2003 Ford Mustang Convertible
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › Mustang Convertible › 2003
These records cover every 2003 Ford Mustang Convertible. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
35 complaints1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Service brakes
The brakes been wearing down and this IS the second time fixing them. *js
- Engine
Loud pop noise and vehicle speed very quickly decreased. Engine ran extremely rough. Vehicle towed to ford dealer. *tr
- Air bags · Seat belts · Seats
As an overweight 6'9" citizen and phd scientist, I would like to know what safety tests are done for people that deviate from a normal size and weight. I understand that safety tests are done for children, but what about people that are very tall, or as it IS an increasing problem in the us…
As an overweight 6'9" citizen and phd scientist, I would like to know what safety tests are done for people that deviate from a normal size and weight. I understand that safety tests are done for children, but what about people that are very tall, or as it IS an increasing problem in the us, people that are very obese? my seat belt touches my neck rather than going over my shoulder, potentially exposing me to neck injuries. The passenger airbags will impact my knees rather than my body, and there IS no neck support from my headrest. I am quite concerned that I could be severely injured in an accident since vehicles are not properly tested to support tall and/or overweight individuals. presumably the nhtsa and ntsb could be held liable for a lack of such testing were someone injured in an accident. even neglecting safety information, someone who IS 6'9" such as myself will not fit into most vehicles, and only some vehicles with ample leg/head room are safe for me to drive comfortably. *tr
- Air bags
Making a right turn in a residential neighborhood with a speed of aprox. 10 mph the airbags suddenly deployed on the drivers side and the passengers side. There was no collision with any kind of objects (car,pets.varments,road debris etc;;... ) there was no damage whatsoever to the car. But my son…
Making a right turn in a residential neighborhood with a speed of aprox. 10 mph the airbags suddenly deployed on the drivers side and the passengers side. There was no collision with any kind of objects (car,pets.varments,road debris etc;;... ) there was no damage whatsoever to the car. But my son was knock-out briefly and had injuries to his face, chin, and arms. Thankfully no other cars are people were in the path while he was turning. *tr
- Vehicle speed control
While driving on the turnpike the cruise control system got stuck causing the car to continue accelerated. I had to hit the gas pedal several times before the system desengaged, avoiding rear ending the vehicle in front of me by just a few feet. I got off the highway in the next exit to get a…
While driving on the turnpike the cruise control system got stuck causing the car to continue accelerated. I had to hit the gas pedal several times before the system desengaged, avoiding rear ending the vehicle in front of me by just a few feet. I got off the highway in the next exit to get a coffee, put the car in "park" and the transmission got stuck in "parking" cruise control has not operated since. *js
- Structure › Body · Unknown or other
Puddle of water IS formed in the "well" behind the back seat where the convertible top sits when lowered. I also notice moisture in the other areas such as rear floor mats and trunk. this happens after rain or after car wash. I've noticed hundreds of same issues all over the internet and forums and I have absolutely no idea why nothing IS being done about this. this distracts the driver and causes safety issues.
- Steering
TL* the contact owns a 2003 ford mustang convertible. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when he felt as though something had fallen on his leg. The contact then noticed that the wheels had disengaged from the tires and the steering became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to…
TL* the contact owns a 2003 ford mustang convertible. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when he felt as though something had fallen on his leg. The contact then noticed that the wheels had disengaged from the tires and the steering became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the steering column would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted but advised that they could offer no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 102,000. updated 12/7/11 *cn
- Equipment
I have owned a 2001 and 2003 ford mustang and a 2001 ford explorer all of which had a factory in dash 6 disc changer. each one of these vehicles have had cd's get stuck while it was being ejected and would just pop up cd error and not work. once it starts it happens at least once a week. I have…
I have owned a 2001 and 2003 ford mustang and a 2001 ford explorer all of which had a factory in dash 6 disc changer. each one of these vehicles have had cd's get stuck while it was being ejected and would just pop up cd error and not work. once it starts it happens at least once a week. I have replaced one and had the same problem with it. just like anyone else I attempted to get the cd player to work as I was going down the road. if you the dash in the right spot it will work usually. as you can tell this IS very distracting from driving. I cannot say that it has caused me an accident but I'm sure there are people out there that it has. there are numerous forums on the internet about this problem. when I contacted ford I was told to take it to try to take it to the shop. that they work with ya'll on recalls. I know this may not seem like something that would be a huge safety issue directly, but when you look at how many lives are lost by distracted drivers everyday it turns into a huge problem. *tr
- Suspension
For 2 years I have owned a 2003 mustang cobra convertible. Whenever I reach 60-65 miles an hour my car start to vibrate like a wheel IS off balance. I've gotten new tires several balance but nothing and alignments and nothing seem to help the problem. *Tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system
I parked the car along the curb at ucla and spent the night at the dorms. The car was running perfectly fine, I didn't notice anything different and there were no problems. When I awoke the following morning a friend and I were hungry so we decided to go to mcdonald's. It was approx. 1.5 - 2 miles…
I parked the car along the curb at ucla and spent the night at the dorms. The car was running perfectly fine, I didn't notice anything different and there were no problems. When I awoke the following morning a friend and I were hungry so we decided to go to mcdonald's. It was approx. 1.5 - 2 miles away. While we were sitting in the drive through, I started to hear a loud noise, kind of like a belt squeaking inside the hood. I couldn't tell if it was from my car or the car to the side of me, so I turned the car off. The noise stopped. When I turned the car back on however, the noise got unbearably loud and sounded like metal on metal, and we noticed the aroma of something burning. I exited the drive through and stopped at the red light. I looked at the gauges, and the oil, battery and temperature gauges were all where they normally should be, bout in the middle to slightly above the halfway mark...well...the car suddenly stalled and I assumed then that it had something to do with the transmission. I knew there was a gas station up ahead, so I tried to start the car again, it had some problems starting up, but then finally started and I was going to drive the block remaining to the gas station. All of a sudden, there was a loud pop under the hood, and all the gauges dropped and I turned the car off and let it coast to the sidewalk, when I exited the car, there was oil all over the ground, leaking from somewhere and I noticed that under the hood, the plastic cap that was covering the pistons (i assume) was cracked...there was smoke everywhere. When the tow truck driver came, he said that somehow something came unloose from the engine and shot up through the pistons and that's what broke the plastic cap. He said he's never seen anything like this before in his 30 yrs of service. *tr
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Torque converter
Car began stuttering on acceleration. diagnosed as a failure of the torque converter. unit replaced. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
July 2007 through current date. car stalls when pushing in clutch to stop or make turns. there IS a tsb (17542)on this issue but no recall. this IS a dangerous condition which could be fatal to a novice driver; especially when car stalls during a left hand turn. *tr
- Suspension › Front › Wheel bearing
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford mustang convertible. while driving 30 mph, the traction control light illuminated and the wheels began to spin. the engine stalled momentarily. the contact removed her foot from the accelerator pedal and then accelerated again. the failure recurred. the contact…
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford mustang convertible. while driving 30 mph, the traction control light illuminated and the wheels began to spin. the engine stalled momentarily. the contact removed her foot from the accelerator pedal and then accelerated again. the failure recurred. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and had it recomputerized. a mechanic at a garage sent the vehicle to ford for investigation, but no failures were found. the contact was informed that the bearing may have been the cause of the failure. the current mileage was 28,000 and failure mileage was 27,750. updated 12-12-07. *kb updated
- Suspension › Rear
2003 mustang svt cobra convertible. rear wheel hop with traction control on or off. dealer said this IS the nature of the beast. I feel this could create a hazard or other damage to auto parts. *tr
- Steering
Vehicle has developed a front end shimmy when car IS traveling between 60-65 mph. this IS a 2003 mustang convertible. no one seems to know what the problem IS. *jb
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Accelerator caught on the carpet of car, holding the accelerator down. I was able to get it to come back up by banging on the accelerator, however several seconds passed. this happened while merging onto I-69 near charlotte, mi. no modifications have been made to this car. this IS the second…
Accelerator caught on the carpet of car, holding the accelerator down. I was able to get it to come back up by banging on the accelerator, however several seconds passed. this happened while merging onto I-69 near charlotte, mi. no modifications have been made to this car. this IS the second time this has happened, but my first report. this IS a ford mustang cobra convertible. these are not listed under vehicle. *Jb
- Suspension › Rear
2003 ford mustang convertible rear wheels would bounce up and down when going around corners and when pulling off fast.*mr the consumer stated the problem occurred when the traction control was on or off. the consumer was told the wheel hopping was a characteristic of the vehicle and suggested that the consumer go to an after market supplier. the consumer believes there IS a problem with the rear suspension. *Jb
- Engine and engine cooling
I purchased a brand new 2003 ford mustang cobra convertible in placentia, ca and was very excited to have my first mustang. I am 32 and married with two children ages 13 and 5 so our other car IS a minivan. in the end, as you will see in this description, this was the worst purchase I have ever…
I purchased a brand new 2003 ford mustang cobra convertible in placentia, ca and was very excited to have my first mustang. I am 32 and married with two children ages 13 and 5 so our other car IS a minivan. in the end, as you will see in this description, this was the worst purchase I have ever made in regards to a vehicle. after around 7,000-9,000 miles ( I would have to pull the paperwork as I am at work now) the car over-heated on the freeway and during the overheating the car shut down forcing me to lose power steering and the car began to drift left in to the other lane. I pumped the clutch several times and successfully was able to get the car running just far enough to pull over to the shoulder and call a tow truck. it could have been a lot worse since traffic was moving around 65-70 mph. the car was sent to fritts ford in riverside, ca and I found out that not only was the radiator cap cracked as well as the radiator but the catalytic converter (i know my spelling IS wrong here) needed to be replaced for some reason. I believe they said it had a hole in it which I can't believe after only 7K-9K miles. I also believe they replaced the thermostat. it was too long after I received the car back (about 3K-5K miles) that the overheating happened again, the engine shut down, etc and I was forced to the side of the road and again luckily was not hit by another car. the car was back at the dealer and the radiator and thermostat were replaced I believe. since then I have moved to texas and the same thing has occurred three times in the last 3 months. each time (well the first two since the last one just happened last night) I was told the thermostat was bad and needed to be replaced. I guarantee now that the car IS at bob tomes ford in mckinney texas for the 3RD time with only 22,000 total miles that the thermostat was bad again and needed to be replaced. *nm
- Seat belts › Rear/other
When the rear seat belt retracts, and it has a twist in the belt material (webbing), the retracting mechanism will lock preventing the belt from being pulled back out. this lock IS similar to the locking which the retractor does, as it IS designed to do, during rapid deceleration. the belt…
When the rear seat belt retracts, and it has a twist in the belt material (webbing), the retracting mechanism will lock preventing the belt from being pulled back out. this lock IS similar to the locking which the retractor does, as it IS designed to do, during rapid deceleration. the belt (webbing) "guide" allows the belt to retract with one or more twists in the webbing just as easily as it does when there IS no twists. in other words, the "guide" doesn't prevent the belt from retracting when there IS a twist in the webbing, and thus doesn't prevent the retractor lock up problem. the retractor locks with the belt in the fully retracted position (the webbing IS fully wound up into the retractor). when this happens, this problem makes the seat belt unavailable for usage by the passenger (child) in that seat position. this leaves this passenger (child) with no seat belt to use, and of course, now leaves them vulnerable for serious injury if there IS an accident. this IS not a unit failure, but an unfortunate side effect of the (poor) design. sometimes you can "tease" the retracting mechanism into releasing the lock. however, many times you need to disassemble the mechanism to release the lock. again, this makes the seat belt unavailable for usage until such time that the disassembly can be scheduled and completed. in other words, until the unit can be repaired. seat belts should always be available for usage. anything other than 100% availability for a seat belt IS unacceptable.
- Structure
Convertible top IS leaking causing water damage on inside of car. *nm
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
I am having the same problem as recorded in the current ntsa investigation number pe05038 where accellator pedal stuck wide open due to carpet interference for ford 2003 mustang convertible GT. This happened on 7/22/05 and 7/13/05 and once in 2004 on 8/17/04
- Unknown or other
Accelerator pedal hangs up in carpet and vehicle IS at full throttle without ability to slow down.
- Suspension › Rear · Tires · Wheels
Complete loss of traction - spin out at 30mph while other cars passed me by normally. Felt like the rear end just could not stay on the road. Crawled 100 miles to the airport at 30-35mph with constant loss of traction most of the way on a moist highway. Car kept wanting to turn sideways. Tires…
Complete loss of traction - spin out at 30mph while other cars passed me by normally. Felt like the rear end just could not stay on the road. Crawled 100 miles to the airport at 30-35mph with constant loss of traction most of the way on a moist highway. Car kept wanting to turn sideways. Tires looked good and still do. Tried shutting the trac on/off, no change either way. Could not keep the car straight on the highway as the rear end kept sliding all over the place. I feel like the traction control was locked in either the on or off position or, the emergency brake was on. Scary. This happened in southern oregon, car was purchased in souther california. Dealer in or won't look at, since I can't reproduce effect.
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Caliper
I purchased a 2003 cobra from prestige ford in edmond, ok. I went to the dealership regarding a brake light that continued to light up on the dash. I also complained about the clear coat on the front passenger wheel. I was told to bring the car back when there was somebody with authority…
I purchased a 2003 cobra from prestige ford in edmond, ok. I went to the dealership regarding a brake light that continued to light up on the dash. I also complained about the clear coat on the front passenger wheel. I was told to bring the car back when there was somebody with authority available to talk to. I took the car home and discovered a leaking brake caliper. The dealership knew the caliper was leaking because it was sitting on the showroom floor. their attempt to correct the problem was to install another washer (not the correct one) on the caliper and over-torque the bolt to the point the threads were galled. I removed the incorrect retaining bolt and washer, purchased the correct ones, along with a new caliper. I checked the torque on the other three bolts and they were to factory specs. to discover that prestige ford sold me a $41,000 vehicle that leaves the factory capable of 150+ mph, with a serious and dangerous brake problem infuriates me.*ak
- Structure › Body › Door › Hinge and attachments
Windows leak when washing or driving in the rain.*ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
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…
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 vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it IS possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect IS very low.in view of the foregoing, it IS unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize nhtsa?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition IS denied.
- Accelerator pedal interference
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…
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 analysis.
Every Ford Mustang Convertible model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.