AI Damage2002 Ford Mustang GT reliability: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Ford Mustang GT filed 48 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 48
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 33% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 17% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 15% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 10% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 6% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 4% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 16 complaints (33% of all).
- Seat belts: 8 complaints (17% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (15% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 5 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 48 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 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 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.
Both front and rear of the car sustained severe damage however none of the airbags deployed causing facial trauma seatbelts failed, as it did not hold my 100 lb body in place.causing injury. From being thrown all over the car causing loss of conciousnous.
Also appears to be issue with electrical wiring harness which caused a fire. Very bad gas mileage - big change in decreased mpg. Have issues when trying to fill up gas tank where fuel gun filler wont allow me to fuel as the gas pump at most gas stations will immediately stop and kick out the fueller gun and spit gas…
The vehicle then flipped over when the seat belts broke from the latch. The vehicle was totaled and the contact sustained internal bleeding, torn ligaments to the shoulder and arms and bruising. A police report was filed. The vehicle had not been inspected when the complaint was filed.
While on dry pavement and entering the highway behind two vehicles consumer's vehicle veered off the road, hitting the side of an embankment. Vehicle continued and veered onto the other side of the ramp. After vehicle was inspected rear rotor broke along with bending of the rear axle.
The abs electronic stability control warning light has come on. It cannot be turned off. There has been no problem with braking or any accident since this occurred about june 2016. I would like to have this repaired by ford, since this could be a highly dangerous situation.
Ford motor company discontinued the manufacturing process of the anti-lock pump unit (abs pump) of their classic car ford mustang for the years 1999 to 2004. It is a part that serves the car's safety system being an important element of the brake components.
I had just finished fueling up my car and when I got in to start it up I heard a pop and hissing sound.... When I checked it had blown another spark plug and coil out of cylinder 7.... It blew one out of cylinder 8 and I had it fixed now cylinder 7 did it....
I have replaced driver side and passenger side seat belts 2 time and they need it again they stop retracting. My driver side window will not work it the sun shines on that side of car. Headlights had to be replaced because they were so foggy you couldn't see when lights were on.
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 5,285 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 16% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mustang GT has 63 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 48, 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.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Ford Mustang GT?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, seat belts, powertrain. Total complaints: 48. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (17%), knocking, grinding or other noise (15%), tires: bulges, blowouts (13%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.