Ford Mustang, representative photo
Representative model. Photo: qJake, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2012 Ford Mustang recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2012 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns
7
Park-it warnings
3
Complaints
469
Latest campaign
Feb 16, 2021

Recall summary by component7

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h
ComponentCampaignsPark‑itLatestCampaign IDs
Air bags53Feb 16, 2021
21V08100021E01300019V00100017V02400015V319000
Power train2–Apr 27, 2016
16V24800012V190000

Safety recalls7

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h
3Park-it warnings
0Fixable over the air
Feb 16, 2021Latest campaign
Feb 16, 202121V081000

Air bags: frontal

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants…

DetailsHide details for campaign 21V081000
What's wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Campaign
NHTSA 21V081000 · Feb 16, 2021
Feb 16, 202121E013000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants…

DetailsHide details for campaign 21E013000
What's wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Campaign
NHTSA 21E013000 · Feb 16, 2021
Jan 7, 201919V001000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Do not drive until repaired
DetailsHide details for campaign 19V001000
What's wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Campaign
NHTSA 19V001000 · Jan 7, 2019
Jan 10, 201717V024000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Do not drive until repaired
DetailsHide details for campaign 17V024000
What's wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Campaign
NHTSA 17V024000 · Jan 10, 2017
Apr 27, 201616V248000

Power train: automatic transmission

An unexpected downshift into first gear can cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning and the rear tires may slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.

DetailsHide details for campaign 16V248000
What's wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks, 2012 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Mustang vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission that may unexpectedly downshift to first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
Risk
An unexpected downshift into first gear can cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning and the rear tires may slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S19.
Campaign
NHTSA 16V248000 · Apr 27, 2016
May 28, 201515V319000

Air bags: frontal driver side

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants…

Do not drive until repaired
DetailsHide details for campaign 15V319000
What's wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2014 Mustang vehicles manufactured April 6, 2004, to June 21, 2014, and 2005-2006 GT vehicles manufactured February 20, 2004, to September 22, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 10, 2016. Even if interim repairs were performed under safety recall 14V-802, owners must bring their vehicles in for the final remedy. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S21. Note: This recall supersedes safety recall 14V-802.
Campaign
NHTSA 15V319000 · May 28, 2015
To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Ford recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Owner complaints by component469

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h
469Complaints filed
20Involving a crash
2Involving a fire
9Injuries reported · 1 death
ComponentShareComplaints%CrashesFiresInjuries
Power train17738803
Air bags15834906
Vehicle speed control357301
Engine306100
Structure235202
Electrical system214211
Fuel/propulsion system184000
Suspension163000
Steering163200
Unknown or other153101
Electronic stability control (ESC)123100
Service brakes112100
Wheels61000
Exterior lighting51000
Seats51121

10 more components with fewer complaints not shown. An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

  • Air bags

    “I am the owner of a 2012 Ford Mustang GT currently located in Kuwait. My vehicle has an open Takata airbag safety recall, which is a life-threatening defect.”

    Filed 04/29/2026 · ODI 11734459
  • Visibility

    “The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front windshield wipers independently activated. There were no warning lights illuminated.”

    Filed 06/09/2025 · ODI 11665862
  • Unknown or other

    “Down shifting in to first and reverse problems nothing wrong with transmission”

    Filed 06/05/2025 · ODI 11665087

Other Ford Mustang model years

All years: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012 · 2011 · 2010 · 2009 · 2008 · 2007 · 2006 · 2005 · 2004 · 2003 · 2002 · 2001 · 2000

Other Ford models

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2012 Ford Mustang recall questions

How many recalls does the 2012 Ford Mustang have?

NHTSA lists 7 safety recall campaigns for the 2012 Ford Mustang. The most recent, 21V081000 (reported February 16, 2021), concerns air bags. 3 campaigns carry a park-it or park-outside warning. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2012 Ford Mustang recalls for?

The largest group is air bags, with 5 campaigns. Others: power train (2). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2012 Ford Mustang?

Power train is the most-reported component, named in 177 complaints out of 469 filed with NHTSA (38%). Across all complaints, owners reported 20 crashs and 2 fires. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2012 Ford Mustang?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Ford recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Ford dealer.

Check a specific Ford by VIN

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