belts and child seat tether anchors may have been damaged in shipping from the supplier to the vehicle assembly plant and may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front and rear seat belt assemblies and the child seat tether anchors, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C13.
Vehicles affected 1,900

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

Complaints by component (376 total)

Engine
75
Electrical system
72
Back-over prevention
52
Powertrain
29
Structure
28
Latches, locks, and linkages
26
Fuel and propulsion system
20
Service brakes
17
Air bags
15
Steering
12
Seat belts
10
Seats
10
Speed control
10
Wheels
9
Engine and engine cooling
8
Suspension
8
Visibility and wipers
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
Visibility
4
Exterior lighting
3
Lane departure
3
Tires
2
Equipment
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

13

Fire-flagged

6

Injury reports

10

Death reports

1

Of the 204 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 35,300 miles. The middle half fall between 13,650 and 63,325 miles.

Complaints filed per year

252016262017172018382019472020292021532022422023472024272025252026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "On or about June 24, 2026, the CHECK ENGINE light came on. Since I was near the local Ford Dealership, I stopped there. The car was evaluated the next day. I was told the the gas tank assembly and pipe had to be…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-17
  • "When reaching 60+ mph the passenger door will unlatch and give me the open passenger door notification on the dash. It doesn’t shoot up, but rather barely comes open."
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-04
  • "Brought the car in for service. The tech called me back and said the engine was blown. Condensation in cylinder 3. This was due to the cylinder walls being engineered to small. Which caused a leak in the coolant jacket.…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-03
  • "See attached document for complaint"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-08-20
  • "This complaint is a formal notification of a Recall Remedy Failure regarding NHTSA Campaign 22V082000 / 25V572000 (Rearview Camera Wiring Harness / Camera Replacement). My vehicle was brought to an authorized Ford…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Ford Mustang 2 DR RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2016 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 5L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 25 19 MPG $3400
Mustang 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 31 25 MPG $2600
Mustang 5L, 8-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 16 25 19 MPG $3400
Mustang 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 22 31 25 MPG $2600
Mustang 3.7L, 6-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 17 28 21 MPG $3100
Mustang 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950
Mustang convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 20 29 23 MPG $2800
Mustang convertible 5L, 8-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 15 23 18 MPG $3600

Specs and fitment

6th generation (S550), 2015–2023
Body styles Coupe, Convertible
Oil 5W-20 (3.7L V6/5.0L GT); 5W-30 (2.3L EcoBoost); 5W-50 (GT350/GT350R/GT500) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 235/55R17 (EcoBoost/V6 base) to 305/30ZR20 (Shelby GT500) front / 235/55R17 (EcoBoost/V6 base) to 315/30ZR20 (Shelby GT500) rear
Towing capacity 1,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 22V-082 (Ford campaign 22S06) covers 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant between February 2014 and October 2017 for damage to the luggage-compartment-lid wiring harness in the area of the right-side hinge, causing intermittent rear-view-camera operation, loss of satellite-radio reception, an inoperative trunk lamp, or a trunk release that fails to work; some early 2015-model cars also had an internal camera circuit-board conductivity issue contributing to the same symptoms. Separately, NHTSA recall 16V-779 (Ford campaign 16S40) covered 2015-2017 Shelby GT350 and GT350R models specifically for an engine oil cooler tube assembly with insufficiently crimped hoses that could separate and leak oil, risking engine damage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Ford Mustang Next year 2017 Ford Mustang See every Ford Mustang model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Ford Mustang reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Ford Mustang holds 376 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 23 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 5 recalls on file, including Pretensioner, Camera, and Hoses and fittings.

What are common problems with a 2016 Ford Mustang?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (75 of 376), then Electrical system (72) and Back-over prevention (52). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 35,300 miles, and the middle half falls between 13,650 and 63,325 miles. Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, 10 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2016 Ford Mustang more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Mustang has 436 complaints, 31 per year, and the 2017 has 265 complaints, 14 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Ford Mustang been recalled?

The 2016 Ford Mustang has 5 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 2016 Ford Mustang?

Owners have filed 376 complaints about the 2016 Ford Mustang with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Ford Mustang get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Ford Mustang is 21.5 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).