FORD MUSTANG · model year

2008 FORD MUSTANG

382 NHTSA complaints, 32 crash reports, and 8 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008FORDMUSTANG carries 382 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 32 crashes, 0 fires, 22 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 MUSTANG is air bags with 235 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (18) and power train (17). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 8 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2008 MUSTANG, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

382
Complaints
32
Crashes
0
Fires
22
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

382 filings

Crashes Reported

32 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume, review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS235
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL18
POWER TRAIN17
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM14
STRUCTURE:BODY11
SERVICE BRAKES9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8
STEERING6
ENGINE6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM5
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC4
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE4
STRUCTURE4
TIRES4

Recalls (8)

16V38400031/05/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever register

15V31900028/05/2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2014 Mustang vehicles manufactured April 6, 2004, to June 21, 2014, and 2005-2006 GT vehicles manufactured February 20, 2004, to September 22, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be

08V08200025/02/2008

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

FORD IS RECALLING 434,593 MY 2008 MUSTANG VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH ONE OF THE NECK INJURY REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION," FOR AN UNBELTED 5TH PERCENTILE FEMALE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHILE IT IS IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITIO

21E01300016/02/2021

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also i

21V08100016/02/2021

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as

09E02500011/05/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

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

17V02400010/01/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marian

09E01200007/04/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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

Recent Complaints

20251219ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Battery goes dead when sitting for a week when not driven. When I charge the battery and hook up the terminals and turn on the ignition with key the radio comes on and I know it was shut off before shutting car down.I always shut off radio before shutting off the car.I have seen reports of shutting radio off first then car ignition.Any idea what to look for.

20250924ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

See attached document for complaint.

20250924ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

See attached document for complaint.

20250924ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:SUMP/TANK:DRAIN PLUG

See attached document for complaint.

20250701CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while the son was driving approximately 40 MPH and pressing the brake pedal to reduce speed, the engine began to rev and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The driver observed that the accelerator pedal had remained pressed toward the floorboard and reached down to manually lift the pedal to reduce the vehicle's speed. The vehicle then drove into an intersection and crashed into a second vehicle. During the crash, no injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact indicated that the vehicle was previously repaired after the same failure had occurred. No further information was available. The failure mileage was 95,000.

Mileage: 95,000

20231218SERVICE BRAKES

I have a 2008 Ford Mustang with a V-6 engine. Recently I had to jump start it twice in a week's time to get it started and decided to take it to my dealer to have the battery checked. On the way there, I had to stop for a line of line of traffic at a red light. The instant I applied the brakes the engine started racing. I stood on the brakes as hard as I could, but could not bring the car to a complete stop. I got it slowed down to about three MPH, steered it into a parking lot that was next to me, and shoved it into park. I was afraid to drive it, so I called AAA and had it towed to my dealer. I told them how the engine started to race when I applied the brakes, and that I couldn't bring the car to a complete stop. They wrote it up that the engine started running rough when I applied the brakes. That is not what I told them. They made no written reference to the unintended acceleration. This struck me as odd. Their analysis of the vehicle showed that the master cylinder and brake powe

20231218ENGINE

I have a 2008 Ford Mustang with a V-6 engine. Recently I had to jump start it twice in a week's time to get it started and decided to take it to my dealer to have the battery checked. On the way there, I had to stop for a line of line of traffic at a red light. The instant I applied the brakes the engine started racing. I stood on the brakes as hard as I could, but could not bring the car to a complete stop. I got it slowed down to about three MPH, steered it into a parking lot that was next to me, and shoved it into park. I was afraid to drive it, so I called AAA and had it towed to my dealer. I told them how the engine started to race when I applied the brakes, and that I couldn't bring the car to a complete stop. They wrote it up that the engine started running rough when I applied the brakes. That is not what I told them. They made no written reference to the unintended acceleration. This struck me as odd. Their analysis of the vehicle showed that the master cylinder and brake powe

20231218FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I have a 2008 Ford Mustang with a V-6 engine. Recently I had to jump start it twice in a week's time to get it started and decided to take it to my dealer to have the battery checked. On the way there, I had to stop for a line of line of traffic at a red light. The instant I applied the brakes the engine started racing. I stood on the brakes as hard as I could, but could not bring the car to a complete stop. I got it slowed down to about three MPH, steered it into a parking lot that was next to me, and shoved it into park. I was afraid to drive it, so I called AAA and had it towed to my dealer. I told them how the engine started to race when I applied the brakes, and that I couldn't bring the car to a complete stop. They wrote it up that the engine started running rough when I applied the brakes. That is not what I told them. They made no written reference to the unintended acceleration. This struck me as odd. Their analysis of the vehicle showed that the master cylinder and brake powe

20230505CrashEXTERIOR LIGHTING

The headlights on my 2008 Ford Mustang are dim at best. And it's hard to drive the vehicle at night due to the lighting. I've already had one accident where a deer ran in front of me and that was due to it being at night on a dark Road. I have tried to fix it but the mechanic says that it is the way the factory made it. I've already spent $2,300 on fixing the car once and would like to know if there's anything I can do as a safety feature

20230408CrashAIR BAGS

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 a higher terrain, until complete stop. My repaired airbags didn't deploy, and at that speed, my passenger side wheels were shattered, tires flat, face hit the steering wheel and windshield, my knees hit dashboard, arms bounced off off everything the seat belt couldn't protect me from. Because of airbag failure to deploy, I ended up with 2 fractures, T9 and L1, 6 lose teeth making front teeth unable to use, and 2 cervical discs pushing into spinal column. I have Medicaid for insurance, and they will not do the surgery on my neck, so I have permanent nerve damage to my arms and hands, and the rest of my life to avoid any falls, or sudden injury to these areas so I can exist as a cripple, all be

20230408CrashSERVICE BRAKES

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 a higher terrain, until complete stop. My repaired airbags didn't deploy, and at that speed, my passenger side wheels were shattered, tires flat, face hit the steering wheel and windshield, my knees hit dashboard, arms bounced off off everything the seat belt couldn't protect me from. Because of airbag failure to deploy, I ended up with 2 fractures, T9 and L1, 6 lose teeth making front teeth unable to use, and 2 cervical discs pushing into spinal column. I have Medicaid for insurance, and they will not do the surgery on my neck, so I have permanent nerve damage to my arms and hands, and the rest of my life to avoid any falls, or sudden injury to these areas so I can exist as a cripple, all be

20230408CrashWHEELS

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 a higher terrain, until complete stop. My repaired airbags didn't deploy, and at that speed, my passenger side wheels were shattered, tires flat, face hit the steering wheel and windshield, my knees hit dashboard, arms bounced off off everything the seat belt couldn't protect me from. Because of airbag failure to deploy, I ended up with 2 fractures, T9 and L1, 6 lose teeth making front teeth unable to use, and 2 cervical discs pushing into spinal column. I have Medicaid for insurance, and they will not do the surgery on my neck, so I have permanent nerve damage to my arms and hands, and the rest of my life to avoid any falls, or sudden injury to these areas so I can exist as a cripple, all be

20220714ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have had my car for about 3 years now and long story short one day my whole ignition switch feel out and what happens is it lock the steering wheel while driving which will cause an accident.

20220623ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When making a left turn the entire car turns off when using the car all day on hot days

20220623FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

When making a left turn the entire car turns off when using the car all day on hot days

20220623ENGINE

When making a left turn the entire car turns off when using the car all day on hot days

20211108STRUCTURE:BODY

Got rain for a couple days straight the seal in the window is faulty and all the rain got into my car and did something to my electrical wires.

20211108ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Got rain for a couple days straight the seal in the window is faulty and all the rain got into my car and did something to my electrical wires.

20210723POWER TRAIN

As I’m driving the wrench light comes on and keeps coming on after a couple minutes of driving the car and when I talk to everyone or even mustang forms they keep saying the car is going into limp mode and almost causing crashes, every time we scan for codes the car won’t tell us anything you turn the car off and the light goes away for awhile but eventually turns back on.

20210616ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Interior fuse box keeps getting water or moisture which causing lots of electrical shorts in the wiring system.

Compare 2008FORDMUSTANG to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 FORD MUSTANG have?
The 2008 FORD MUSTANG has 382 NHTSA complaints, 32 crashes, 0 fires, 22 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2008 FORD MUSTANG?
Yes, the 2008 FORD MUSTANG has 8 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 FORD MUSTANG?
The most-complained component for the 2008 FORD MUSTANG is AIR BAGS with 235 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2008 FORD MUSTANG safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.