AI Damage2004 Ford Mustang GT reliability: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Ford Mustang GT filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 14
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 21% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 21% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 14% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 7% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 7% of all complaints
- 8 Exterior lighting 7% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (21% of all).
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (21% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 2 complaints (14% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (14% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (14% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 14 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 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 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.
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.
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 ?
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.
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 external causes except time, heat, or lubrication.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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 8,997 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 28% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mustang GT has 63 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 14, below average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Ford Mustang GT?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, service brakes, air bags. Total complaints: 14. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (14%), knocking, grinding or other noise (14%), seat belts (14%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 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 2004 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 2004 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.