AI Damage2006 Ford Mustang GT reliability: common problems
Owners of the 2006 Ford Mustang GT filed 151 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 151
- involving a crash
- 10
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 42% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 13% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 13% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 4% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 4% of all complaints
- Air bags: 64 complaints (42% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 20 complaints (13% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 20 complaints (13% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 11 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 11 complaints (7% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 151 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 64 | 4 | 0 |
| Structure | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 20 | 5 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 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.
Recall passenger side air bag defective notified for over 2 years dealerships say they don't have the parts to install under recall...help is needed vehicle was hit airbag never opened on passage side
Hesitation at acceleration and unintended acceleration. Hesitation was not corrected at dealership, I corrected through computer reprogram with diablo programmer to decrease amount of throttle delay, hesitation gone.
The sudden acceleration occurred after he stopped at a stop sign to make a right turn. Before crashing, the contact lost control and the vehicle made a 180 degree turn. The vehicle continued to accelerate even after he removed the key from the ignition. There were no injuries as a result of the crash.
Two incidents- one october 27, 2006 -transmission quit on an open highway 47 miles on vehicle second - december 23, 2006 - unintended acceleration - computer failure causing property damage.
The electronic throttle body and electronic throttle sensor were sending my car into "limp mode", and very nearly caused two accidents before I could have the issue diagnosed and repaired. The first instance of "limp mode" came while I was driving home on the freeway in commute traffic.
While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitated to pick up speed and then surged at a high rate of speed. The vehicle shifted out of gear several times and the contact had to place the gear in drive 3 to prevent the failure.
The engine shuts off while driving after it heats up. This has happened several times in these last couple of months after purchasing the used vehicle. I took it to the dealership to fix.
There is bubbling in the paint in the tip of the hood which I have been told is corrosion on the exterior and interior. Ford will not take care of it saying it is out of warranty. This is a manufacturer's problem as there are many complaints and class action lawsuit pending.
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 2,577 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mustang GT has 63 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 151, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- 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 2006 Ford Mustang GT?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, structure, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 151. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: unintended acceleration (7%), hesitation when accelerating (5%), rust, corrosion (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2006 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 2006 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 2006 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.