Reliable Auto DB

2021 Ford Mustang reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Mustang over 6 years — 7 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 Body control module, Fuel pump, and Back-over prevention, software.

2018 Ford Mustang GT coupe
Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

55

Per year

7

Recalls

6

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Fuel system, gasoline (10 of 55), then Powertrain (9) and Engine (8). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 5,465 miles, and the middle half falls between 3,675 and 38,600 miles. Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Mustang has 120 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2022 has 49 complaints, 7 per year. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2022.

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 2021 Ford Mustang. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall electrical system, body control module 2025-10-10 · NHTSA campaign 25V689000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Mustang vehicles repaired incorrectly under recall number 23V727. The brake fluid level sensor may not activate the visual warning indicator when the brake fluid is low. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C55. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 17, 2025.
Vehicles affected 2,101
Recall Fuel pump 2025-07-07 · NHTSA campaign 25V455000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco, Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, 2021-2022 Lincoln Navigator, Mustang, F-150, and 2022 Expedition vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump may fail, which can result in an engine stall while driving.
Remedy Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump on super duty vehicles and update the powertrain control module (PCM) software on all other affected vehicles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S75.
Vehicles affected 850,318
Recall back-over prevention, software 2025-06-27 · NHTSA campaign 25V442000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Remedy Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
Vehicles affected 200,237
Recall electrical system, body control module 2023-10-27 · NHTSA campaign 23V727000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Mustang vehicles. The brake fluid level sensor may not activate the visual warning indicator when the brake fluid is low. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C35.
Vehicles affected 187,922
Recall air bags, knee bolster 2022-02-16 · NHTSA campaign 22V083000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Mustang vehicles. An insufficient weld on the front passenger knee air bag may result in an improper air bag deployment.
Remedy Dealers will replace the front passenger knee air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 8, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S07.
Vehicles affected 327
Recall air bags, side and window, curtain 2021-12-16 · NHTSA campaign 21V980000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Mustang vehicles. The side curtain air bag inflators may have been manufactured with the incorrect amount of compressed gas, which can result in improper air bag inflation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 226, "Ejection Mitigation," and 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Remedy Dealers will replace the side curtain air bags, free of charge. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on February 3, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 22, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C37.
Vehicles affected 93

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

Complaints by component (55 total)

Fuel system, gasoline
10
Powertrain
9
Engine
8
Electrical system
6
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Back-over prevention
4
Hydraulic brakes
3
Suspension
3
Air bags
2
Engine and engine cooling
2
Service brakes
2
Visibility
2
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seat belts
1
Speed control
1
Steering
1
Structure
1
Wheels
1
Show 10 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Of the 20 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 5,465 miles. The middle half fall between 3,675 and 38,600 miles.

Complaints filed per year

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Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My vehicle, VIN [XXX], is subject to NHTSA Recall 25V455 (Ford Recall 25S75) involving a defective low-pressure fuel pump that may cause engine hesitation, loss of power, or engine stalling. This recall was announced in…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-06-22
  • "Driver door opened to secondary latch position while driving on the highway at 70mph on 5/16/2026. The warning system came on and driver had to navigate holding the door and stopping safely during high speed traffic to…"
    Structure · filed 2026-05-17
  • "The backup camera goes blank and says to contact Ford"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-05-02
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle shuddered while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that there was a banging sound coming…"
    Fuel system, gasoline · filed 2026-04-07
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started losing automotive power. The vehicle had stalled several times. The vehicle was able to restart, and the…"
    Fuel system, gasoline · filed 2026-03-25

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 Ford Mustang 2 DR RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2021 Ford Mustang C RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 5 stars
2021 Ford Mustang GT500 2 DR RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 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 24 18 MPG $3600
Mustang 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 21 29 24 MPG $2700
Mustang 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic 10-speed Rear-wheel drive 21 32 25 MPG $2600
Mustang 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 32 25 MPG $2600
Mustang 5L, 8-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 15 24 19 MPG $3400
Mustang convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic 10-speed Rear-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $2800
Mustang convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Mustang convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $2800
Mustang convertible 5L, 8-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 15 23 18 MPG $3600
Mustang HO convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 19 25 21 MPG $3100
Mustang HO convertible 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 19 26 22 MPG $2950
Mustang HO Coupe 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Mustang HO Coupe 2.3L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 20 27 22 MPG $2950
Mustang Mach 1 5L, 8-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 15 23 18 MPG $3600
Mustang Mach 1 5L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 22 17 MPG $3800

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 2020 Ford Mustang Next year 2022 Ford Mustang See every Ford Mustang model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Ford Mustang reliable?

Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Mustang over 6 years — 7 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 Body control module, Fuel pump, and Back-over prevention, software.

What are common problems with a 2021 Ford Mustang?

The complaints owners file most often name Fuel system, gasoline (10 of 55), then Powertrain (9) and Engine (8). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 5,465 miles, and the middle half falls between 3,675 and 38,600 miles. Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 Ford Mustang more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Mustang has 120 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2022 has 49 complaints, 7 per year. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2022.

Has the 2021 Ford Mustang been recalled?

The 2021 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 2021 Ford Mustang?

Owners have filed 55 complaints about the 2021 Ford Mustang with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Ford Mustang get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Ford Mustang is 21.4 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).