YearToAvoid

2011 Ford Mustang Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Avoid

Complaint Index

100/100

#1 most-complained of 16 Mustang years

The 2011 Ford Mustang has the highest complaint index (100) of the 16 model years tracked, ranking worst overall. Transmission & Powertrain issues make up 43% of its 466 complaints, and it carries 4 recalls, including 3 do-not-drive campaigns for airbags.

Complaints
466
Recalls
4
incl. Do Not Drive
Crashes / fires
20 / 1
Injuries / deaths
17 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
21
18.5 city / 27 hwy

Top 2011 Ford Mustang problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Transmission & Powertrain200 (43%)
  2. Airbags125 (27%)
  3. Engine81 (17%)
  4. Brakes28 (6%)
  5. Fuel System26 (6%)
  6. Steering25 (5%)
  7. Electrical System24 (5%)
  8. Structure & Body17 (4%)
  9. Other16 (3%)
  10. Suspension, Wheels & Tires7 (2%)

What owners report

  • Owners report sudden loss of traction control during hard acceleration, causing rear wheels to spin and the car to fishtail or spin out.
  • Some describe the throttle body sticking or failing, causing stalling or unintended acceleration that triggered a wrench warning light.
  • Steering assist has intermittently cut out or locked up while driving, forcing drivers off the road or into oncoming traffic.
  • Airbags have failed to deploy in low-speed and moderate-speed crashes, leading to head, neck, and back injuries.
  • A few owners note that narrow factory tires and wheels affected handling stability during sudden braking or lane changes.
2011 Ford Mustang complaints: complaints filed per quarter772010 Q42012 Q32014 Q22016 Q12017 Q42019 Q32021 Q32025 Q2
556 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2010 Q4 to 2026 Q2; peak 2011 Q3 (77).

2011 Ford Mustang recalls

4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

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

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    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 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 4 recalls for the 2011 Ford Mustang →

2011 Ford Mustang fuel economy and fuel cost

City
18.5 MPG
Highway
27 MPG
Combined
21 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,100
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.

2011 compared with other Mustang years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2010Caution672595 !19
2011Avoid1004664 !21
2012Avoid874696 !21
2013Caution532715 !21

All Ford Mustang years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2011 Ford Mustang reliable?
Among the 16 Mustang model years tracked, 2011 has the highest complaint index (100) and ranks worst overall, earning an Avoid verdict relative to other years.
What is the biggest problem with the 2011 Ford Mustang?
Transmission & Powertrain issues are the top problem area, accounting for 43% of the 466 complaints filed, with a median failure mileage of 4,900 miles.
Does the 2011 Ford Mustang have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2011 Ford Mustang, 3 of which are do-not-drive recalls, all related to airbags.
How does the 2011 Mustang compare to other years?
The 2011 model's complaint index of 100 is higher than every other year listed, including 2012 (87) and 2015 (93), making it the worst-ranked year in the dataset.
What is the fuel economy of the 2011 Ford Mustang?
EPA rates the 2011 Ford Mustang at 21 mpg combined (18.5 city / 27 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,100.

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.