YearToAvoid

2005 Ford Mustang Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Avoid The 2005 Ford Mustang ranks 4th worst out of 21 model years, with a complaint index of 85 and 705 complaints logged. It carries 5 recalls, 3 of them do-not-drive Takata airbag campaigns, making it a year to avoid relative to other Mustang years.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
85/100
#4 of 21 Mustang years
Verdict
Avoid
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
705
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
5
3 Do Not Drive
Crashes
31
reported in complaints
Fires
7
Injuries
27
Top issue
Airbags
Best nearby year
2019
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
18.5
16.5 city / 23 hwy
Injuries / deaths
27 / 0

Top 2005 Ford Mustang problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags235 (33%)
  2. Electrical System229 (32%)
  3. Fuel System100 (14%)
  4. Engine92 (13%)
  5. Structure & Body64 (9%)
  6. Brakes37 (5%)
  7. Other36 (5%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires26 (4%)
  9. Transmission & Powertrain25 (4%)
  10. Steering8 (1%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Driver or passenger airbags failed to deploy in frontal or rear-end crashes, sometimes with smoke coming from the airbag module.
  • Sudden unintended acceleration was reported while parking or backing into a garage, with the vehicle surging despite brake pedal pressure.
  • Engine revved and bucked on its own at low speed in parking lots, pushing the car into objects ahead.
  • Antilock brakes reportedly locked up at 40 mph, causing loss of control and a secondary crash.
  • An electrical fault triggered an overheating oil temperature reading and visible smoke while driving at highway speed.
2005 Ford Mustang complaints: complaints filed per quarter532005 Q12007 Q22009 Q32011 Q42014 Q12016 Q22018 Q32022 Q4
705 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2005 Q1 to 2025 Q3; peak 2017 Q4 (53).

2005 Ford Mustang recalls

5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 21V081000Feb 16, 2021Airbags1,067 vehicles

    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. 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.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    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.

  2. NHTSA 17V024000Jan 10, 2017Airbags654,695 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    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.

  3. NHTSA 16V384000May 31, 2016Airbags1,892,343 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    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, 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 model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang 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." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    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. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. 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.

See all 5 recalls for the 2005 Ford Mustang →

2005 Ford Mustang fuel economy and fuel cost

City
16.5 MPG
Highway
23 MPG
Combined
18.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,500
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2005 compared with other Mustang years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2005Avoid857055 !18.5
2006Caution554245 !18.5
2007Avoid1006155 !18

All Ford Mustang years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2005 Ford Mustang reliable?
Compared to other Mustang model years, the 2005 ranks poorly. It has a complaint index of 85, the 4th highest among 21 years of data, and carries an Avoid verdict.
What problems does the 2005 Ford Mustang have?
Airbags are the top complaint area, making up 33% of the 705 complaints, followed by the electrical system at 32% and the fuel system at 14%. Median mileage at failure across all issues is 50,000.
Does the 2005 Ford Mustang have a recall?
NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2005 Ford Mustang, and 3 of them are do-not-drive recalls tied to defective Takata airbag inflators.
How does the 2005 Mustang compare to other years?
Its complaint index of 85 is higher than most other years; only the 2007 Mustang, with an index of 100, ranks worse. Later years like 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 earn Best verdicts with much lower indexes.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.