Fuel Gauge was not working all the time and was diagnosed by Ford as the instrument cluster going bad. This car has been garaged all of its life and is low miles. I have never had a vehicle where the instrument cluster failed this early in its life. Ford wanted $1100 to fix. Based on my research, I can get the whole panel rebuilt for $100 and replace myself in about 30 min. time. Removal - Pop the instrument bezel loose, remove 4 screws, pull out cluster, unplug cable. Re-install, and reverse procedure. This is Ford highway robbery on a defective part that should not have failed. Based on the internet chatter, there appears to be a lot of problems with the instrument cluster.
My gauges started failing 1 at a time ,the last to go was the speedometer..Luckily the digital gas read out is still working . this is a real pain in the ass since I really don't have the time to fix this .I don't understand why FORD won't correct this .Time to buy a Dodge!
First, it was the tachometer that would not always zero when turning the car off. Then the speedometer, and finally all gauges have gone from unpredictable to not working at all. The only thing I've been able to count on until lately was the low gas light. Now that the BCM is on the fritz, who knows?
So I called Ford Customer Care, if you can call it that. They won't help, no surprise there. Found a company that fixes for $100 but still Ford should take care of this, it is their faulty shot. No recall without enough complaints about this issue. So damn unsafe to drive while having no working.
My Instrument Cluster in my 2005 Mustang is a piece of junk and FORD knows they are and won't get off their dead asses and have a RECALL to fix a problem that they know exists.
Update from Apr 16, 2018: to fix my car I contacted Tanin Auto Electronix and for less than $170.00 I got a instrument cluster with the new stepper motors and my mileage on it.
- Larry I.,
Canal Winchester, US
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All gauges randomly stop working. The worst is the gas gauge and the speedometer.
My car does not come with Tacometer so make even harder to track gas. Thank God the gas light shows when low gas before running out. Huge issue when living in Michigan in the winter time and being a woman, whom do not want to be stranded. Also huge issue when driving on the highway and reads your going zero, great way to get a ticket. The huge issue I have with Ford it that they know these issue exist with so so many complaints and does nothing to fix the issue and want the customer to pay for they poor design. Best believe this will be the last Ford I will purchase, now headed to purchase a Camaro.
First the temp gauge, then fuel, then the rest, with the speedometer last to give-up. Of course they started right after the warranty ran out. Found step motor fix online. Took me 8hrs remove replace and calibrate.
RPM, Speedometer and Gas Gauge don't work at all. Our daughter has no idea how fast she's going, has no idea how much gas she has until red light goes on.
Started with my Gas gauge, then to my RPM gauge, now over to my Temp gauge. hasn't affected my Speedometer yet. i have to keep up with my mileage to know how much gas i have, i've been doing this for well over a year now, so at least i know how many miles my car will go in town and over the road on a tank of gas. I am going to fix this as it is very irritating and i never know which gauge is reading correctly and which is not... and sometimes none of them are. Weather does seem to be a factor in this. I'll fix them cause it's a fairly easy and inexpensive fix and my ex is a mechanic. Still think this should have been addressed by Ford.
Update from Jul 1, 2013: I fix this problem with about $80.00 invested and about 2 hours total for take apart and put back together. not difficult at all.
Started out with the temp gauge going off the wall and car not over heating. Then the gas gauge stopped working properly. Now my speedometer ranges 45 mph sitting still and once you start going you are at 110 mph. This is a huge problem and a safety issue. I do not understand why ford has not issued a recall, but that does not surprise me. We are going to replace the stepper motor and see if that works.
Coolant temperature gauge started to show the car was hot one day so I replaced the thermostat. For a couple of months, it was fine. As soon as the weather turned cold again, the gauge started starting and stopping from a higher point every time I drove the car. Summer time the problem stops and the gauge is fine again. Just ordered new stepping motors and will be replacing soon. Tired of needle staying at the 9:00 position during the winter.
Update from Oct 10, 2011: EDIT: Last weekend, I replaced the bad temp gauge. It was much easier than previously thought. All you need to do is take out fuse 17 (SRS system fuse in the passenger kickpanel fuse box), pop off the plastic instrument panel cover, remove four bolts (7 mm) from the instrument panel, disconnect the quick connect cable, open instrument panel front and remove the pointer from the bad gauge; unsolder 4 solder joints from bad gauge, and solder new stepper motor (part 25.589) in. Took about 30 minutes. More detailed instructions (with pictures) are available on the web.
My 2005 Mustang Convertible has been a joy to drive and now has 112,000 miles with only minor brake work thus far. Over the past two years I have lived with the Fuel Gauge not working, and now the RPM's Gauge has broken as I continue to carry a One Gallon Fuel can in the back floor in case I run out.
It would be a wonderful fix if the fuel gauge and tach would work again. Going to have the recent air bag recall fixed this week and have asked Fordland in Maine to do a courtesy check on the Fuel & Tach situation. I have read way too many ideas on line to fix this if at all possible. I hope the dealer has a simple solution, but meantime I appeal to all other Mustang owners to share what their solution was. Thanks!
The temperature gauge went out last week, and today the speedometer went to crap too. One repair shop says the whole cluster will need to be ordered and replaced, and that will set me back $800. The next repair shop quoted $285+tax to remove, repair, and replace with no charges if it doesn't correct the problem. Then they will replace with a new cluster for @ $600+tax.
All of my gauges: fuel, temp, tachometer and speedometer - have either failed completely or did not read correctly. Some will say the the instrument cluster needs to be replaced, but I have found that all that really needs to be done is replace the 'stepper motors' on the circuit board of the instrument panel. Each motor costs around $8.00, but they need to be soldered in place.
The correct part number for the upgraded stepper motor is X25-589
Replacing the instrument cluster is an involved project because of the odometer and other electrical data issues.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Fuel Gauge was not working all the time and was diagnosed by Ford as the instrument cluster going bad. This car has been garaged all of its life and is low miles. I have never had a vehicle where the instrument cluster failed this early in its life. Ford wanted $1100 to fix. Based on my research, I can get the whole panel rebuilt for $100 and replace myself in about 30 min. time. Removal - Pop the instrument bezel loose, remove 4 screws, pull out cluster, unplug cable. Re-install, and reverse procedure. This is Ford highway robbery on a defective part that should not have failed. Based on the internet chatter, there appears to be a lot of problems with the instrument cluster.
- Terry Z., Amarillo, TX, US