2016 Ford Mustang Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
2016 Ford Mustang 2.3L Ecoboost Engine. Coolant intrusion into the cylinder. It's a known issue, an engine block design flaw. Ford was replacing the whole engine when those cars were under warranty. There is extensive content online about it and dozens of class actions.
The head gasket in my 2016 mustang eco boost failed. I have 126k miles and coolant is leaking into cylinder 2. I’ve always taken care of the maintenance on a timely matter and no modifications have been done.
My cars head gasket blew at only 45,000 miles. Replaced my a local well known mechanic for around $3500.00. Now my car at 96,000 miles has blown the head gasket again. I believe the car needs a whole new block. I have seen several lawsuits regarding this and just would love my car running again. This is NOT cheap to fix for me.
From what I can remember its always been an issue with cylinder 3. I was always repaired by Ford Auto Nation of Fort Worth and Auto World Repair 2021 Engine Failure: Confirmed and repaired blown head gasket 2022 Check Engine Light code P303 - Found faulty as well as ignition coil on cylinder 3 2025 Engine Failure: code P303 - Found faulty as well as ignition coil on cylinder 3 Excessive smoke during idle Cracked engine block due to coolant leak through cylinder wall
Coolant intrusion into the cylinder head. This caused a sudden halt of he vehicle which could have caused an accident and loss of life. The engine coolant overheating temperature warning light came on. Vehicle was inspected by ford dealership and found to have blown head gasket. The car is vat for inspection.
Component/system: Engine (Coolant intrusion into cylinder 1); Inspection available: Yes; Safety risk: Sudden power loss on road; Reproducibility/Confirmation: Dealer verified coolant in cylinder 1 after engine inspection; Manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others inspections: No; Warnings/symptoms: Check Engine light turned on, error code P0301, higher than normal engine temperature, low coolant in reservoir, white smoke, rough idle at turning of engine; First appeared: Around 100,000 miles.
The coolant over temperature warning light of my 2016 ford mustang ecoboost came on and the engine immediately went on limp mode and I stopped the vehicle and switched off the engine. The vehicle quickly lost power and this created safety concern for other drivers who would have bumped me. I towed the vehicle to the nearest ford dealership for inspection and they found that coolant went into the engine and the coolant bottle was empty. As a result the dealership has said that the engine engine needs to be replaced…. a big shock for me as I have never had any prior issue with this car which is only 59k illegal on the clock. After further research of my own, this seems to be a common issue with ford ecoboost engine before year 2020. What surprises me is that there was no other indication or warning before this incident which could have obstructed me to take precautionary action.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while at a stop sign, the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had a rough start prior to the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was pushed into a nearby local independent service center, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was left for further investigation at the owner's expense. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V779000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while stationary the vehicle's revolutions started to go up, and the vehicle kept accelerating without a reason or the accelerator being depressed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact then tried to look around to see if any mats or if anything else was making the vehicle accelerate on its own, but found nothing was making the vehicle accelerate. The vehicle was shut off and when the contact tried to start the vehicle, the vehicle kept accelerating on its own. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mat air flow sensor was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The independent mechanic was not able to provide a diagnosis. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,682.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the message "Engine Failure - SS Repower Mode" and a message advising that the vehicle would shut off in thirty seconds was displayed. The vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact who is disabled was assisted by other motorists pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to Elmer's Auto Repair & Mobile Services, where the vehicle was diagnosed and it was determined that the engine had melted internally, and there were two large holes in the engine. The mechanic replaced the engine. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
The engine on this 2016 Mustang GT is a 5-liter V-8. The 2015-2017 model years were equipped with plastic valve covers. This is a known defect with these vehicles. The plastic valve covers warp/melt/distort over time, causing motor oil to leak in significant amounts onto the exhaust manifold creating smoke and odor. There is a potential for fire in the engine compartment because of this leak. Ford issued a service bulletin regarding this known defect but has not as yet issued a recall.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the engine seized. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that chunks of the head gasket were found inside the engine. In addition, coolant and metal shavings were found in the oil pan. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the valve had fallen into the engine, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,766.
The 2016 used car that I bought in 2017 with 20,711 miles has a defective ecoboost engine that leaks coolant on to the cylinder heads & causes engine failure. The vehicle has less than 100,000 miles & is currently in engine failure. Ford knew about this defective engine & never sent me a recall. There are class action lawsuits in CA & DE against FORD for the same ECOBOOST engine in my car. They want to charge me $12,000 for a new engine. I had a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty expire due to 5 yrs expiration & not the mileage, during covid while the car sat in front of the house & was barely driven. Once covid lifted restrictions I drove to Florida & put some miles on it locally & the engine is failing. This is absolutely absurd & Ford should be held accountable & be investigated in the state of MD for consumer fraud. This defective ecoboost engine dates back to 2012. They never should have sold me a car with a defective engine
Defective Head Gasket. Causing lack of power while on freeway. Car slowed in speed greatly. Independent service has confirmed water in cylinder #1. CEL did come on.
I purchased the vehicle new and have driven it 21085 miles. Since I've owned it, I have had to add 23 quarts of additional oil to keep it full (1qt. every 500-1000 miles). After a couple complaints to Ford, they have advised me that this amount of oil consumption in this vehicle is normal. My warranty expires in March and I'm concerned about the cost of repair after the warranty is up. From a safety standpoint, I'm concerned if the engine were to run out of oil in a traffic situation. I am 74 years old and use the car for weekend, summer pleasure. I don't race it and don't allow others to drive it. Please let me know if other similar vehicles have this issue and if anything can be done. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was unable to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine block failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred four times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Engine Failure. In the right situation, complete loss of power of vehicle could cause several safety problems including Injury and/or Death. The problem was determined by the dealer and Extended Warranty Inspector. There were no warning lamps or any other indications of a complete engine failure. No smoke exiting the exhaust, no contaminated oil, plenty of coolant in radiator, and was not making any noise. Reason for taking the car in for service was, on Oct 1, 2024 the gauge was acting erratic. The car never ran hot. The car was taken to the dealership on Oct 2, 2024. 2 days after, received a call with results stating that I need a complete engine replacement due to overheating and coolant found in cylinder #3.
Ford currently has a TSB (15-0192 idle smoking) out on the Ford Mustang, specifically my car. They know it is an issue, and that several people are having problems with it. But they are not considering it a recall. These cars are having heavy amounts of smoke residuals, which is both damaging to the environment, and to people’s respiratory care as it is blowing major amounts of smoke in the air, and therefore cannot pass an emissions test in my state of Virginia specifically. I believe that Ford knows this is an issue and it should be considered a recall based on current Efficiency and energy standards for vehicles.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that when purchasing the vehicle they noticed the instrument panel had failed to illuminate. Then while driving at approximately 20 MPH the red wrench displayed on the instrument panel and there was a loud noise coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle began shaking and emitting a burning oil odor. The contact lost control of the vehicle before it stalled and a spark of fire came from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact was able to get out of the vehicle where they watched black smoke come from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact noticed that there was oil all over the road. The fire department was not called. A police report was not made. The contact had received a concussion from hitting their head on the steering wheel when losing control of the vehicle. Medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they diagnosed that the piston dropped through the turbo causing a hole in the engine. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and it was confirmed the VIN was not covered under a recall or warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 52,109.
Intake manifold assembly is nationally back ordered. And it seems to be a problem with many mustangs. This is preventing me from getting my smog.
A warning light appeared warning that the engine was overheating. However the temperature hand never indicated this. I pulled over immediately and turned the car off. I had it towed to a dealership that would accept my extended warranty. They discovered that the engine block was cracked and that the vehicle will need the engine replaced. My warranty company will not cover it because they said it is a known defect from ford. I know that ford had this same issue on other ecoboost engines but mine is a 2.3l and they have not included that one in the recall.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was misfiring. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware of coolant leaking into the engine cylinder. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The warranty company declined to cover the repair under warranty because the failure was a known failure with the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,080.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 114,000. The VIN was not available.
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The 2016 Ford Mustang has 57 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.