Menu

2006 Ford MustangProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 424 owner complaints about the 2006 Ford Mustang, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 17V-024 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.

2006 Ford Mustang
39
CarFlaw IndexUse caution1.6× the Mustang median · #8 of 41 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 22%Owner complaints42432 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage71kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through September 11, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2006 Ford Mustang has problems

424 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags2289
Vehicle speed control357
Power train321
Electrical system312
Structure303
Fuel system, gasoline290
Engine and engine cooling161
Fuel/propulsion system130
Engine111
16 other systems7211

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

5 recalls

2006 Ford Mustang recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

33%repaired · 2022 Q4

Air bags: frontal

Recall 21V-081 · Feb 16, 2021 · 1,067 vehicles · 355 repaired

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

22%repaired · 2019 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 17V-024 · Jan 10, 2017 · 654,695 vehicles · 144,579 repaired

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

Problem, fix and repair progress →

24%repaired · 2019 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 16V-384 · May 31, 2016 · 1,892,343 vehicles · 462,303 repaired

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

Problem, fix and repair progress →

45%repaired · 2017 Q3

Driver side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 15V-319 · May 28, 2015 · 1,018,622 vehicles · 454,087 repaired

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall
–no report yet

Air bags: frontal

Recall 08V-082 · Feb 25, 2008 · 434,593 vehicles

Risk. DURING AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, IF A SMALL FEMALE IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IS NOT WEARING THE SAFETY BELT, AND HAS THE SEAT IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION,…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Mileage at failure

When do air bags problems start?

71kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 33 air bags complaints. 70% were reported before 100,000 miles.

Only 45% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
3under 30k miles23under 100k miles10100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2006 vs. every other Mustang year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Mustang median. How we score

'67'68'69'70'71'72'73'74'76'77'78'79'80'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2006 Ford Mustang safety ratings

2006 Ford Mustang 2-DR in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2006 Ford Mustang frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2006 Ford Mustang side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2006 Ford Mustang, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion AuditAQ10001 · closed Dec 28, 2015
    No recall
  2. Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA15001 · still open
    Led to recall 14V-668
  3. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 13V-172
In owners' words

What Mustang owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that she purchased a vehicle that was not working. The contact had the engine replaced by an independent mechanic. While starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number:…
Complaint 11662831 · May 23, 2025 · 230,272 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V001000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that several local dealers declined to perform the recall repair on the vehicle. The contact stated…
Complaint 11621809 · Oct 24, 2024
Did not sustain some sort of accident in order for me to notice thank God, I simply noticed thanks to multiple virtual methods which told me-considering how stupidly fast this car is and how important air bags are whe combined with that I thought id do this. Ford doesn't really care unless it can…
Complaint 11588232 · May 11, 2024

Own a 2006 Mustang?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.