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2016 Ford Mustang

Gas
Subcompact Cars
9 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
53 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA375
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA25 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Ford Mustang is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 9 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Mustang, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 375 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
MustangGasRWD2.3L 4-cyl turbo223125$2,500
MustangGasRWD2.3L 4-cyl turbo213125$2,500
Mustang ConvertibleGasRWD2.3L 4-cyl turbo202923$2,700
MustangGasRWD3.7L 6-cyl192722$2,850
MustangGasRWD3.7L 6-cyl172821$2,950
MustangGasRWD5.0L 8-cyl162519$3,300
MustangGasRWD5.0L 8-cyl152519$3,300
Mustang ConvertibleGasRWD5.0L 8-cyl152318$3,450
Shelby GT350 MustangGasRWD5.2L 8-cyl142116$4,850

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36877, 36878, 36879, 36881, 36880, 36882, 36884, 36883, 36885.

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Recalls (5)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Seat Belts

25S92
332,778 vehicles
ProblemFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. Water and road salt may corrode the front seat belt anchor pretensioner cables.RiskA corroded cable can break, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining an occupant, and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.FixDealers will inspect and replace both front seat belt anchor pretensioner assemblies, as necessary. In addition, dealers will remove sections of the carpet and underlayment that contact the cables. Dealers will also inspect the A-pillar sealing patches, and as necessary, install A-pillar body plugs, and/or inspect and replace the front outboard seat bolts. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 20, 2025. Additional lett
NHTSA campaign 25V614000reported Sep 12, 2025Ford Motor Company
▲high

Back Over Prevention

25S89
1,456,417 vehicles
ProblemFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.RiskA rearview camera that displays an inverted, distorted, or blank image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 202
NHTSA campaign 25V572000reported Sep 3, 2025Ford Motor Company
▲high

Back Over Prevention

22S06
330,784 vehicles
ProblemFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera wiring may be loose or damaged, which can result in a blank or distorted image.RiskA rearview camera that displays a blank or distorted image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will inspect and repair the decklid wiring harness and/or replace the rearview camera, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 23, 2022 and June 26, 2023. Remedy parts are expected to become available in the 4th Quarter of 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S06.
NHTSA campaign 22V082000reported Feb 16, 2022Ford Motor Company
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

16S40
6,582 vehicles
ProblemFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles manufactured February 24, 2015, to August 30, 2016. A hose may separate from the engine oil cooler tube assembly causing an oil leak.RiskA sudden loss of engine oil may cause engine failure, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, an oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.FixFord will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil cooler tube assembly, free of charge. The recall began on March 23, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S40.
NHTSA campaign 16V779000reported Oct 26, 2016Ford Motor Company
▲high

Seat Belts

15C13
1,900 vehicles
ProblemFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Mustang vehicles manufactured September 26, 2015, to October 1, 2015. The front and rear seat belts and child seat tether anchors may have been damaged in shipping from the supplier to the vehicle assembly plant and may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."RiskIf the restraint components do not function as intended, the occupants may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.FixFord will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front and rear seat belt assemblies and the child seat tether anchors, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C13.
NHTSA campaign 15V707000reported Oct 26, 2015Ford Motor Company

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
375complaints filed

13 involved a crash · 6 a fire · 11 injuries · 2 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 25 · 2017: 26 · 2018: 17 · 2019: 38 · 2020: 47 · 2021: 29 · 2022: 53 · 2023: 42 · 2024: 47 · 2025: 27 · 2026: 24

Most-cited components

Engine75
Electrical System72
Unspecified69
Back Over Prevention54
Power Train29
Structure29

What owners describe

“25 mph mild frontal collision caused a fire to start in the door panel as identified by the driver and the fire dept. The fire caused a majority of the cabin to burn and the vehicle to become a total loss in under a minute. Front airbags deployed but not side airbags. Electrical system in left door possibly malfunction…”Feb 15, 2022 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“Around September of 2021 the backup camera on my 2016 Ford Mustang convertible began to fail to show a viewable image. After visiting a dealer who wanted $500 to replace the camera, I watched this video from a Ford Master Mechanic to realize my problem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Onbo8PgrY). Upon examination, I …”Jan 27, 2022 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“Many times, the passenger door has unlocked and opened while the vehicle was in motion. The door ajar light will come on and it happens without warning at various speeds. I am the original owner and the car has approximately 28,000 miles.”Jan 19, 2022 · Structure · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
2 DR RWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★8%
C RWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★★8%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Compare the 2016 Mustang with

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Other Mustang model years

F

2026 Ford Mustang

5 recalls · 5 complaints

F

2025 Ford Mustang

6 recalls · 14 complaints

F

2024 Ford Mustang

12 recalls · 74 complaints

F

2023 Ford Mustang

6 recalls · 15 complaints

F

2022 Ford Mustang

9 recalls · 49 complaints

F

2021 Ford Mustang

6 recalls · 55 complaints

F

2020 Ford Mustang

8 recalls · 118 complaints

F

2019 Ford Mustang

6 recalls · 147 complaints

C

2018 Ford Mustang

3 recalls · 188 complaints

F

2017 Ford Mustang

6 recalls · 265 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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