AI Damage1997 Ford Mustang GT reliability: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Ford Mustang GT filed 23 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 23
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 70% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel system 4% of all complaints
- 4 Parking brake 4% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 4% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 4% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 4% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 16 complaints (70% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (9% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (4% of all).
- Parking brake: 1 complaints (4% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (4% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 23 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 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
My emergency brake fails when enganged and the brakes are properly adjusted.the e-brake pops loose causing the car to roll even in 1st gear.I have been ran over by the failure and the car was sold to me by duval ford and they told me they wouldn't fix beacause of the 131,000 miles but they certified the car as perfect…
As I was making a left hand turn on the highway at approx. 15mph, I heard a loud pop/crack coming from the front of the vehicle. At this time the car started to drift off to the right and onto the side of the road.
Engine was using coolant/took to ford dealer & they advised it's coming from crack in top of the intake manifold and there had been a recall on these due to class action lawsuit, but time to file ended 4 mos. Ago & we'd have to pay out of pocket.
Was informed by the garage I took my car to that my master brake cylinder and hydroboost were leaking. I was talking this over with a lawyer friend of mine and she informed me of a recall on federal vehicles, police, etc. But this was not a general recall.
While driving in a 55 mph zone, I attempted to set my cruise control. I did this successfully. However, about 5 minutes later, the car began to slow down as if the control was disengaged. After I realized this, I pumped the brakes to disengage the c/c. It took several attempts of pumping the brakes to release control.
Vehicle's engine started racing and brakes did not respond to stop vehicle. The dealer told the consumer they could not find a problem. The consumer took the vehicle to an outside mechanic who disconnected the cruise control and the consumer has not experienced anymore problems.
Had someone behind my car tossed out a cigarette or a spark occurred, there would have been a large fire endangering both myself and other motorists. I contacted ford about this incident and their customer service representatives were very abrupt and rude about taking responsibility for this severe safety issue.
I was driving my 1997 ford mustang gt and all of a sudden the coolant light turned on and the whole cockpit filled up with smoke. Upon not being able to see and the coolant light turning on I immediately had to pull over.
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 7,386 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 23% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mustang GT has 63 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 23, below average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Ford Mustang GT?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, vehicle speed control, fuel system. Total complaints: 23. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (9%), brake failure (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Ford Mustang GT?
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 1997 Ford Mustang GT 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 1997 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.