2002 Ford Mustang GT

Typical pattern

6.9% of complaints about the 2002 Ford Mustang GT came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2002 vehicle — around the middle of the 230 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.2 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (15 complaints), typically at 4.8 yr or about 47,929 miles.

Complaints: 58
Median age at failure: 5.2 yr
Median mileage: 50,000 n=50
Crash / fire / tow: 15.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling 1,000 mi 9 mo in service

CONSUMER STATES ENGINE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKE FUNCTIONS. DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. PH

Engine cooling 9,650 mi 1.5 yr in service

AFTER STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT DURING A RAIN STORM. I ATTEMPTED TO PULL OUT AFTER THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN THE MOTOR DIED. I STARTED THE CAR RIGHT BACK UP. THE NEXT DAY MY BELT STARTED SQUEAKING. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE. ALSO, DURING THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF BUYING THE CAR THE THROW OUT BEARING HAD TO BE REPLACED.

Engine cooling 500 mi 11 mo in service

WHILE BRAKING THE VEHICLES ENGINE DIED. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE CONSUMER WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE ENGINE HAD DIED UNTIL HE ATTEMPTED TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR. *NLM

Other Mustang GT model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2002 Ford Mustang GT

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other Mustang GT model years

How to read this