Reliable Auto DB

2017 Ford Mustang reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2017 Ford Mustang has 265 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 14 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Mustang years here — under the median of the other years, which is 18. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Pretensioner, Camera, and Inflator.

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

265

Per year

14

Recalls

6

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Back-over prevention (64 of 265), then Structure (39) and Electrical system (34). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 40,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 20,000 and 63,125 miles. Those filings include 14 that report a crash, 8 that report a fire, and 9 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Mustang has 376 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2018 has 191 complaints, 18 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

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 2017 Ford Mustang. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

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 air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2017-08-28 · NHTSA campaign 17V529000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 F-150 and Mustang vehicles. The air bag inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may rupture in the event of a crash.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S26.
Vehicles affected 650
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2017-03-13 · NHTSA campaign 17V168000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Mustang vehicles. The return spring for the driver side interior door handle may come loose, allowing the driver's door to unlatch in a side impact crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver-side interior door handle and repair the return spring, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 17C04.
Vehicles affected 5,470
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

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

Complaints by component (265 total)

Back-over prevention
64
Structure
39
Electrical system
34
Latches, locks, and linkages
29
Engine
26
Powertrain
22
Seat belts
16
Steering
11
Air bags
10
Engine and engine cooling
8
Seats
7
Visibility and wipers
5
Wheels
5
Fuel and propulsion system
4
Hydraulic brakes
3
Service brakes
3
Speed control
3
Suspension
3
Visibility
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Tires
2
Equipment
1
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Show 17 more Show less
Crash-flagged

14

Fire-flagged

8

Injury reports

9

Death reports

0

Of the 144 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 40,000 miles. The middle half fall between 20,000 and 63,125 miles.

Complaints filed per year

4201682017162018132019282020352021432022422023252024302025212026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while reversing, the third brake light failed to function as intended. In addition, the rear-view camera flashed on and off. The contact replaced the third…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-08-31
  • "Was driving, all the sudden I heard a pop and a little bit of smoke and the smell of burning plastic came from under passenger seat. Pulled over, noticed it was coming from electrical harness under seat that controls…"
    Electrical system, Seats · filed 2026-07-24
  • "The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed smoke on the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the smoke became heavy on the…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-07-22
  • "Horn when first pushed does not work....Push it 3-4 times rapidly and it works fine...Intermittent....Yesterday a kid not paying attn pulled out in front of me on a bicycle....I hit the horn, horn did not work, came…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-07-15
  • "Our 2017 has had an ongoing problem through the years with the passenger door opening at speed. Sometimes going 70 mph on the interstate. Lately it has happened more and more. Yesterday, my wife called me at work, very…"
    Structure · filed 2026-07-10

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Ford Mustang 2 DR RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2017 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 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 30 24 MPG $2700
Mustang 5L, 8-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 15 24 18 MPG $3600
Mustang 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 21 30 24 MPG $2700
Mustang 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 27 21 MPG $3100
Mustang 3.7L, 6-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 18 27 21 MPG $3100
Mustang 5L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 25 18 MPG $3600
Mustang convertible 5L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 23 17 MPG $3800
Mustang convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $2800
Mustang convertible 5L, 8-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 15 23 18 MPG $3600
Mustang convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 21 27 23 MPG $2800
Mustang Performance Package 5L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 23 17 MPG $3800
Mustang Performance Package 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $2700
Mustang Performance Package 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $2800

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 2016 Ford Mustang Next year 2018 Ford Mustang See every Ford Mustang model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Ford Mustang reliable?

The 2017 Ford Mustang has 265 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 14 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Mustang years here — under the median of the other years, which is 18. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Pretensioner, Camera, and Inflator.

What are common problems with a 2017 Ford Mustang?

The complaints owners file most often name Back-over prevention (64 of 265), then Structure (39) and Electrical system (34). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 40,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 20,000 and 63,125 miles. Those filings include 14 that report a crash, 8 that report a fire, and 9 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Ford Mustang more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Mustang has 376 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2018 has 191 complaints, 18 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Ford Mustang been recalled?

The 2017 Ford Mustang has 6 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 2017 Ford Mustang?

Owners have filed 265 complaints about the 2017 Ford Mustang with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Ford Mustang get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Ford Mustang is 20.8 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).