Exterior Lighting Problems of Ford Mustang - part 1

Ford Mustang owners have reported 42 problems related to exterior lighting (under the exterior lighting category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Ford Mustang based on all problems reported for the Mustang.

1 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2024 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 09/23/2025

Driving down the road all tire sensors went into default – started flickering on and off headlights kept flickering on and off ac kept working and then stopped working.

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2 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2018 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 08/14/2025

While parked all day with the ignition off and lights off, I returned to find the brake lights and third brake light illuminated. The lights stayed on even after moving the brake pedal. I discovered a small broken plastic bumper on the floorboard, which appears to be the brake pedal stop bumper associated with recall 22v011. This failure causes the brake light circuit to remain closed, leaving the brake lamps on continuously, potentially confusing other drivers and draining the battery. No crash occurred.

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3 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2003 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 03/11/2025

Burning of terminal on brake light switch wiring. Brake lights left on.

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4 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2005 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 11/08/2024

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 65 mph on a rainy night, the headlights started flickering. The contact stated that upon exiting the freeway, while driving 30 mph, the headlights completely turned off and the hazard lights were inoperable. The contact drove to the nearest gas station and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

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5 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2024 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 08/25/2024

Unknown. Stress cracks on my tail light started to appear. I have asked others in the Mustang community and quite a few have reported the same cracks except they’ve had water getting inside the tail light. I have taken it to the dealer but have been told I caused it with no visible impact and even the service advisors stating there isn’t any sign of damage from myself or someone else. I have cameras to prove otherwise at home. I don’t want to drive my car and one day my tail light is out and get pulled over especially when there are some issues reported about cracks, moisture, etc. It could cause issues if you’re trying to signal someone from behind if you are getting ready to turn or hazards.

6 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2024 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 06/27/2024

I am dealing with Ford on two brand new Mustangs. That are both failing electrically and they claim they have fixed yet haven’t and still exhibiting gross safety concerns. This is simply large scale negligence. Both Mustangs screens have and are randomly blacking out creating massive safety concern when no guages or functions are present. I’ve contacted them and a. Insider has given me a document showing that they know and have no answers. And for this. Is gross negligence. I demand replacements. Both problems have cause financial damages. And also psychological trauma due to prior car wreck where dash blacked out. This is a known issue and I demand answers.

7 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 06/13/2024

The brake pedal stop bumper in my car disintegrated in the middle of the day and fell off. The brake lights do not turn off anymore and the vehicle can be started and shifted without needing to press the brake. I found a recall # 22s02 for this exact issue but my vehicle is not covered by it (assuming due to region). The vehicle has not been inspected yet.

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8 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 05/21/2024

A plastic clip ("brake pedal bumper") broke and fell out of place, causing the brake pedal to no longer reach the brake light switch. The brake lights now remain illuminated permanently, even with the brakes released. This also caused the engine and transmission to go into "limp mode", the engine no longer revving over 2,000 rpm, the transmission not shifting, and hill-start assist and traction control no longer working, making the car unsafe to drive. The brake lights will remain on even when the car is completely shut off and locked, draining and damaging the battery. It is my understanding that this is a known issue, and there was a recall for this in certain states. (safety recall 22s02, regional recall 22r01). There should be a national recall for this, as the affected part appears to be of low quality, and causes safety issues when it fails, with the car's drivability and lighting affected.

9 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 04/15/2024

Third tail light and rear tail lights remained illuminated after the car was turned off. Driver discovered the brake light switch (rubber/plastic piece) had crumbled into the floor board preventing the tail lights from turning off, thus, becoming a hazard to other motorists on the road as the tail lights remained illuminated even while driving. While the vehicle was being driven, the driver could not accelerate to the appropriate speeds as the car was "thinking" the brakes were being applied and could only approximately drive at 40-50 mph. The vehicle has been inspected and the above information was confirmed as the issue. No other warnings/messages occurred prior to the piece breaking.

10 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2012 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 03/15/2024

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started stalling. The contact pulled over to the side of the road; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission range sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 12v190000 (power train, exterior lighting) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

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11 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2005 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 11/05/2023

Body control module. It gets wet when it rains because of an engineering mess up. It shorts out my lights. Sometimes it can't get out of car because it messes with the locks and windows. Can't use my electric mirrors anymore. Instead of being a much needed recall they decided to not even make replacement bcm. It is a problem everything it gets wet that should have been recalled and fixed. At least a thousand other incidents of this happening to others.

12 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2020 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 02/14/2023

Brake light stop switch replaced 2/2/23. Now brake lights cut off if any pressure is released but foot is not removed from brake pedal. Additional harder pressure is required for brake lights to come back on. Brake lights will flicker and then cut off while foot is on brake pedal. Intermittently comes on as it should. This is an extreme safety hazard.

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13 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2021 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 12/11/2021

Lane departure lane assist failed along with the blind spot and viper visibllity caused me to crash my vehicle. Insurance refusing to fix. This need to be investigated. I don’t remember the impact my insurnace is accusing me of lying and won’t fix the car but I just got it.

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14 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2016 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 11/20/2021

Right rear turn signals and break lights occasionally fail to work. Turning the car off and on 3-4 times temporarily resolved the issue but eventually this temporary fix failed and I was told the entire rear tail light assembly would need to be replaced. An alternative to this total replacement might be found in Ford special service message 47429 where Ford will reprogram the body control module which supposedly corrects the issue.

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15 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 09/20/2021

Traveling on highway using cruise control at posted speed limit. Approached slowdown due to accident and applied brakes. Accelerated to limit (manually) after passing accident. I was in middle lane. Vehicle abruptly began to decelerate. Continuous pressure on gas pedal did not increase speed, so I put on hazards and moved to slow lane. No failures on dashboard and quick scan through gages did not identify an issue. Re-applied pressure to gas pedal wanting to get to next exit. Car sped up, but when approaching 50 mph, it decreased again. Found that pumping gas would allow me to maintain highway speed. Pulled into truck stop at exit and turned car off. Message on console "hill start assist not available". Let vehicle rest 15 minutes, added gas. Quick web search seemed to point to problem with abs sensor. Seemed to drive ok in parking lot and road leading to highway ramp. Decided to try to get closer to home. Problem occurs immediately after climbing to 50 mph. Cruise control won't work. By carefully monitoring speed and pumping gas into overdrive when needed, I was able to get home. Could not get appointment with dealership until late afternoon next day. Hill start assist message comes on again when stopping. After arriving home and parking in garage I went inside for about 30 minutes. Needed to unload items from car and went back to garage noticing that the strip of lights above trunk are still on. Got back in car, started it (got hill assist message), turned lights on/off and turned off car. Now my rear brake lights are also on. I had seen a post about this, so unhooked battery to prevent drain. Next morning, reattached battery and had same problem. After more internet investigation, awesome humans who have also had this dangerous issue and provided a $5 fix instead of a $500+ dealership fix. . Read more...

16 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 05/06/2021

Break switch pad is really easy to break. Break lights stay on after car is stopped and in park and cut off. While driving very dangerous get no power to speed up and when you hit the gas nothing.

17 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2020 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 04/06/2021

Renting vehicle for long term use. Drive as mostly single woman and commute up to 2 hrs. Side lights are attention grabber for night time use. Ex driving on 8 and stopping at rest stop or for gas drew much unwanted attention. My cell phone slid under passenger seat and I had to exit vehicle move car forward and back to try and pry out. This could have broken my needed means of communication or hurt my hand as seat is low for better comfort but no room to grab things underneath. Also back seats strap to allow entry to trunk. As an advocate this is an easy access to stow away passengers or have someone hide in trunk. The traditional strap in between seat and much tighter makes this more of a process but would make more sense to drivers like myself as a victim of sexual assault. Thank you for your time.

18 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2008 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 01/25/2021

The headlights on my 2008 Ford Mustang are dim at best. And it's hard to drive the vehicle at night due to the lighting. I've already had one accident where a deer ran in front of me and that was due to it being at night on a dark road. I have tried to fix it but the mechanic says that it is the way the factory made it. I've already spent $2,300 on fixing the car once and would like to know if there's anything I can do as a safety feature.

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19 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2016 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 03/03/2020

Bad harness wiring for 3rd backup brake light and now backup camera. Received a recall for backup camera. Good info to correct safety hazard. Waiting for backup camera harness to arrive at wynne Ford dealership. I took my vehicle in for safety inspection to wynne Ford, hampton, va, 757-838-3673 and 3rd backup light failed inspection because of safety hazard. On 24 Mar 2020 wynne Ford installed a harness for the bad wiring. Cost to fix safety hazard out of pocket was $279. 41. Request reimbursement of $279. 41 to cover my expense on a safety hazard.

20 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2007 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 12/01/2019

Im having a hard time with my car to get it started. It takes about a minute to start it. I took it to autozone to get it checked and they gave me the report issue the report shows: p0607 control module performance. Also I been having to refill coolant box more often I bealeive it has a leak. Iam very concerned its my only car and I have 2 kids that I have to drive to school and daycare.

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21 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2012 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 03/21/2018

Takata recall when I was driving on highway. Several lights on dashboard turned on (airbag, fuel level , wrench light, tire pressure ) and said tire pressure monitor defaulted. After restarted the car, everything works normally. Ford dealer checked the car and said my pcm didn't work. And replaced it for $1000. After several days the problem came again. They did't fix it.

22 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2005 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 03/05/2018

After we had the first airbag recall replaced we started to experience the flicker 9f the airbag light. We assumed this was due to the necessity of the passenger side airbag needing to be recalled. Our service technician doesn't agree. They say the instrument cluster needs replacing. The only information I can find on that is that all other gauges fail if the cluster needs replacing. That is why I feel that the light is on directly because of the airbag recall.

23 Exterior Lighting problem of the 1999 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 01/20/2018

I have having issues with wiring. Wide shield wipers don't work, multiple head lights are out and dome light stays on sometimes.

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24 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2007 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 01/09/2017

Stafty.

25 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2013 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 08/01/2016

The stereo panel glass is defective because it can not hold up to simple cleaning solutions I. E. Windex type glass cleaners.

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26 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2006 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 10/05/2015

Tl- the contact owns a 2006 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while turning on the vehicle and turning on the head lights that the driver side head light would fail to stay illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis, however the details could not be provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000. Wh.

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27 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2004 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 07/05/2015

Tl-the contact owns a 2004 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that headlamps failed to respond intermittently. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not provided. Ak.

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28 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 03/25/2015

Instrument gauges, tachometer / speedometer are subdue no lighting during day light drivivng. Comes and goes. Safety hazard driver diversion. Engine will over-speed at 7,500 rpm and quit transmission will not shift out of first gear in drive. Ford has stated that the transmission is normal. Hasn't address the engine over speed yet. Gauge lighting has not been fix yet. Four times to Ford.

29 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2012 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 09/26/2014

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the rear driver side marker light was corroded. The contact replaced the bulb, but it failed to illuminate due to corrosion. The vehicle was not diagnosed or replaced. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.

30 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2012 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 06/20/2014

My 2012 Ford Mustang has been experiencing problems starting with the vehicle in the park position. All of the appropriate lights on the dash come on, but the car will not crank until I place the gear shift lever into the neutral position. This happens with the car parked on level ground and the emergency brakes applied and I have verified that the indicator shows the p for park. After, doing research I have found that Ford recalled some 2012/13 Mustangs for the transmission range sensor (trs) which was not properly calibrated affecting the starter interlock preventing the vehicle from starting until the transmission is placed in neutral. The recall was 12c23, NHTSA # 12v190000, my 2012 Mustang was not included in this recall, but I have the same problem with an unproperly calibrated (trs).

31 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2005 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 02/06/2014

Drove not knowing how fast I was going except my gps thank god, airbag said malfuntion popped me in the face, lights were dim couldn't see and drove into a pole. Third huge issue and Ford won'r fix b/c warranty I could have killed or been killed.

32 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2013 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 11/29/2013

All 2013 Mustangs come equipped with led drl lamps that illuminate full time whenever the engine is running. These are two white strips alongside each headlamp. In broad daylight, they are barely noticeable; less up close. On overcast days, they are slightly visible but so dim, they offer no "added" safety effect for having them on, vs other vehicles with drl's. I've seen other Mustangs same year as mine & they are all the same. Nothing wrong with them. At night, they are lit with same brightness level, which is just about right (at night). Why do they advertise having them since they do absolutely no good? in fact, they can give the vehicle operator a false sense of "added security", thinking you are seen more easily by other drivers?.

33 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2012 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 08/07/2013

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the front parking light lenses and became shattered. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician diagnosed that both lenses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000. Updated 04/22/lj.

34 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2007 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 09/20/2011

Went to drive my 3 and a half year old Mustang to work the other day after a big rainstorm. Noticed a musty mold smell but assumed it was nothing. As I drove my car up my driveway, (a slight incline) gallons of water spilled out from under the dashboard on the passenger side behind the glove box. Used a carpet extractor to vacuum up over 2 gallons of water (no kidding, emptied 1 gallon extractor tank 3 times) brought the car to the dealership where it was purchased and was informed that the car needed a repair that was outlined in a technical service bullitin from Ford, but because my car was no longer under warranty, I would be responsible for paying for the repair -and that the gem module needed to be replaced as the water had poured into and damaged it. The price for this, not including replacing the ruined carpet and pad or the rusted seat mounting brackets was over $1100. It says right in the TSB from Ford that this issue is caused by gaps in the sealant around drainage grommets inside the firewall, yet somehow this is the customers problem??? researching online I've encountered hundreds of horror stories from other owners with the same issue, but Ford has been denying this since at least 2005. (6 years!!) they need to be forced to recall these vehicles as it is painfully obvious that they refuse to do so voluntarily. . . The 3 year old vehicle is now a moldy health hazzard and I'm told that it's just a matter of time before the electrical problems begin. Thank you for providing me a forum to vent my frustrations over my "swamp buggy" as I have gotten no satisfaction anywhere else. Sincerely, -john w. Dell.

35 Exterior Lighting problem of the 1989 Ford Mustang

Failure Date: 06/30/2011

My wife was driving the Mustang and following me at night. She had the fog lamps turned on along with the headlamps and the lights went out. She ran off the road before she could stop, but did not cause any damage. The lights kept flickering on and off staying off for several seconds. We finished the trip we were on with just the headlamps and they did not flicker. We did not bring the car back to town until August and I took it to immel motors Ford dealer in fredericksburg, TX. They could find nothing wrong with it. After we got it out it continued to flicker if we used the fog lamps so we quit using them. I recently found that there is a TSB 891711 Aug 89 that identifies that problem. I believe it affects more than just the 1989 Mustangs. I also believe this is a serious safety issue and would not be surprised to find out that it has caused many accidents and possibly even deaths. I was told by Ford that there was not a recall and that I would be responsible for paying to repair it, but immel motors does not know what to do to repair the issue. I believe this should have been recalled a long time ago. I know that there are still a lot of vehicles out there being affected.


Other Common Exterior Lighting related problems of Ford Mustang


Mustang Service Bulletins
Mustang Safety Recalls
Mustang Defect Investigations