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2008 Ford MustangProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 347 owner complaints about the 2008 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.

2008 Ford Mustang
43
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.3× the Mustang median · #12 of 41 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 22%Owner complaints34732 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage40kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through May 11, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2008 Ford Mustang has problems

347 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 bags24011
Power train303
Vehicle speed control196
Electrical system150
Structure150
Service brakes94
Steering61
Engine60
Seat belts62
12 other systems276

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

5 recalls

2008 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?

40kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 50 air bags complaints. 86% were reported before 100,000 miles.

Only 41% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
22under 30k miles43under 100k miles7100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2008 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

2008 Ford Mustang safety ratings

2008 Ford Mustang 2-DR Convertible w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2008 Ford Mustang frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2008 Ford Mustang side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2008 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. TIRE VALVE CRACKINGPE08060 · closed Apr 9, 2009
    No recall
  4. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 14E-073
In owners' words

What Mustang owners report

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

Driving approximately 20 mph, on a smooth road, in a retirement community, the drivers seat airbag explosively inflated without warning. The seatbelts are locked and unusable, the seat bolster is shredded, the driver door panel is disconnected as is the exterior rocker cover. I am afraid to drive…
Complaint 11737021 · May 11, 2026
Accident after side swiping cattle guard, flew off the road at 70mph, landing roughly, and bouncing off desert terrain, trying to control crash outcome, realign no brakes, and no way to slow down vehicle, except no acceleration, and turned away from homes and power poles, to eventually slam into a…
Complaint 11516102 · Apr 8, 2023
I'VE TRIED NUMEROUS TIME TO MAKE APPOINTMENT TO GET THE FIXED NO CALL BACK AND PUT ON HOLD EVERY TIME I NOTIFIED MY LOVE ONES AND LAWYER TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME OR ANYONE IN MY VEHICLE FOR YEARS THIS HAS GONE ON IT'S SAD TO GO THROUGH THIS WITH NOTHING DONE. A CIVIL…
Complaint 11308017 · Feb 9, 2020

Own a 2008 Mustang?

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