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2003 Ford Mustang GT Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Ford Mustang GT, most often about the transmission (29% of complaints, typically around 1,000 miles). It is 5th of 7 Mustang GT model years by number of complaints.
Most common 2003 Ford Mustang GT problems
Transmission
15 complaints · 29%Half of these problems showed up before 1,000 miles. Parts named most often: manual transmission, clutch assembly, automatic transmission.
Manual transmission series 3650 on 2003 Ford mustangs grind and/or lock out upon shifting into 2nd gear as well as in to third as the problem continues.
Manual transmission in 2003 Ford Mustang GT shifts with great difficulty frm first gear to second gear. Sometimes, it has difficulty shifting from second gear to third gear. This situation makes the car dangerous as one may not be able to accelerate away from a possible collision due to the car slowing down while…
Engine
11 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 2,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
Engine stalls when clutch pedal is pressed and brake applied resulting in a loss of power steering and power brakes. Extreme safety hazard.
After driving to work one morning, once I parked I noticed that coolant was leaking from bottom radator hose. Dealer replaced cooling hoses and clamps. Also the paint were the hood scoop meets the hood started to chip, water gets caught under the hood scoop making it difficult the keep it clean.
Seat belts
6 complaints · 12%Parts named most often: front.
Driver side seat belt gets twisted and wont retract and gets shut in door if you don't pay attention, passenger side seat belt is stuck and wont come out or work at all.
Electrical
5 complaints · 10%Parts named most often: ignition.
I pulled out of the bank parking lot and while accelerating gently I heard a loud "pop" noise from the engine. The car then began to run very badly and there was a popping noise from the engine. I pulled over and inspected the engine to find that one of my spark plugs had been forcefully ejected. I continued home…
1) everything was running fine, no problems detected. Maintenance on vehicle was up to date. Was turning a corner and there was a pop and after that the engine started to mis-fire. 2) was able to limp the 2 miles to the Ford service center. There, they told me that the spark plug had blown out of the engine block and…
Seats
3 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: front assembly.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford Mustang GT. While driving approximately 35 MPH on normal road conditions, suddenly, the front driver seat collapsed in a backward position. The contact was able to continue driving with caution. The contact was able to drive the onto the emergency lane and adjust the seat onto the track.…
Other or unspecified
3 complaints · 6%Driving down pine twist road lost control of 2003 Ford Mustang GT on down hill curve when left tires skidded on gravel - was traveling about 35 MPH but there was an acceleration of the vehicle when I hit the brakes. Thought all of this was my fault until I saw the article in the local paper about NHTSA looking at 2003…
I own a 2003 mach1 mustang. There is significant wear to the carpet next to the gas pedal and just above the clutch pedal. The car has less than 36,000 miles. The dealer says that is not a warranty issue and will not fix the problem. Also, the carpet has fallen down above the gas/break/clutch pedal assembly as well as…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Ford Mustang GT recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
Summary
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehi
Accelerator pedal interference
Summary
Pe05-038 was opened on july 7, 2005, with 11 consumer complaints to odi alleging incidents of throttle sticking due to accelerator pedal interference with the carpet.odi has received an additional 24 complaints since the pe was opened.during pe05-038, ford supplied complaint and warranty information regarding 86 additional incidents of accelerator pedal interference in model year 2003 to 2004 mustang cobra vehicles.eighty-five of these had concerns of accelerator pedal sticking, 70 of which were analyzed as being related to carpet interference.odi is continuing its analysis of the causal factors in the remaining 15 incidents.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering ana
Questions about the 2003 Ford Mustang GT
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Ford Mustang GT?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (15 complaints, typically around 1,000 miles); engine (11 complaints, typically around 2,500 miles); seat belts (6 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Ford Mustang GT have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2003 Ford Mustang GT. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Ford Mustang GT?
- It is 5th of 7 Mustang GT model years by number of complaints, with 51 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.