FORD MUSTANG GT · model year

2004 FORD MUSTANG GT

21 NHTSA complaints, 6 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2004FORDMUSTANG GT carries 21 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 6 crashes, 0 fires, 3 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 2004 MUSTANG GT is unknown or other with 2 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (2) and engine and engine cooling (2). 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.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2004 MUSTANG GT, and 8 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.

21
Complaints
6
Crashes
0
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

21 filings

Crashes Reported

6 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL1
SEAT BELTS1
EQUIPMENT1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20170120SERVICE BRAKES

FRONT BRAKES DRAG OR FREEEZE UP CAUSING EXTREME HEAT OR ACTUALLY STOP VEHICLE. CAR HAS 18,000 MILES. FRONT CALIPERS HAVE BEEN REBUILT TWICE. FIRST FAILURE AT TEN YEARS,THEN FAILED AFTER APX 3 YEARS. THE PROBLEM IS THE PHENOLIC PISTONS SWELL AFTER TIME OR DUE TO LOSE OF LUBRICATION. THEY CHANGE DIMENSION AND STICK IN THE CALIPER. THIS IS THE 3 RD VEHICLE WITH THE SAME PROBEM. 81 FORD F150, 98 FORD F150 FRONT DISK BRAKES. BOTH AFTER THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN ON THE ROAD ABOUT 10 YEARS. WHEN PISTONS HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH METAL PISTONS I HAVE HAD NO MORE ISSUES WITH THE FRONT BRAKES. THE MUSTANG HAS NO METAL PISTON AVAILABLE AND HAD TO BE REBUILT WITH AFTER MARKET PHENOLIC PISTONS. THEY FAILED AGAIN PROBABLY BECAUSE OF LACK OF LUBRICATION OF BOOT AND PISTON. SOMEHOW I FEEL THIS IS A CHRONIC FAILURE AND HAPPENS A LOT WITHOUT ANYBODY BEING AWARE THAT TIME AND OR HEAT AFFECT THE PHENOLIC PISTON AND CAUSE BRAKE FAILURE.THIS FAILURE IS STRICTLY VEHICLE RELATED AND NOT DUE TO ANY EXTERN

Mileage: 15,000

20150531ENGINE

AFTER STARTING ENGINE, SPARK PLUG EJECTED FROM BLOCK AND EXPLODED. ENGINE WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN AND HAULED TO A REPAIR MECHANIC. COST OF REPAIR WAS $2,400 AND VEHICLE WAS IN SHOP FOR 5 DAYS. EXPLOSION WAS LOUD AND COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WITH THE SHOCK OF THE LOUD NOISE.

Mileage: 142,000

20120320FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

I STARTED THE CAR UP TO DRIVE OUT OF THE GROCERY PARKING LOT AND THE CAR WAS SPUTTERING. WHEN I PULLED ONTO THE MAIN HIGHWAY IT SPUTTERED AND COMPLETELY STOPPED RUNNING. I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE IT FAILED TO RESTART. *KB

Mileage: 46,699

20120320ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I STARTED THE CAR UP TO DRIVE OUT OF THE GROCERY PARKING LOT AND THE CAR WAS SPUTTERING. WHEN I PULLED ONTO THE MAIN HIGHWAY IT SPUTTERED AND COMPLETELY STOPPED RUNNING. I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE IT FAILED TO RESTART. *KB

Mileage: 46,699

20120320ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I STARTED THE CAR UP TO DRIVE OUT OF THE GROCERY PARKING LOT AND THE CAR WAS SPUTTERING. WHEN I PULLED ONTO THE MAIN HIGHWAY IT SPUTTERED AND COMPLETELY STOPPED RUNNING. I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE IT FAILED TO RESTART. *KB

Mileage: 46,699

20120314ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THE NUMBER FIVE SPARK PLUG KEEPS BLOWING OUT OF THE HEAD. THE CAR HAS MOTORCRAFT SPARK PLUGS AND ARE TORQUED TO THE FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS. WHILE LOOKING INTO THE PROBLEM ONLINE I FOUND OUT THAT IM NOT THE ONLY PERSON HAVING THIS PROBLEM. THE CRAZY THING IS THAT ITS IS ONLY HAPPENING WITH THE NUMBER FIVE PLUG. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

20110228SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

BRAKE LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT INTERMITTENT..THEN ON CONSTANTLY...HASN'T BEEN FIXED TOO EXPENSIVE...IN WET WEATHER, SLIPPERY, ICY WEATHER TIRES SPIN BECAUSE TRACTION CONTROL DOES NOT WORK...ABS CONTROL MODULE WENT BAD...THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BLOGS AND FORUMS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS PART...I WILL POST THIS WEBSITE WITH HOPES THEY ALL COMPLAIN! *TR

20100717ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE TOP OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WHEN DEPRESSED AND RELEASED RUBS THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE BRAKE SWITCH, NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH AND OTHERS SHORTING OUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND MAKING THE CRUISE CONTROL INOPERABLE. IT WORKS FOR A WHILE BUT THEN IT BLOWS THE FUSE AGAIN AND SOMEONE HAS TO STOP ME AND TELL ME MY BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ONE OF THE WIRES FOR THE BRAKE SWITCH WHICH IS IN THAT SAME WIRING HARNESS AND SAYS THE PROBLEM IS FIXED BUT SOONER OR LATER IT WILL RUB THE REST OF THE WIRES BARE TOO. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE BRAKE SWITCH A COUPLE TIMES BECAUSE WHEN IT SHORTS OUT IT MELTS IT IF THE FUSE DOESN'T BLOW RIGHT AWAY. I AM AFRAID ONE TIME SOMEONE WILL REAR END ME OR I WILL GET A TICKET. *TR

Mileage: 30,000

20100717EQUIPMENT

THE TOP OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WHEN DEPRESSED AND RELEASED RUBS THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE BRAKE SWITCH, NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH AND OTHERS SHORTING OUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND MAKING THE CRUISE CONTROL INOPERABLE. IT WORKS FOR A WHILE BUT THEN IT BLOWS THE FUSE AGAIN AND SOMEONE HAS TO STOP ME AND TELL ME MY BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ONE OF THE WIRES FOR THE BRAKE SWITCH WHICH IS IN THAT SAME WIRING HARNESS AND SAYS THE PROBLEM IS FIXED BUT SOONER OR LATER IT WILL RUB THE REST OF THE WIRES BARE TOO. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE BRAKE SWITCH A COUPLE TIMES BECAUSE WHEN IT SHORTS OUT IT MELTS IT IF THE FUSE DOESN'T BLOW RIGHT AWAY. I AM AFRAID ONE TIME SOMEONE WILL REAR END ME OR I WILL GET A TICKET. *TR

Mileage: 30,000

20100717EXTERIOR LIGHTING

THE TOP OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WHEN DEPRESSED AND RELEASED RUBS THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE BRAKE SWITCH, NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH AND OTHERS SHORTING OUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND MAKING THE CRUISE CONTROL INOPERABLE. IT WORKS FOR A WHILE BUT THEN IT BLOWS THE FUSE AGAIN AND SOMEONE HAS TO STOP ME AND TELL ME MY BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ONE OF THE WIRES FOR THE BRAKE SWITCH WHICH IS IN THAT SAME WIRING HARNESS AND SAYS THE PROBLEM IS FIXED BUT SOONER OR LATER IT WILL RUB THE REST OF THE WIRES BARE TOO. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE BRAKE SWITCH A COUPLE TIMES BECAUSE WHEN IT SHORTS OUT IT MELTS IT IF THE FUSE DOESN'T BLOW RIGHT AWAY. I AM AFRAID ONE TIME SOMEONE WILL REAR END ME OR I WILL GET A TICKET. *TR

Mileage: 30,000

20100717VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE TOP OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WHEN DEPRESSED AND RELEASED RUBS THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE BRAKE SWITCH, NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH AND OTHERS SHORTING OUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND MAKING THE CRUISE CONTROL INOPERABLE. IT WORKS FOR A WHILE BUT THEN IT BLOWS THE FUSE AGAIN AND SOMEONE HAS TO STOP ME AND TELL ME MY BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ONE OF THE WIRES FOR THE BRAKE SWITCH WHICH IS IN THAT SAME WIRING HARNESS AND SAYS THE PROBLEM IS FIXED BUT SOONER OR LATER IT WILL RUB THE REST OF THE WIRES BARE TOO. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE BRAKE SWITCH A COUPLE TIMES BECAUSE WHEN IT SHORTS OUT IT MELTS IT IF THE FUSE DOESN'T BLOW RIGHT AWAY. I AM AFRAID ONE TIME SOMEONE WILL REAR END ME OR I WILL GET A TICKET. *TR

Mileage: 30,000

20100716SEAT BELTS

PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT RETRACTOR COMPLETELY FAILED; MY PASSENGERS ARE NOT ABLE TO BUCKLE THEIR SEATBELT. *TR

20100315VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 MUSTANG GT. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH CAUSED THE FUSE FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO BURN OUT, WHICH MADE THE BRAKE LIGHTS INOPERABLE. THE FUSE WAS REPLACED CONTINUOUSLY AND IT CONTINUED TO FAIL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE WAS 26000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35000. UPDATED 06/03/10*BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORK, BUT NOT THE CRUISE CONTROL HAS STOPPED WORKING ALTOGETHER. UPDATED 06/10/10.*JB

Mileage: 26,000

20090419ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I OWN A 2004 MUSTANG WITH A 4.6 DOHC ENGINE. LAST NIGHT THE SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF THE HEAD. THE HEAD NOW NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED BY USING A HELICOIL OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THE FORD MODULAR ENGINES, CAUSED BY POOR DESIGN. AT LEAST 75% OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW WHO OWN FORDS WITH MODULAR ENGINES HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. *TR

Mileage: 95,000

20080229CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH AND HIT BLACK ICE AND LOST CONTROL. KNOCKED DOWN A 6*6 INCH SIGN POST . CONTACT POINT WAS RIGHT FRONT BUMPER. FRAME WAS BENT, MASSIVE FRONT END DAMAGE . CAR WAS WRITTEN OFF. NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. WHIPPING FORWARD ACTION CAUSED A BROKEN BACK. SINGLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT AND LONE OCCUPANT. *TR

Mileage: 89,000

20071223CrashUNKNOWN OR OTHER

I OWNED A 2004 MUSTANG, MACH I PKG, WITH A SHAKERHOOD/COBRA JET, POLICE INTERCEPTOR/ 5 SPEED: $40,000.00 VEHICLE. IT HYDROPLANED DURING A RAIN STORM HERE IN GEORGIA ON THE ABOVE DATE. IT CAUSED ME TO GO DOWN A 26 FOOT RAVEEN AND I HIT A SEWER CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO GO INTO A VERTICAL POSITION STRIKING A TREE. SEAT BELTS WERE WORN. I WAS NOT SPEEDING; THIS HAS BEEN PROVEN BY THE TOWING COMPANY. WHEN AIR BORN IF YOU TURN THE KEY THE LAST MPH WILL APPEAR. IT SHOWED 30MPH. BESIDES, I WAS IN 2ND OR 3RD GEAR WHICH RUNS MAX AT 30MPH/SPEED LIMIT POSTED 35MPH FOR THAT AREA. I REMEMBER THE (R) REAR OF MY VEHICLE SLIP/SWING TO THE (R) CAUSING ME TO GO OFF THE ROAD AND DOWN THIS RAVEEN. IT WAS TOTALED. I NOW SUFFER FROM MANY INJURIES; YET, THE MOST SERIOUS INJURY IS A BRAIN INJURY. MY BRAIN HAS SEPARATED FROM MY FRONTAL LOBE. I SPOKE TO MANY MUSTANG OWNERS AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT A MUSTANG OWNER HAS ENCOUNTERED HYDROPLANING AND BECOMING INVOLVED IN A SEVERE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT.

Mileage: 57,000

20070804CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

I WAS DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEED 68 MPH WHEN A CAR CROSSED THE MEDIAN 30 FEET IN FRONT OF ME AND I HAD A TOTAL LOSS HEAD ON COLLISION WITH NO AIR BAG..... IT FAILED TO OPEN ? *JB

Mileage: 50,000

20070620UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2004 FORD MUSTANG CUSTOMER BELIEVES THAT THE CAR IS A LEMON**CC THE CONSUMER PURCHASED A USED VEHICLE AND THE DEALERSHIP FAILED TO DISCLOSE TO HIM THAT THE VEHICLE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE HAD MAJOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. *JB

20060915CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

2004 FORD MUSTANG GT CONVERTIBLE. FRONT RIGHT BRAKE FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK AT 5:00 AM THE PAVEMENT WAS DAMP FROM RAIN I TRIED TO APPLY THE SERVICE BRAKES TO SLOW THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO EXITING FROM ONE FREEWAY TO THE OTHER. THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE FROM THE RIGHT FRONT AND A SCRAPING NOISE. I TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AGAIN AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. AS I WAS DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, I DOWN SHIFTED INTO THE NEXT LOWER GEAR WHERE THE REAR OF THE CAR SPIN OUT AND ACROSS 4 LANES OF THE FREEWAY I WAS TRYING TO ENTER AND INTO THE MEDIAN STRIP. AS AN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER I BEGAN THE INVESTIGATION AT THE SCENE. WHAT I FOUND WAS AS FOLLOWS: THE RETAINING BOLTS FOR THE BRAKE CALIPER FAILED CAUSING THE BRAKE CALIPER TO FALL OFF AND HANG BY THE FLEXIBLE BRAKE HOSE. ONCE THE BRAKE CALIPER WAS LOOSE, THE PISTONS WERE FORCED OUT OF THEIR BORE BY THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE THEREFORE CAUSING THE PEDDLE TO GO TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 24622 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND HAS NOT HAD BRAKE

Mileage: 24,622

20060915CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

2004 FORD MUSTANG GT CONVERTIBLE. FRONT RIGHT BRAKE FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK AT 5:00 AM THE PAVEMENT WAS DAMP FROM RAIN I TRIED TO APPLY THE SERVICE BRAKES TO SLOW THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO EXITING FROM ONE FREEWAY TO THE OTHER. THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE FROM THE RIGHT FRONT AND A SCRAPING NOISE. I TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AGAIN AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. AS I WAS DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, I DOWN SHIFTED INTO THE NEXT LOWER GEAR WHERE THE REAR OF THE CAR SPIN OUT AND ACROSS 4 LANES OF THE FREEWAY I WAS TRYING TO ENTER AND INTO THE MEDIAN STRIP. AS AN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER I BEGAN THE INVESTIGATION AT THE SCENE. WHAT I FOUND WAS AS FOLLOWS: THE RETAINING BOLTS FOR THE BRAKE CALIPER FAILED CAUSING THE BRAKE CALIPER TO FALL OFF AND HANG BY THE FLEXIBLE BRAKE HOSE. ONCE THE BRAKE CALIPER WAS LOOSE, THE PISTONS WERE FORCED OUT OF THEIR BORE BY THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE THEREFORE CAUSING THE PEDDLE TO GO TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 24622 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND HAS NOT HAD BRAKE

Mileage: 24,622

Compare 2004FORDMUSTANG GT to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2004 FORD MUSTANG GT have?
The 2004 FORD MUSTANG GT has 21 NHTSA complaints, 6 crashes, 0 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 FORD MUSTANG GT?
The most-complained component for the 2004 FORD MUSTANG GT is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2004 FORD MUSTANG GT 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.