YearToAvoid

2012 Ford Mustang Airbags Problems

NHTSA lists 158 airbag complaints for the 2012 Ford Mustang, 34% of that year's 469 total complaints, tied to 9 crashes and 6 injuries. Four related recalls exist, including Takata inflator campaigns 15V319000, 17V024000, and 19V001000, several marked do-not-drive.

Airbags complaints
158
34% of 469
Crashes reported
9
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
6
Median mileage
38,923 mi
Related recalls
4

Typical airbag symptoms owners report

  • Owners report airbags failing to deploy during moderate-speed frontal or side-impact crashes.
  • Some owners describe airbags deploying but rupturing or exploding with force, causing burns or debris injury.
  • Multiple owners covered under Takata recall 15V319000 report long waits for replacement parts with no repair available.
  • Owners report continuing to drive vehicles under a do-not-drive Takata recall because no remedy parts were in stock.
  • One owner reports the vehicle lost traction and skidded into a guard rail at highway speed, after which the airbags deployed.

When 2012 Ford Mustang airbag complaints were filed

First complaint Nov 4, 2011, latest Apr 29, 2026.

2012 Ford Mustang airbags complaints: complaints filed per quarter322011 Q42015 Q42016 Q42017 Q42018 Q42020 Q12026 Q2
158 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2011 Q4 to 2026 Q2; peak 2016 Q2 (32).

Airbags recalls for the 2012 Ford Mustang

  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 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.

  4. NHTSA 15V319000May 28, 2015Airbags1,018,622 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2014 Mustang vehicles manufactured April 6, 2004, to June 21, 2014, and 2005-2006 GT vehicles manufactured February 20, 2004, to September 22, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with 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 front driver side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 10, 2016. Even if interim repairs were performed under safety recall 14V-802, owners must bring their vehicles in for the final remedy. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S21. Note: This recall supersedes safety recall 14V-802.

Airbags complaints by Mustang model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 2010178 (69%)
  2. 2011125 (27%)
  3. 2012158 (34%)
  4. 2013145 (54%)
  5. 2014245 (68%)
  6. 201523 (5%)
  7. 201615 (4%)
  8. 201710 (4%)
  9. 20182 (1%)
  10. 20191 (1%)
  11. 20208 (7%)
  12. 20212 (4%)
  13. 20221 (2%)
  14. 20231 (7%)
  15. 20246 (8%)
  16. 20250 (0%)

Frequently asked questions

How many airbag complaints does NHTSA have for the 2012 Ford Mustang?
NHTSA lists 158 airbag complaints for the 2012 Ford Mustang, which is 34% of the 469 total complaints filed for that model year.
Is there an airbag recall for the 2012 Ford Mustang?
Yes. Four recalls cover airbags on this model, including Takata inflator campaigns 15V319000 (2015), 17V024000 (2017), and 19V001000 (2019), plus 21V081000 (2021). Several of these are marked do-not-drive until repaired.
Did the 2012 Mustang airbag issue cause any injuries or crashes?
NHTSA records show 9 crashes and 6 injuries connected to airbag complaints for the 2012 Ford Mustang.
At what mileage did airbag problems typically occur on the 2012 Mustang?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this problem area is 38,922 miles.
How does the 2012 Mustang compare to other years for airbag complaints?
The 2012 Mustang's 34% complaint share is lower than 2010 (69%), 2013 (54%), and 2014 (68%), but higher than most years from 2015 onward, which fell to single digits.

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.