AI Damage1998 Ford Mustang Convertible reliability: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 11
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 36% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 27% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 5 Seats 9% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 9% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 4 complaints (36% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 3 complaints (27% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (9% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 1 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I was traveling home from work and was just starting to brake to make a right turn into my crescent when the vehicle started accelerating uncontrollably. I drove up onto the curb and took out two sections of fence and turned my wheel hard to avoid hitting a parked car, the acceleration finally stopped when I cranked…
Dt*: the contact stated, the engine overheated due to cracks in the head gasket, causing the transmission to slip. There was an accident on 6/20/06 due to the transmission slippage. It was raining and the rate of speed was 30mph.
Dt: when making a right turn at a speed of about 20-25 mph the steering wheel kept turning but the wheels were not moving. This was the first time anything like this happened. This caused the consumer to hit a parked car. The car was extensively damaged, but has not been totaled by the insurance company.
The contact stated that the rear passenger seat belts malfunctioned and would not secure anyone sitting in the rear of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and advised that he would need to purchase replacement seat belts for the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
We were told that our car/engine will catch fire, if we do not replace these parts. This is my daughter who is in college's car. How can they have such a horrible design and if we replace the parts is this going to be repeated? The other issue is that there was no warning from an engine light or anything else.
Passenger and rear seat belts stopped working....cannot pull them out.
I have a 98 ford mustang gt. The car is covered in the class action suit, but I found out about it 3 months after it expiried. (ford vs. Chamberlin). It's a major problem in all cars between 96-99. I'm sure you have more information on it.
1. I was driving from san diego to fresno, on I-5. About 70 mph. I stretched, and leaned back into the seat, when the seat flipped backwards far enough to cause me to loose sight of the road. Fortunately, I was holding the steering wheel tightly enough to raise myself quickly and regain control of the vehicle. 2.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 9,867 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 31% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mustang Convertible has 15 complaints (9 years in the data). This year has 11, below average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, seat belts, fuel system. Total complaints: 11. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (27%), overheating, coolant loss (9%), smoke, burning smell, fire (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1998 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.