2003 Ford Mustang

Family: Mustang · filed with NHTSA as MUSTANG, MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE, MUSTANG GT

Summary

In its first three years the 2003 Mustang drew 137 complaints — 1.1× the median of its generation (1999–2004). It does not stand out from the other years of this generation.
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Complaints are spread across systems: the largest, Engine, holds 29% of the 221 that name a component.
6 recalls filed for this model year.
3 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints: 231
Recalls: 6
Investigations: 3
NCAP overall: Not rated
Combined MPG: 17–21
Annual fuel cost: $2,950–$4,550
Median mileage at complaint: 13,980 mi (n = 159)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 22 / 4 / 16 / 0

What owners report

Engine

64 complaints · 29% of complaints that name a component · median 5,000 mi (n = 49)

Owner report THE EXHAUST PIPE BREAKS WHERE THE A/C WATER DRIPS. THIS IS DUE TO POOR DESIGN OF THE CAR. THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES IT BETTER. HTTPS://FORD.OEMDTC.COM/100/EXHAUST-LEAK-CRACKED-OR-SEPARATED-RIGHT-SIDE-EXHAUST-PIPE-1999-2004-FORD-MUSTANG

Owner report TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD MUSTANG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE SPARK PLUG WAS MISSING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHILE TIGHTENING BOLTS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THE VEHICLE EJECTED ANOTHER SPARK PLUG. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN …

Powertrain

31 complaints · 14% of complaints that name a component · median 6,000 mi (n = 24)

Owner report THE PUSH BUTTON ON THE HANDLE OF THE SHIFTER THAT YOU HAVE TO PRESS TO GET IT OUT OF PARK ON MY 2003 MUSTANG IS STICKING. IT'S AS THOUGH YOU TRY TO PUSH IT WHILE NOT STEPPING ON THE BRAKE BUT WE ARE STEPPING ON THE BRAKE. WE TRY JIGGLING AND PUSHING AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF FIGHTING WITH IT, IT STARTS WORKING FINE UN…

Owner report MY 03' MUSTANG SPIT THE SPARK PLUG OUT OF THE HEAD,AGAIN, TAKING ALL THE THREADS WITH IT. NOW IT IS UNABLE TO RUN DO THE FACT IT HAS A MISSING PLUG. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS IT IS OUT OF THEIR HANDS DO TO NOT BEING UNDER WARRANTY ANY LONGER. FORD MOTOR CO. SAID THEY WILL NOT FIX THE CAR,IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. SORRY THE SPAR…

Seat Belts

25 complaints · 11% of complaints that name a component · median 70,850 mi (n = 16)

Owner report The Belt Strap will get twists along the length. The Body Pillar clip refuses free movement. This is aggrevating for a Driver in the Seat. Driver in vain pushes Power Seat back to allow the Belt to clip into Latch at the Console. Reality. The car is 22-yrs old. Owner expects indifference by the local Ford shop. Both a …

Owner report TAKATA RECALL PASSENGER SEAT BELT LOCKED UP NOW DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT ACTING UP AND HARD TO RETRACT IN AND OUT AS WELL.

4% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (1999–2004)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 124.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
1999	272	146
2000	395	183
2001	249	111
2002	166	74	fewest complaints
2003	231	137
2004	130	79	fewest complaints

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

09E025000 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

Filed 2009-05-11 · 42,540 vehicles

Defect: DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Risk: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.

09E012000 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Filed 2009-04-07 · 16,270 vehicles

Defect: SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Risk: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

08E050000 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

Filed 2008-08-11 · 1,921 vehicles

Defect: K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."

Risk: WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.

06E056000 · FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Filed 2006-06-13 · 58,640 vehicles

Defect: CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE INTERFACE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSON MAKING THE CONNECTION MAY BELIEVE THAT THE QUICK CONNECTOR IS FULLY ATTACHED.

Risk: FAILURE OF THIS CONNECTION COULD LEAD TO FUEL SPILLAGE AND, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

Remedy: UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.

06E049000 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Filed 2006-05-24 · 27,176 vehicles

Defect: CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Risk: WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy: CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.

06V108000 · VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

Filed 2006-04-07 · 19,140 vehicles

Defect: ON CERTAIN MUSTANG COBRA PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR SURFACE OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY COME INTO CONTACT WITH FLOOR CARPETING DURING HEAVY THROTTLE APPLICATION. THE UNIQUE SURFACE PROFILE OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY CATCH IN THE CUTOUT ON THE FLOOR CARPETING BEHIND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL.

Risk: THIS COULD INTERFERE WITH THE PEDAL'S ABILITY TO RETURN TO AN IDLE POSITION. UNEXPECTED, CONTINUED THROTTLE APPLICATION AND/OR INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES MAY OCCUR WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SHIELD OVER THE CUTOUT IN THE CARPET BEHIND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 26, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
DP05005	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	2005-09-22	2006-01-04
EA05014	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL	2005-09-13	2006-04-10	06V108000
PE05038	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL	2005-07-07	2005-09-13

DP05005: SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

EA05014: ACCELERATOR PEDAL INTERFERENCE

PE05038: ACCELERATOR PEDAL INTERFERENCE

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Mustang	3.8L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Rear-Wheel Drive	17	25	20	$3100
Mustang	3.8L 6cyl	Manual 5-spd	Rear-Wheel Drive	17	27	21	$2950
Mustang	4.6L 8cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Rear-Wheel Drive	16	22	18	$3450
Mustang	4.6L 8cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Rear-Wheel Drive	16	21	18	$3450
Mustang	4.6L 8cyl	Manual 5-spd	Rear-Wheel Drive	16	23	19	$3300
Mustang	4.6L 8cyl	Manual 5-spd	Rear-Wheel Drive	15	23	18	$3450
Mustang	4.6L 8cyl	Manual 6-spd	Rear-Wheel Drive	15	21	17	$4550

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2003 Ford Mustang Convertible	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated
2003 Ford Mustang 2-DR.	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated

Service bulletins

Ford issued 59 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about engine and engine cooling.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2007-10-01	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	SOME 1997-2008 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, OR 6.8L 2V ENGINE--SPARK PLUG THREAD REPAIR PROCEDURE--NOT COVERED UNDER NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY. NJ THIS INCLUDES F-53 MOTORHOME CHASSIS. UPDATED 2/23/10. PE
2006-01-01	POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY	LIMITED SLIP AXLE CHATTER, SHUDDER, BINDING SENSATION, OR VIBRATION DURING LOW SPEED TURNING MANEUVERS. *TT
2006-01-01	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	ENGINE MISFIRE WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) PEWEE, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, P0306, P0307, P0308, AND P0316. *TT
2005-11-14	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	WDS COP KIT DIAGNOSTIC TIP - COIL ON PLUG (COP) IGNITION SYSTEMS - ENGINE MISFIRE OR ROUGH RUNNING. *TT
2005-06-07	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	SAFETY BELT RETRACTION SPEED. *TT
2005-02-21	SEAT BELTS	SAFETY BELT WEB STOP BUTTON SERVICE. *EH
2004-12-13	VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:REAR WINDOW	REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER GRID/INTEGRAL ANTENNA DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR - TERMINAL TAB REPAIR. *TT
2004-12-13	STEERING:RACK AND PINION	STEERING RACK NOISE. TT SQUEAK/CREAK NOISE FROM STEERING RACK WHEN TURNING. SC
2004-12-13	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)	GENERAL (PCM) POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE PROGRAMMING PROCEDURES. *TT
2004-11-01	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM	EXHAUST LEAK - CRACKED OR SEPARATED RIGHT SIDE EXHAUST PIPE - 3.8L AND 3.9L ENGINES. *TT

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Mustang, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Mustang model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.