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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,769 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Ford Mustang engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Ford Mustang Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #30

Jul 232021

Mustang

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

car stopped accelerating twice on my mustang 7/23/21.first time on the way to work in traffic and then again when I was going to lunch around 11:30.

- Eddy, TX, USA

problem #29

Dec 102019

Mustang

  • 67,000 miles
Air bag recall and iam having a code for electronic throttle body control issues that should be a recall from what I heard but my local Ford dealer said it wasnt.

- Paducah, KY, USA

problem #28

Jul 062018

Mustang

  • 54,000 miles
While driving, at any spreed, without warning, the engine will just stop driving. The wrench light comes on, and you have to be lucky to not have traffic, as you have to pull over, turn off ignition, and restart. Check engine light illuminates. Code: P2111. This happened yesterday, and several times in the past 2 years.

- Enon, OH, USA

problem #27

Jun 122017

Mustang

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hola el problema comenz 2 meses despus de haberlo adquirido cuando lo enscendia despus de minutos empezaba a temblar cascabelear como si SE ahogara Y SE kisiera apagar le prendi luz del check engine repentinamente Y lo lleve al dealer donde lo adquir Y dinero todo ests bien no tena problemas al paso del tiempo regreso el problema paso lo mismo ahora cuando llenaba el taque de combustible Y era ms notorio cmo temblaba Y al momento de acelerar perda potencia hasta el punto que prendi check engine Y tuve ke replazar la vlvula de purga del canister 3 veces hasta el dia de hoy obiamente el scaner marcaba la falla en la vlvula mencionada...

- Paso Robles, CA, USA

problem #26

Oct 232017

Mustang

  • miles
I bought this 2012 Mustang from carmax in October of 2017 I have reported carmax to several different consumer protection agencies do to the fact they have committed fraud and deception inspire I got in touch with carmax explained that this vehicle has cosmetic and mechanical problems and issues this finance company is in with carmax I explain to carmax nothing they don't care I got sold a vehicle that has a thirty warranty from car max to fix it and correct what's on documentation nothing was done and I reported to they didn't care because carmax sold me a car that has over 10,000 dollars worth of issues and problems which I got told by several people that worked for carmax that these cars are reconditioned vehicles and I need to hire an attorney and take this to court this is covering up problems and this has to do with carmax vehicles and I am not going to pay all that money to fix this car when this is dealer fraud and the finance company when I ask them like they're covering up issues because they work with carmax, carmax and exeter needs to be investigated this is also false advertising they had a 5 day money back guarantee they actually told me that I will not get my money back and will not honor the thirty day warranty I will not make no payments on this vehicle period I turned this is over to channel 5 I will file ftc complaint, BBB, this is fraud and deception negligence, either they send me the title or cancel this contract to the full extent I will sue carmax I have a lawyer lookin into this but I want the attorney general to investigate I'm not the only one being done like this I will consider the title because this vehicle was sold unsafe they had let drive home I almost got into a wreck brakes are bad and rotors the breaking system, there is also stop leak in the my coolant reservoir that looks like they are tying to cover up a problem the brakes are bad

- Hiram, GA, USA

problem #25

Jun 272016

Mustang

  • 39,198 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. While driving approximately 60 mph, the wrench warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle lost acceleration. The contact pulled the vehicle off the road and turned off the engine. Once restarted, the vehicle performed normally. The failure recurred. The dealer diagnosed that the throttle body failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 39,198.

- Rosharon, TX, USA

problem #24

Sep 012016

Mustang

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. While driving various speeds, the wrench sensor and check engine sensor indicators suddenly illuminated. The vehicle also failed to accelerate normally. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #23

Sep 162016

Mustang

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power and the maintenance warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic throttle body was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Roseville, CA, USA

problem #22

Jul 012016

Mustang

  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the vehicle randomly stalled without warning. The contact was able to get the vehicle to restart, but it stalled more than three times afterwards. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.

- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

problem #21

May 032016

Mustang

  • 69,000 miles
While driving car suddenly loses power and shows wrench light and goes into limp mode. Trouble codes shown P2111 and P2112. This can happen any time during driving and has happened in heavy traffic potentially dangerous consequences.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #20

Apr 262016

Mustang

  • 18,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

During initial acceleration after a left turn, shifting from 1st into 2nd gear, the vehicle shook wildly and violently rocked side to side and lost power. This was the second identical occurrence on city streets while accelerating out of left turns. On both occasions, had to make immediate moves to the right lane before power was restored. Based on other reporting and research, it appears to be an issue of throttle body failure. The vehicle has 18,500 miles and has a mt-82 transmission.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #19

May 092015

Mustang

  • miles
Was driving around 50mph on city streets when all of a sudden car lost power and went limp. Wrench light came on and car was making a weird noise under the hood like it was struggling. Couldn't accelerate and I had to coast to the right hand side of the road. Turned the car off and then back on and everything was okay. This has happened 3 times since within a 8 month time period driving at various speeds. Each time I turn the car on & off again and it seems to reset. I've noticed my car hasn't been getting the same city mpg as before. Ive only had this car 2 years, I'm the second owner and this started at roughly 62,000 miles.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #18

Oct 222015

Mustang

  • 18 miles
Wrench light comes on, followed by check engine light. Car goes into fail safe mode, down to about 2 mph; rpms fluctuate dramatically. Happens on the highway, and during normal street driving. Seems to be in the throttle, the same thing as in the recalled Ford Focus throttle plate actuator.

- Metairie, LA, USA

problem #17

Oct 072015

Mustang

  • 56,000 miles
I was driving in the expressway at 60 mph when suddenly my car lost power on the acceleration. A wrench tool appear and the dashboard on the RPM clock... at that moment the car desaccelerate almost to 30 mph and I was unable to gain speed. I went to a side of the road, turn it off and restarted the car. Everything appear to be normal but the first thing I did was go to the dealer. They run a test on it and told me that the problem was related to the electeic throttle body. I dont understand how is possible to happend something like that when my car barely has 4 years. There is no warranty on ot and the repair for it is really expensive.

- Miami Lakes, FL, USA

problem #16

Jul 282015

Mustang

  • 61,453 miles
Failure of the throttle body assembly. The vehicle went into the "limp home mode" similar to the recall of Ford escapes and others with same V-6 engine assembly.

- Gulf Breeze, FL, USA

problem #15

Jul 202015

Mustang

  • 60,000 miles
While entering the freeway in rush hour traffic, my car went into "limp mode", the wrench light came on as did the check engine light. I had to pull over on the shoulder of the freeway, turn the engine off and restart it. This has happened a couple of times in the past couple of days- mostly while driving on the freeway. It is very scary to be driving on a houston freeway, have this happen and need to safely maneuver a vehicle to the shoulder of the freeway, often crossing several lanes of traffic when vehicles are moving at 40-55 mph and I have no ability to accelerate. I have also had to stop in the middle of the freeway to restart my car because I was not able to safely change lanes. It was a terrifying experience and I was afraid I would be re-ended by motorist driving at posted speeds. When researching this issue, along with the mariner's, escapes, Focus etc, I have found that many Ford Mustangs have this same problem. Given that this is a very dangerous condition, the cost involved in replacing the throttle body, and most importantly, Ford's long history of vehicles with defective throttle bodies, I do not understand why the 2012 Mustang or any other Ford product with this issue are not automatically eligible for the "customer satisfaction program" which fixes the problem. I do not trust this car and no longer feel safe in it.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #14

May 052015

Mustang

  • 29,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed the electronic throttle body needed to be replaced. The repair was made to the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000.

- Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #13

May 132015

Mustang

  • 75,000 miles
While merging on a local highway at 15 mph the wrench warning light came and the car went into limp mode. I was lucky the right hand lane had break in traffic and I was able to get off the road. The limp turned in no acceleration and was unresponsive to the gas pedal. I turned the car off and waited 1 minute and restarted the car - everything was back to normal. I drove directly to my mechanic and had him scan for codes. No codes were found. He ran numerous other checks and drove the car for 60 miles with no problems. This is the second time the wrench warning light has come on in the last 3 weeks. The first time nothing happened as the car did not go into limp mode. The car was scanned then also with no codes showing. I was fortunate not to have been hit.

- Spring Branch , TX, USA

problem #12

Dec 202014

Mustang 6-cyl

  • 60,300 miles
Driving down the highway full speed in heavy traffic, and engine just shuts down. Wrench light and check engine light come on. Have to coast through traffic to pull off to the side of the road and stop. Restart the car a couple of times, and then it's fine. Took to Ford dealer, who said I had a bad throttle body. Charged over $800 to repair. Completely losing power while driving down the highway is definitely a safety issue! Ford has agreed to fix defective throttle bodies on other models, but not the Mustang. This really looks like the same problem, and should be addressed by Ford.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #11

Nov 012014

Mustang 6-cyl

  • 64,700 miles
While my son was driving on the freeway, the vehicle suddenly decelerated, down to about 20 mph, forcing him to limp to the side of the freeway, where there was no shoulder. After turning the vehicle off, letting it sit for a minute, and turning it back on, it accelerated fine. I took it to the Ford dealership, where it was diagnosed as a faulty throttle body and motor assembly. It cost $683.32 to repair. I googled the problem and found that many Ford models have had this problem, but the Mustang has no extended warranty for this same problem like the Fusion and a few other models do. This was terribly dangerous. My son could have been killed.

- Magnolia, TX, USA

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