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
The bolts holding on the valve covers were not torqued correctly and were finger loose when I found them. I was lead to this discovery because there was a constant burning smell which turned out to be oil leaking out and falling on the exhaust. I found out on a forum that this seems to be a very common problem with 15-17 Mustangs. Additionally, there is a Technical Service Bulletin out explaining to mechanics that Ford did not add enough bolts to hold the valve covers on, leaving 4 or 5 blanks on both sides. Also, the newer 5.0 engines have all the necessary bolts, so basically, Ford thought they could save money by skipping 8-10 bolts on each car. I've already spoken to a Ford dealership and they said they'll have to charge me (unsure of how much yet) to repair a car they didn't build right in the first place! Please look into this.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal banging sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact noticed that oil and coolant were leaking from underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine block had fractured, causing the coolant and oil leak. The independent mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V779000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 79,089.
My car is a single owner car, that has documentation of regular oil changes, engine upkeep, and general maintenance since its purchase in 2016. No major issues had been experienced until August, 2023. While driving the car home from work, I felt an immediate loss of power from the engine, my a/c went out, and an error flashed saying the temperature sensor for the cylinder heads showed the engine was overheating. So, in 100+ °F weather, I pulled the car over and turned it off. I let it sit for just over 15 minutes before turning it back on, only to find the car was still in failsafe mode. With less than five miles to return home, I drove, a car that refused to get up to 25 mph in the blazing heat (and no a/c), back home. I immediately called my local Ford dealership and set up an appointment to bring it in the next week, their soonest available appointment. In the meantime, I had to find people to carpool to work with. The next Monday, the car is brought in, and that day I’m informed the cylinder head cracked and I’d need a new engine. I couldn’t believe it. I’d always taken care of my car, never put it under any type of undue stress, how could the cylinder head have cracked? The dealership explained the damage was due to a well-known defect in the design of the engine. I was still flabbergasted. The engine fails, not through fault of the user, but from bad design on the part of the manufacturer, and I’m still the one responsible to pay $8,000 for a new engine? I am disappointed Ford put out a car with engines that WILL eventually fail, and then chooses to force their customers to be financially responsible for their error. My engine losing power with absolutely no notice could have resulted in a life threatening car accident had I chosen to drive the freeway that day, or could have forced me into unsafe situations had I been traveling. I will never buy a Ford again based on this experience and the business practices displayed.
My car started to show a check engine light on around 103,000 miles. After getting a check engine light reading, the code was a misfire p0303 on cylinder 3. I took the car to a mechanic and was told the head gasket was blown and coolant was leaking into it.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the cylinder head and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving and at start up, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact noticed that oil had leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be determined; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the valve cover gasket was leaking oil and the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V779000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was 163,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that approximately 3 to 4 times while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle overheated and then stalled without warning. The failure had occurred at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure had escalated to the point where the vehicle was no longer drivable. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer who diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #4, causing the engine to misfire. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.
My check engine light came on it was cylinder 2 misfire. Sputtering and stalling in traffic. Slow to excelarate, started losing coolant and blowing white smoke on start up. Stuck in traffic. Then the turbo blew out. Replaced turbo, replaced spark plugs replaced edition coil. Still cylinder 2 misfire. Still a rough idle, Still dies in traffic Still losing coolant, dies unexpectedly and then won't start. Replaced fuel pump about 3 years ago for it dying in the middle of sams club traffic lane. Currently issues with the other problems listed above. Have found out this is a common problem with these motors. I called Ford and was told it's because I have 112,000 miles on my car. I've never missed a service, never driven the car hard, never over heated it. I have taken excellent car of this vehicle. Currently waiting for another diagnostic test. We pay to much for these cars to be stuck in traffic and have the engines go out and so many problems with them. Yes this car can be inspected at any time. Ford needs to recall this engine and fix its mistake. This is not okay. And it's dangerous to continue to let people drive these vehicles.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle was jerking, and the contact became aware that smoke was coming from underneath the hood. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty water pump. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -The engine on my 2016 Ford Mustang EcoBoost is malfunctioning. My vehicle's RPM drop extremely low then rev high, then the car almosts cut off when I drive at low speeds, park, or stop at lights/stop signs. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -I stopped driving my car any further than 10-15 mile distances because I was afraid the car may cut off while I'm driving down the road in traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -I took my car to 3 different Ford dealerships, in Mississippi, North Carolina and Maryland. The first could not replicate the issue or find any issues, the second dealer whom I paid approximately $700 for repairs had my car for 3 weeks because they couldn't find the issue, so they replaced my spark plugs and an ignition coil and said it should be good. The third Ford dealership didn't diagnose it truly they just said it was leaking coolant so it had to be an internal coolant leak that has damaged my engine (causing a misfire), based on a Ford TSB that has apparently been out for a long time. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? -It was inspected by 3 different Ford dealerships. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? -The first time I had this symptom was in the spring of 2021, but it was a one time thing and it went away. The next time I noticed the issue was around July of 2021 which is when I took it to the Ford dealership near me in Mississippi. The first time the check engine light came on was in April of 2022 when I arrived in Maryland after I took it to the repair shop in North Carolina. Note: I was in the process of moving from Mississippi to the DC area, otherwise I wouldn't have even driven it that far.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mechanic discovered a misfire in cylinder #3. The coil and the spark plug in cylinder #3 were replaced; however, the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated as the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot. The contact took the vehicle back to the mechanic where they discovered that the coolant level was low and recommended that the vehicle be taken to a dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the diagnostic test discovered that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3 and that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Failure of Driver side Valve cover- leaking oil and valve cover bolts were completely loose. Both valve covers are prone to failure according to tsb 19-2309. Note: The engine block is designed to have 13 bolts to secure and seal valve covers to engine. Instead of using a 13 bolt valve cover, ford used 9 bolt valve covers for 3 consecutive years which deviates from the engine design. Safety concern- the discharge of combustible oil in and around engine bay and other engine components. engine components which are flammable and or susceptible to damage as a result from contact of leaking oil from failed valve covers and bolts. This failure could also result in catastrophic engine failure depending on when this failure occurs, if it goes unnoticed, and how bad it is. This problem has been confirmed by ford via tsb 19-2309 which instructs the removal of both valve covers, drilling 4 holes in each valve cover, replacing valve cover gasket’s, and adding 4 additional bolts to each valve cover upon complete re-assembly. This problem has been reproduced sufficient amounts for a TSB to be in place. An important NOTE with TSB 19-2309 is that it does not instruct the need to drill threaded holes into the engine block for 8 additional valve cover bolts because they are already present. The holes are simply covered up by the 9 bolt valve covers and go unused. Vehicle has been inspected by a Certified mechanic/ business outside of Ford dealership/company. No warning lights of any kind appeared. The issue was noticed on 4/9/2022 during a routine oil change and inspection. Car currently has 35,000 miles and is not being driven or started. Why is ford not willing to do the right thing by proactively recalling for this issue?
Purchased the car around 40k miles. Did all the maintenance required for 3-4 years with it now at 98k miles. On the evening near Christmas eve as i was at the red light making a right turn i heard clank from the bottom of my engine, then metal pieces were falling off to the ground. Smoke was coming out from the engine, with the oil pressure illuminating light on. I pulled over to see a trail of oil, while looking under I saw a big whole on the bottom of the engine block. Good thing it didn't happened when I was driving at a higher speed and I was by myself vs having my kids with me. Geico would not cover my blown engine, and ford knows this is a known issue referring to "Ecoboom" but i no longer have warranty with them. Car has been sitting at the shop pending 6500 to have the engine replaced. With covid times we are living in right now i dont know what else to do.
Engine threw a rod and damaged several pistons. Car has only 86,000 miles on it. Routine maintenance was done on schedule. No warning lights or symptoms were present before the incident. This will now require a full engine replacement. The incident happened while driving causing a major loss of power and eventually the inability to safely get my vehicle out of traffic. My car is still sitting at my mechanic and is available for inspection. It was only diagnosed and no repairs have been performed. The current COVID situation has made it impossible to even secure a replacement engine. Ford should be held accountable based on the number of related issues reported. I’m now paying on a car I can’t drive or repair l.
WATER PUMP LEAKED COOLANT REQUIRING REPLACEMENT.
AT APPROXIMATELY 61,000 MILES, THE ORIGINAL ENGINE STOPPED WORKING. CYLINDER #3 GAVE OUT. POSSIBLY A LSPI CONDITION. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED UNDER CPO WARRANTY. MY NEW ENGINE HAS NOW GIVEN OUT AT 36,000 MILES. ON THE 1ST ENGINE, I CAME FROM FORD DEALER AFTER COMPLAINING OF CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COMING ON. OIL WAS CHANGED, CODES CLEARED. I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 4 CITY BLOCKS, ACCELERATED FROM A STOP LIGHT, AND THE ENGINE STARTED BLOWING WHITE SMOKE AND I PULLED IT OFF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE TO BE FULLY REPLACED, AT 61,000 MILES, A LONG BLOCK, NOT A SHORT BLOCK. ON MY SECOND ENGINE, WHICH HAS APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES ON IT, I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND AN ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WAS DRIVABLE. AFTER PARKING IT, THE NEXT TIME I STARTED IT UP IT WAS BLOWING WHITE SMOKE AGAIN. I DIAGNOSES AT THE DEALER IS UNDERWAY.
AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR 5 MONTHS (59,000 MI) THE ENGINE BLEW UP WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON A STATE HIGHWAY AND DROPPED ALL OF ITS OIL. THE ECOBOOST MUSTANGS ARE INCREDIBLY PRONE TO THIS ISSUE AND FORD IS JUST SWEEPING THEM UNDER THE RUG. FORD HAD MY CAR FOR 4 MONTHS WHEN IT WAS MISFIRING (WHICH IS HOW "ECOBOOM" BEGINS) AND REPLACED ALMOST EVERYTHING UNDER THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY MINUS THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION AND TURBOCHARGER. WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK IT STARTED TO JUMP TIMING THEN MISFIRE THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STOPPED. THEN THE ENGINE BLEW UP.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FORD MUSTANG. THE CONTACT STATED DRIVING AT 30 MPH, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT VEERED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AS THE VEHICLE STALLED. THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL ODOR COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT UNAWARE IF THERE WAS ANY LEAKS. THE CONTACT TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON WHICH RESUMED NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MONRO AUTO SERVICE AND TIRE CENTER 1769 KUSER RD, HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ 08690, (609) 308-3139 WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WATER PUMP, DRIVE BELT FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V779000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO THE NHTSA HOTLINE TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 78,971.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD MUSTANG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SHE TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD, CRACKING SOUND. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INFORMED HER THAT THE EVAPORATOR CORD WAS LEAKING AND THAT THE AIR COMPRESSOR NEEDED REPLACING. THE MECHANIC ALSO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAULTY COMPRESSOR WAS RELATED TO THE NOISES SHE HEARD. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH NALLEY FORD SANDY SPRINGS (7555 ROSWELL RD, ATLANTA, GA 30350 (678) 809-5711) AND WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA TO FILE A SAFETY COMPLAINT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
THERE IS A KNOCKING COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD RIGHT AFTER AN OIL CHANGE AND NOW AT THE SECOND OIL CHANGE IT IS STILL THERE.
SHELBY GT350 5.2L V8: ENGINE OIL FILTER SPINS LOOSE, CAUSING CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF OIL. STREET USE ONLY, NO TRACK DAYS. CAR DEALER SERVICED ONLY. DEALER DENIED FAULT, SAID OIL FILTER COMING LOOSE WAS "NORMAL" FOR THIS MODEL.
SHELBY GT350 5.2L V8: ENGINE VALVE COVER GASKET FAILURE CAUSED OIL LOSS AND FIRE IN ENGINE BAY--OIL BURNING ON EXHAUST MANIFOLD. SMOKE UNDER HOOD AND INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WITH MANUFACTURER'S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. OIL SPRAY FROM VALVE COVER GASKET ONTO EXHAUST MANIFOLD WITH MEDIUM RPM (~3000 RPM) AND HIGHER.
SHELBY GT350 5.2L V8: ENGINE BURNS COPIOUS VOLUMES OF ENGINE OIL. POTENTIAL FOR OWNER TO LET ENGINE RUN DRY AND SEIZE DURING NORMAL OIL CHANGE INTERVAL. ENGINE HAS BURNED GREATER THAN 1 QT OIL PER 1000 MI OVER 47000+ MI, AND MOST RECENTLY BURNED 8 QT OVER LESS THAN 4000 MI.
SHELBY GT350 5.2L V8: EXHAUST INFILTRATION INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. MODERATE TO HIGH RPM OPERATION CAUSES EXHAUST SMELL TO ENTER INTO PASSENGER AREA. WORSE WITH AIR CONDITIONER OFF THAN ON.
REAR DIFFERENTIAL TRACTION CONTROL CLUTCH PACK FAILURE
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Quick Summary
The 2016 Ford Mustang has 57 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.