2019 Ford Mustang: What to check before buying

Coolant leaks into the cylinders of the 2.3L EcoBoost, usually into cylinders 2, 3, or 4. Warning signs include rough cold starts, shaking at idle, misfire codes, and falling coolant. Some cars lose power or stumble at highway speed. Reported failures run from 26,000 to 86,000 miles, often just after warranty ends. Dealers quote head gasket work or a full engine, with estimates near $11,000. Owners call it a known design flaw. Isolated reports include a GT350 that locked up at 450 miles and repeat oil pressure switch failures.

Coolant intrusion is the main failure here. Coolant drops between oil changes, white smoke comes from the exhaust at startup, and misfires return after new spark plugs and coils. Dealers then diagnose a damaged head gasket or call for engine replacement. Reported failures range from 54,807 to 130,000 miles. One owner linked the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12. Separate reports describe lifter or cam phaser ticking with idle drops, and an external coolant pipe leak at 16,600 miles.

The digital instrument panel goes blank, sometimes while driving, and takes the speedometer and tachometer with it for several seconds. Some owners tie this to recall 19V076000, but many dealers cannot reproduce it. Power windows lower on their own, or the short-drop feature fails to raise the glass, and window motors get replaced more than once. Backup camera images flicker, distort, or show as unavailable. Other reports describe the passenger door unlatching at speed, total electrical shutdowns, and driver-assist systems dropping out, which some owners link to campaign 22V382000.

The 10-speed automatic shifts hard, clunks, slips, or hesitates and then lurches. A few cars stall at a stop or creep forward without throttle. One dealer traced a jolt at 15 to 30 mph to an internal clutch drum leak. Manual-transmission owners describe harsh, imprecise shifts. Many complaints in this category actually describe EcoBoost head gasket and coolant intrusion failures. Others concern campaign 22V382000, with blacked-out gauges, missing gear indicators, and failed cameras. One dealer refused that recall on a supercharged car.

Power steering assist cuts out, which makes turning hard. In some cases the wheel jerks the opposite way, and one car left the road. The usual repair is a new steering rack, and one shop could not get the part. Other complaints describe grinding at low speed that grows louder, and stability control, traction control, and ABS warnings that appear and clear on their own. One crash with an injury involved a spin on a curve at about 15,000 miles.

The passenger door partly unlatches while driving. A door-ajar chime sounds, and the driver has to pull over to reclose it. Reports put it anywhere from 20 to 40 mph up to 60 to 75 mph, sometimes several times a week, and it gets more frequent over time. Owners say earlier Mustangs were recalled for door latches but this year was not included. One complaint describes a factory gap in the front bumper under the passenger headlight that dealers refuse to fix.

The outer shells of the lug nuts swell, so standard wrenches no longer fit and tires cannot be rotated or changed at the roadside. Dealers replace the lug nuts, sometimes all 16, and owners say it is a common Ford problem, even in dry climates. Other complaints describe uneven tire wear from bad alignment that a dealer would not cover because of aftermarket wheels, and tire failures that a dealer diagnosed as slashing.

Front doors unlatch on their own while driving, often after a bump or at 70 to 75 mph. The door opens slightly and a door-ajar warning comes on. Some doors can be pushed open from inside without using the handle. Dealers say the car is not covered by campaign 17V652000. In one case the dealer said a related campaign expired in November 2025. None of these cars were repaired.

Both front seat belts are slow to retract or do not retract at all. One dealer diagnosed a delayed retractor and recommended replacing both belts at about 46,791 miles. The only other report in this category is mostly unrelated. It describes wrong GPS directions, repeated dead batteries, and windows found open after parking, with only a passing mention of seat belt warnings.