2020 FORD MUSTANG Recalls, Complaints & Safety

I had parked my car in a spot at an office building. As I was about to put the vehicle in park it lurched forward going over a standard curb across a sidewalk and then into the brick wall of the building. The air bag did not deploy. The car lurched about ten feet total before hitting the wall.

Crash

I had parked my car in a spot at an office building. As I was about to put the vehicle in park it lurched forward going over a standard curb across a sidewalk and then into the brick wall of the building. The air bag did not deploy. The car lurched about ten feet total before hitting the wall.

Crash

FAILURE TO NOTIFY/ADDRESS A KNOWN ISSUE DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD Vehicle has been serviced in accordance with Ford’s recommended maintenance schedule by Joe Cooper Ford of Edmond, Oklahoma, since purchase. At service appointment in September 2025, with 59,968 miles – just prior to the 60k mile powertrain warranty expiration – specifically requested a thorough inspection of any conditions that could potentially be addressed under warranty coverage. During that visit, Joe Cooper Ford documented that the “coolant was low (at minimum mark) and dirty” and recommended a coolant system fluid exchange. This finding occurred in the context of the well-documented coolant intrusion defect affecting 2017–2020 Ford Mustangs and other Ford models. When an authorized dealer observes conditions consistent with a known defect during the warranty period, reasonable warranty administration requires disclosure and further diagnostic evaluation, so the customer has a meaningful opportunity to pursue timely repair. By January 2026, at only 61,640 miles, were informed our engine had failed. No such disclosure or evaluation was provided. As a result, we were deprived of a reasonable opportunity to address the condition under warranty prior to expiration. The subsequent engine failure occurred after the warranty period but was directly preceded by these unresolved indicators. Under these circumstances, denial of warranty consideration is inconsistent with the purpose of the warranty and reasonable consumer expectations.

My backup camera is inverted (mirrored), causing safety concerns.( left is right). I am waiting for the 26C11/NHTSA 26V-123 software patch.

The vehicle has ongoing engine and turbocharger problems, including loss of power, knocking, and worsening performance. It also has brake‑booster/vacuum issues that cause reduced braking assist and a hard brake pedal. Electrical and software malfunctions occur intermittently, including warning messages and irregular system behavior. These issues create safety risks and have been observed repeatedly. Some problems were confirmed by service technicians, but the exact cause remains unknown.

THIS IS A SAFETY RISK: TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LEAKING Oil is leaking hard out of the Transmission oil cooler, that sits underneath the car. This oil is being sprayed onto exhaust system generating oil smoke and potentially a fire hazard, when hot oil hits warm exhaust pipes.

Went to Clay Cooley Ford in Arlington TX off of highway 360 to have rearview camera issues fixed after being sent a recall notice to take it in to be repaired. The vehicle doesn’t show a black screen all of the time but it is at times distorted or black. Upon arriving my husband was told that one they don’t have the camera for the vehicle mind you an appointment was made I didn’t just show up and two because at this present moment the screen wasn’t showing distorted or black screen they were not able to repair the recall we were given a paper to contact a man who works at the dealership the vehicle camera wasn’t thoroughly inspected, just asked if it was doing it now when my husband said not right now but it does show a black or distorted screen sometimes he was sent on his way and told the repair couldn’t be done. I have reached out to Ford customer service to get their help with getting this recall resolved because I do transport a child in this car daily to and from school.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle became inoperable. The message “Camera Unavailable - Contact Dealer” was displayed. Prior to the message being displayed, the camera image was distorted. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The camera was replaced; however, additional diagnostic testing was required. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

January 22, 2025 Ford Case #CHX-XXX-XXX RE: Approval Code: XXX This vehicle was bought on June 26, 2020 with a 3 year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty along with a 5 year 60,000 mile power train warranty. It has been regularly serviced by Ford dealership as documented on Ford's records. The following dates are documented FORD service and complaints of hard shifts by customer yet no work was done. July 21, 2022, 10,239 miles on vehicle. Under the bumper to bumper warranty. February 28, 2023, 14067 miles on vehicle. Under the bumper to bumper warranty. March 10, 2025. 26,088 miles on vehicle. Under the power train warranty. January 13, 2026. 30,000 miles on vehicle. 5.4 months, 60,000 miles for power train.* *On January 9th brought in to Spring Hill Ford, for same issue, but no transmission tech available for 4 months as stated by service. Brought to Flammer Ford in Tarpon springs for transmission issue on Jan 13, 2026. Dealership states: Transmission is bad and needs necessary rebuild. **Previous Technical bulletins have been sent out by Ford prior to customer complaints date of shifting concerns in 2022. The latest, most in-depth bulletin is dated May 26, 2023 on this very issue. Ford first denied to to "outt of warrenty. 2nd offered to cover an approximate 70% of repair. Final offer to cover 75% of repair. This is not acceptable by customer. Reasoning: with multiple complaints of issue to Ford dealership service, over multiple time periods, all withing the warranty period, customer request Ford to honor the warranty coverage. This was denied. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The reverse camera is currently on recall. My vehicle has been experiencing intermittent camera issues as the recall describes. Ford's recall resolution states that the issue has to be replicated while with a technician to be fixed. While my vehicle was with the dealership for it's recall inspection the issue was not able to be duplicated regardless of the multiple occurrences over several months. We feel this does not adequately take care of the recalled problem and continues to present a safety concern until it is corrected. The earliest occurrence of this issue was documented on August 29, 2025 and has continued to occur since that date.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Rear camera recall timely manner complaint 25SA9/25v695

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH in inclement weather, the instrument panel went black for approximately 5 seconds and then started operating as designed. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred on several occasions. The contact stated that on one occasion, while driving through a tunnel, the instrument panel went black and then returned to functionality. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated, and no fault codes were retrieved. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

I had the coolant gasket problem that resulted in having to get the engine replaced. It was a 202 mustang ecoboost premium.

Description of the issue: The transmission has a recurring problem with shifting. When placing the vehicle into Reverse, it engages with a harsh and sudden jerk. When shifting from Reverse to Drive, there is a noticeable delay in engagement before the vehicle responds. These problems occur under normal operating conditions and are repeatable. Safety risk: This creates a significant safety hazard. The harsh jerking when shifting into Reverse can cause unintended movement, risking collisions or injury. The delayed engagement when shifting into Drive leaves the driver vulnerable in traffic situations (such as backing out of parking spaces or entering traffic), increasing the chance of an accident. Inspection/confirmation: The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership. However, it has not been permanently resolved. Ford has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) addressing this known transmission problem through a software update. Manufacturer/dealer involvement: When the vehicle was already connected to Ford’s diagnostic system for a Body Control Module recall, the dealer refused to apply the available TSB update for the transmission without charging an additional $280 “diagnostic” fee. This was despite the fact that Ford has officially acknowledged the issue and issued a TSB to address it. No permanent fix has been provided. Availability for inspection: The vehicle and transmission are available for inspection upon request.

My backup camera on my 2020 mustang ecoboost goes blank when backing up at times and shows distorted images when it does work.

The rearview camera display threw up a blue screen then proceeded to throw up a back screen and told me “Camera is unavailable. Please contact dealership.” From my knowledge, there is a current recall out for this particular issue. I was attempting to back into a parking spot when this happened and I was surrounded by vehicles when this happened. There were no warnings on the vehicle dash or in the app. I would like this fixed as soon as possible.

1. 2020 Mustang Ecoboost is equipped from factory with redesigned block to minimize/eliminate coolant intrusion and or head gasket failure. I still had the dreaded "ecoboom" issue with coolant intrusion on two cylinders as a result of a broken head gasket and poor engine block design. Regular maintenance was perfomed and use primarily Top Tier 93 octane fuel. 5K mile interval 5W-50 oil changes according to manual using Ford spec oil full synthetic. Cold Start Misfires and excessive engine shaking are still occurring despite short block replacement by Ford and they won't diagnose properly. 2. Electrical/Audio. Issue with crackling audio, audio skipping and both iPhones and Androids having disconnection issues. Factory reset the Sync module twice, attempted reset by unplugging car battery and also checked alternator. Replaced car battery with fresh battery and issue persists. 3. Powertrain: The 10R80 Auto Transmission is extremely jarring and does not shift smoothly. Hesitates throughout gears, sluggish gears changes. Gives whiplash effect even after a filter and oil change for the transmission with OEM fluid and filter. Premature Transmission gasket housing failure as well causing ATF to leak onto ground.

Two issues actually 1. Back up camera gives the blue screen. Says unavailable and contact dealer. I have not yet as this just started. I am seeing a bunch of complaints on this though. 2. When I roll all the windows down then roll them up, the back triangle windows don't go up all the way. I have to get out of the car and pull them up all the way. Dealer said I just need to lube the edge and the groove they sit in. Which was tried. Didn't work. Could be a safety issue if I have to pull over and get out of the car to pull the windows up.

On [XXX], I was involved in a front-left collision while driving my 2020 Ford Mustang GT (VIN: [XXX] ) with my [XXX] daughter in the front passenger seat. She weighs approximately [XXX] and was properly seated with her seatbelt fastened. The only airbag that deployed was the driver’s knee airbag. The front passenger airbag did not deploy at all. After the accident, the FordPass system reported multiple “Restraints Indicator Lamp Warning” alerts, all timestamped the day of the crash, stating: “Your Air Bag Warning is on due to an issue with the front passenger air bag system. The front passenger airbag may not work properly.” This alert was not visible on the dashboard prior to the crash and was only discovered after checking the app. This failure of the airbag system placed my daughter at serious risk. A properly seated child passenger of sufficient weight should have been protected. The vehicle had approximately 19,177 miles at the time of the accident and had no prior airbag-related service or known damage. The crash occurred at normal road speed during a left turn when another vehicle impacted my front driver-side area. My vehicle is currently with the insurance company and available for full diagnostic inspection by NHTSA or the manufacturer. The passenger-side OCS and SRS systems should be investigated for sensor failure, deployment failure, or manufacturer defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash

On [XXX], I was involved in a front-left collision while driving my 2020 Ford Mustang GT (VIN: [XXX] ) with my [XXX] daughter in the front passenger seat. She weighs approximately [XXX] and was properly seated with her seatbelt fastened. The only airbag that deployed was the driver’s knee airbag. The front passenger airbag did not deploy at all. After the accident, the FordPass system reported multiple “Restraints Indicator Lamp Warning” alerts, all timestamped the day of the crash, stating: “Your Air Bag Warning is on due to an issue with the front passenger air bag system. The front passenger airbag may not work properly.” This alert was not visible on the dashboard prior to the crash and was only discovered after checking the app. This failure of the airbag system placed my daughter at serious risk. A properly seated child passenger of sufficient weight should have been protected. The vehicle had approximately 19,177 miles at the time of the accident and had no prior airbag-related service or known damage. The crash occurred at normal road speed during a left turn when another vehicle impacted my front driver-side area. My vehicle is currently with the insurance company and available for full diagnostic inspection by NHTSA or the manufacturer. The passenger-side OCS and SRS systems should be investigated for sensor failure, deployment failure, or manufacturer defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash

On [XXX], I was involved in a front-left collision while driving my 2020 Ford Mustang GT (VIN: [XXX] ) with my [XXX] daughter in the front passenger seat. She weighs approximately [XXX] and was properly seated with her seatbelt fastened. The only airbag that deployed was the driver’s knee airbag. The front passenger airbag did not deploy at all. After the accident, the FordPass system reported multiple “Restraints Indicator Lamp Warning” alerts, all timestamped the day of the crash, stating: “Your Air Bag Warning is on due to an issue with the front passenger air bag system. The front passenger airbag may not work properly.” This alert was not visible on the dashboard prior to the crash and was only discovered after checking the app. This failure of the airbag system placed my daughter at serious risk. A properly seated child passenger of sufficient weight should have been protected. The vehicle had approximately 19,177 miles at the time of the accident and had no prior airbag-related service or known damage. The crash occurred at normal road speed during a left turn when another vehicle impacted my front driver-side area. My vehicle is currently with the insurance company and available for full diagnostic inspection by NHTSA or the manufacturer. The passenger-side OCS and SRS systems should be investigated for sensor failure, deployment failure, or manufacturer defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash

Two months ago, I brought my 2020 Mustang to the dealership at Surprise Ford in Arizona due to issues with the backup camera. At that time, the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed backup camera, as the screen would consistently go black when the car was shifted into reverse. This posed a clear safety concern. Since then, Ford has released multiple recalls related to backup camera malfunctions in Mustangs from model years 2021 to 2025. The symptoms outlined in these recalls—such as a blank or frozen rearview image—are identical to what I previously reported and experienced with my 2020 Mustang. Given that this is a major safety issue impacting visibility while reversing, and the fact that my vehicle exhibited the same failure pattern prior to the official recall announcement, I am requesting that this issue be reconsidered under the scope of the current recall campaign.

The backup camera stopped working and I notice that there is a big recall on millions of vehicles for the same problem that my vehicle is having. I would also like my backup camera fixed. It just stopped displaying the image and it’s a safety hazard.

Back up camera is showing the objects behind me on the opposite side that they are on.

Rear view camera occasionally does not display and display reads something like "rear view camera disabled - contact dealer".

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the back over prevention screen was blank. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,900.

Coolant intrusion into cylinder/cylinders Problem confirmed by a dealer Check engine light, cylinder 1 missfire is when I noticed an issue

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the message "Contact your Dealer" was displayed on the screen. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was inspected, and the contact was informed that there was no failure found and provided the contact with the cost for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V575000 (VISIBILITY, BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 17,000.

2020 and above Mustang Ecoboost 2.3L engines are supposed to have the revised engine block design to mitigate coolant intrusion into cylinders and head gasket leak issues. My 2020 model year Mustang Ecoboost with the updated block, is suffering from coolant intrusion into cylinder #1. Confirmed by independent ASE certified repair shop as well as Ford dealership. No Codes. Symptoms includes cold start misfires and cold start white smoke from exhaust. MPG was inconsistent as well since the air/fuel ratio is disturbed by coolant intrusion. Car is at roughly 37K miles. IF ISSUE IS NOT REMEDIED, YOUR ENGINE MAY BLOW UP DURING OPERATION WITHOUT WARNING.

My back-up camera is periodically unavailable.

My wife was pulling into her head-in parking space at work and the brakes did not slow the car down. She pressed the brakes hard. The car went over a curb and hit a fire hydrant. The fire hydrant broke off and the car rolled over it. The car went into the street and she steered it to keep it out of traffic and stopped by using the parking brake. There were no warning lights. The airbag(s) did not deploy. There were no personal injuries. The car was inspected by a repair shop and deemed a total loss. A brake line was damaged during the crash. The repair shop personnel did not think the brakes failed prior to the accident because the master cylinder had fluid in it. No other brake inspections have been done.

Crash

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the trunk wing spoiler detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was advised that the trunk and the wing spoiler needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. In addition, the contact stated that during a previous failure, the trunk and the wing spoiler were both replaced. The first two failure occurrence and the trunk and the wing spoiler, were both repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Rear camera is doing the same thing as the other recalls screen glitches when backing up screen turns blue

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact noticed smoke inside the vehicle and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed pistons and a blown engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,300.

The back up camera periodically has a black screen or a blue screen. The sound of an object getting closer some times works and sometimes doesn't. Also the lines showing where the tires are on the camera do not appear either. Transmission was replaced under warranty for several issues. It's the 10 speed version. However even with the new transmission. It tends to lag on gear 4 mainly.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an unusual whining sound. No warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the steering rack column was unusually loose. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed steering rack column. The contact was informed that the steering rack column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall repair which had a similar failure description, however the contact's VIN was not associated with the unknown recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

Transmission Issue. Transmission slams into 2nd gear when downshifting from 3rd. Transmission has grinding noise when going from 4th to 5th. Potential safety issue due to potential transmission failure. Yes, problem is reproducible, however, it is awaiting inspection at Mike Patton Ford. No warning lamps. Car has had transmission issues intermittently since 4/2020. This issue started 2 weeks ago.

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Crash

On 03.29.25 (Saturday) the car started rough and the check engine light came on. I took it to the mechanic 03.31.25 (Sunday) and they inspected the car and told me that it is either the head gasket or the engine block is cracked because there is coolant intrusion into the cylinders. They asked me to call FORD customer service and ask if there was any way to cover it under warranty as the car only has 64K miles. I was told no, the warranty was 5yrs or 60K whichever came first and the 5 years was October of 2024. They suggested I file a report with the NHTSA. The vehicle right now is at the mechanic as I try to decide what I would like to do with it. If the engine failed when driving, I don't know what would have happened. There were no other symptoms to the problem prior to the failure. In fact, weeks earlier I had it inspected to see if any maintenance was needed and it got a clean bill of health.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the back over prevention camera intermittently failed to operate as needed and was distorted or there was a blank image on the screen. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V575000 (VISIBILITY, BACK OVER PREVENTION); and linked the failure to the recall. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and a diagnostic test was performed and the camera failure was confirmed. The dealer notified the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The manufacturer advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.