YearToAvoid

2010 Ford Mustang Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Caution The 2010 Ford Mustang has a Complaint Index of 65 and ranks 8th worst out of 21 model years, earning a Caution verdict. Airbags dominate complaints at 69% of the 261 filed, with 5 recall campaigns including 4 do-not-drive airbag recalls.

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

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
65/100
#8 of 21 Mustang years
Verdict
Caution
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
261
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
5
4 Do Not Drive
Crashes
13
reported in complaints
Fires
2
Injuries
11
Top issue
Airbags
Best nearby year
2019
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
19
16 city / 24 hwy
Injuries / deaths
11 / 2

Top 2010 Ford Mustang problems

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

  1. Airbags179 (69%)
  2. Engine22 (8%)
  3. Structure & Body18 (7%)
  4. Electrical System14 (5%)
  5. Transmission & Powertrain13 (5%)
  6. Brakes11 (4%)
  7. Other11 (4%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires10 (4%)
  9. Fuel System7 (3%)
  10. Steering3 (1%)

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

What owners report

  • Airbags fail to deploy during moderate-speed frontal or side collisions, sometimes leading to head injuries.
  • Airbags deploy unexpectedly or explosively during unrelated crashes, with owners reporting facial injury risk.
  • Engine surges or lunges forward unexpectedly at low speed even with the brake pedal applied.
  • Vehicle stalls or shuts off while idling or in traffic due to electrical or PCM issues, requiring a restart.
  • Parking brake fails to hold the vehicle on an incline, allowing it to roll into other vehicles.
  • Vehicle rolls forward unexpectedly while in park, in one case striking another vehicle.
2010 Ford Mustang complaints: complaints filed per quarter412009 Q32011 Q12013 Q22015 Q12016 Q32018 Q12019 Q32022 Q1
261 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2009 Q3 to 2026 Q3; peak 2017 Q4 (41).

2010 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 19V001000Jan 7, 2019Airbags782,384 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other 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. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.

  3. NHTSA 18V046000Jan 11, 2018Airbags327,796 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 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 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles 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 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles 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 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.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other 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. 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 2010 Ford Mustang →

2010 Ford Mustang fuel economy and fuel cost

City
16 MPG
Highway
24 MPG
Combined
19 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,400
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.

2010 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
2008Caution603475 !18
2009Caution501815 !18
2010Caution652615 !19
2011Avoid954664 !21
2012Avoid804696 !21

All Ford Mustang years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 Ford Mustang reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2010 Mustang has a Complaint Index of 65, ranking 8th worst among 21 model years, which earns it a Caution verdict relative to other Mustang years.
What is the main problem with the 2010 Ford Mustang?
Airbags are the top problem area, accounting for 179 of 261 complaints (69%), including cases of non-deployment and unexpected deployment, with a median failure mileage of 43,000.
Does the 2010 Ford Mustang have an airbag recall?
Yes. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2010 Mustang, all related to airbags, and 4 of them are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2010 Mustang compare to other Mustang years?
With a Complaint Index of 65, the 2010 model is worse than years like 2019 (20) and 2023 (0), but better than 2007 (100) and 2005 (85), which rank as Avoid years.
What is the fuel economy of the 2010 Ford Mustang?
The EPA rates the 2010 Mustang at 19 mpg combined (16 city / 24 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,400.

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.