1997 Ford Mustang GT
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › Mustang GT › 1997
These records cover every 1997 Ford Mustang GT. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
23 complaints1 involved a crash1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Steering
As I was making a left hand turn on the highway at approx. 15Mph, I heard a loud pop/crack coming from the front of the vehicle. at this time the car started to drift off to the right and onto the side of the road. I tried to turn the steering wheel left to compensate for the change and the…
As I was making a left hand turn on the highway at approx. 15Mph, I heard a loud pop/crack coming from the front of the vehicle. at this time the car started to drift off to the right and onto the side of the road. I tried to turn the steering wheel left to compensate for the change and the steering wheel continued to turn in a 360 degree rotation with no control of the tires. At this time I felt something hit my shoe from above the gas pedal and I realized that something had broke causing me to have absolute no control over the vehicle. after inspecting the steering column, it was evident that the shaft had completely separated from the column that goes into the floor board and into the firewall to the engine. No broken/shard parts of metal nor any broken pieces that could have fallen off were laying underneath. It was as if the shaft was "pulled" out of the column hole. after further inspection at a body shop, it was noted that the vehicle had never been into an accident (just like the carfax report had indicated) because there are no structural damages. the technicians had never seen an issue such as this and have no explanation as to how/why the shaft would just separate with such ease. I've spoken to several mechanics and dealerships and they have never seen/heard of an issue such as this. I bought the mustang from a local used car dealership and they have not disclosed any information regarding steering issues/if there IS any to disclose. I am having the body shop completely replace the shaft because I do not feel safe operating the vehicle, if this issue IS to happen again with such ease and I loose total control of steering capabilities, who IS to say it won't happen on the freeway with children in the car? *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Engine was using coolant/took to ford dealer & they advised it's coming from crack in top of the intake manifold and there had been a recall on these due to class action lawsuit, but time to file ended 4 mos. Ago & we'd have to pay out of pocket. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
My intake manifold has cracked. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
The plastic intake manifold cracked while driving my 1997 mustang with 4.6L. Cost $1020 plus towing, to repair at local ford dealership. Ford refused to provide any financial assistance, citing the chamberlain settlement's exclusions. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Took car to garage to check for reason for loss of coolant. they found that the intake manifold on the ford 4.6 l engine was leaking and stated that this was a known problem. cost to repair was almost $1000 and ford has refused claim on the grounds that this car was not included in the class action lawsuit that ford recently agreed to settle. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Original owner of a 1997 mustang GT. Car had 124,289 miles on it at the time of this incident. I was at a stop light with one car in front of me. Light turned green and we preceded through the intersection. I was still in first gear, car let out a loud bang. It honestly sounded like a gun had…
Original owner of a 1997 mustang GT. Car had 124,289 miles on it at the time of this incident. I was at a stop light with one car in front of me. Light turned green and we preceded through the intersection. I was still in first gear, car let out a loud bang. It honestly sounded like a gun had fired. I was through the intersection so I turned off the engine and coasted to the shoulder. I had the car towed to ford. They told me that the spark plug had exploded and cracked the head. Repairs by ford totaled $2956.91 and it took them a week to fix the car. I have the receipt from ford showing a detailed list of parts replaced, which included replacing the right cylinder head, 8 new spark plugs and gaskets, oil change, engine coolant flushed. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling
I purchased a 1997 ford mustang. the 1ST intake manifold was replaced on may 19, 2000 and handled under warranty. the 2ND intake manifold failed on september 30, 2005. ford refused to handle this under warranty and I paid 1187.07. I believe this should be covered under warranty. please help me. thank you. *Jb
- Engine and engine cooling · Parking brake › Conventional
My emergency brake fails when enganged and the brakes are properly adjusted.the e-brake pops loose causing the car to roll even in 1ST gear.i have been ran over by the failure and the car was sold to me by duval ford and they told me they wouldn't fix beacause of the 131,000 miles but they…
My emergency brake fails when enganged and the brakes are properly adjusted.the e-brake pops loose causing the car to roll even in 1ST gear.i have been ran over by the failure and the car was sold to me by duval ford and they told me they wouldn't fix beacause of the 131,000 miles but they certified the car as perfect for sale.not to include the rear end needed rebuilt the intake was cracked and leaked into the cylinder causing the rod to spin a bearing.
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
Was informed by the garage I took my car to that my master brake cylinder and hydroboost were leaking. I was talking this over with a lawyer friend of mine and she informed me of a recall on federal vehicles, police, etc. But this was not a general recall. But if you had under 100,000 miles on your…
Was informed by the garage I took my car to that my master brake cylinder and hydroboost were leaking. I was talking this over with a lawyer friend of mine and she informed me of a recall on federal vehicles, police, etc. But this was not a general recall. But if you had under 100,000 miles on your vehicle it would be fixed through ford. I called ford and they told me there was no such recall even after I told them I could furnish them with case law numbers in florida. I am not sure what I should do and hope you can help. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling
The vehicle had steam coming out of engine, which could cause over heating. Owner was informed by the dealer that the intake manifold need to be replaced. Dealer would repair at owner's expense. *nm
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
While driving in a 55 mph zone, I attempted to set my cruise control. I did this successfully. however, about 5 minutes later, the car began to slow down as if the control was disengaged. after I realized this, I pumped the brakes to disengage the c/c. it took several attempts of pumping the…
While driving in a 55 mph zone, I attempted to set my cruise control. I did this successfully. however, about 5 minutes later, the car began to slow down as if the control was disengaged. after I realized this, I pumped the brakes to disengage the c/c. it took several attempts of pumping the brakes to release control. once done, I was too paranoid to try using the c/c until recently. I decided to try it with no traffic around in a 35 mph zone on a straight away. the cruise control simply would not engage. I took it to an ase certified shop in ellsworth, maine to have the problem diagnosed. the shop said it was a relay that was burned out. the relay was replaced at a cost of 48 dollars for parts and labor. after replacing the relay, the c/c still does not work. I am more concerned with the sudden slow down and non-release of speed control to the driver than with getting my c/c to work again, but I would like to know what IS to be done about this. especially since it happened on a maine highway in heavy traffic. thank you.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
(1) events leading up to the failure: ford poorly designed an intake manifold so that the coolant running through it actually eats away the plastic. *ak (2) failure and its consequences: the intake cracked and sprayed coolant throughout the engine bay. This rendered the car undriveable. (3)…
(1) events leading up to the failure: ford poorly designed an intake manifold so that the coolant running through it actually eats away the plastic. *ak (2) failure and its consequences: the intake cracked and sprayed coolant throughout the engine bay. This rendered the car undriveable. (3) what was done to correct the failure: nothing was done to correct the failure. ford has a program (97m91) wherein when the part fails(regardless of mileage), the dealership will repair it at no cost to the customer. This program stated that it was covered from 7 years of the start of the warranty of the vehicle. My intake manifold failed at 7 years and 59 days with only 23000 miles on the car.
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
Vehicle's engine started racing and brakes did not respond to stop vehicle.*mr the dealer told the consumer they could not find a problem. The consumer took the vehicle to an outside mechanic who disconnected the cruise control and the consumer has not experienced anymore problems. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
While driving at any speed consumer noticed that vehicle leaked due to a cracked intake manifold. There was a recall for vehicles produced prior to consumer's vehicle. *ak
- Fuel system, other › Storage › Tank assembly
On 2/3/04 I filled up the gas tank on my 1997 ford mustang GT. I then drove 2-3 miles to work. on the way to work I smelled a gasoline odor. when I pulled into the parking lot of my office the smell was very strong. upon exiting my car I saw gasoline streaming out of the bottom of the car. I…
On 2/3/04 I filled up the gas tank on my 1997 ford mustang GT. I then drove 2-3 miles to work. on the way to work I smelled a gasoline odor. when I pulled into the parking lot of my office the smell was very strong. upon exiting my car I saw gasoline streaming out of the bottom of the car. I had the car towed to gwinnett place ford. they called back and told me that the grommet where the filler neck enters the gas tank had dry rotted and failed. this repair cost over $300 excluding towing. had someone behind my car tossed out a cigarette or a spark occurred, there would have been a large fire endangering both myself and other motorists. I contacted ford about this incident and their customer service representatives were very abrupt and rude about taking responsibility for this severe safety issue.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
I have a 1997 ford mutang GT with 106,000 miles, and ford made it clear about a recall on cracked plastic manifolds. My manifold IS currently leaking around the plastic intake which was clearly addressed in the recall. I received no notification from ford. I think ford should replace this at no cost.
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
The vehicle's intake manifold has cracked. A recall was issued, however the dealer stated the part cracked in the wrong place. Please provide additional information. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Intake manifold cracked, causing coolant to be sprayed on engine. A $245 expense just for the plastic part that should have never been put into production, not to mention the safety concerns should the crack had happened rapidly and steamed up the windshield. However, after trying mulitple times to…
Intake manifold cracked, causing coolant to be sprayed on engine. A $245 expense just for the plastic part that should have never been put into production, not to mention the safety concerns should the crack had happened rapidly and steamed up the windshield. However, after trying mulitple times to get the thermostat housing to quit leaking (using rtv on the poorly designed o-ring seal), my son noticed the crack in the intake next to one of the bolt holes used to secure the thermostat elbow. It's unbelievable how such a mature car company can put such a design in production; and to make it worse refuse to volunteer to correct their error.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling
I was driving my 1997 ford mustang GT and all of a sudden the coolant light turned on and the whole cockpit filled up with smoke. upon not being able to see and the coolant light turning on I immediately had to pull over. after towing the car home I noticed that the intake manifold developed a…
I was driving my 1997 ford mustang GT and all of a sudden the coolant light turned on and the whole cockpit filled up with smoke. upon not being able to see and the coolant light turning on I immediately had to pull over. after towing the car home I noticed that the intake manifold developed a crack and anti-freeze was sprayed everywhere. an intake manifold IS a part that should last the life of a car with proper manufacturing. I did some further research and found that food changed the manifold style in 1999 and changed to a aluminum front runner of the intake manifold instead of the plastic resin that the anti-freeze can eat through. I also found a tsb about it #0222. driving at highway speeds and then not being able to see anything IS not a very pleasant experience. especially now that I have a very inconvenient and costly problem that I feel ford should have to pay for. *la
- Power train › Clutch assembly · Power train › Manual transmission
Manual tansmission. No 5TH or reverse. Clutch/tranmission messed up while on interstate.
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Cracked intake manifold. part on this high performance car IS made of plastic. there are numerous web sites that state ford IS aware and has made repairs for this in the past. there IS no recall not 'program' that ford has for this known defect. All will fail at some time. a mechanic…
Cracked intake manifold. part on this high performance car IS made of plastic. there are numerous web sites that state ford IS aware and has made repairs for this in the past. there IS no recall not 'program' that ford has for this known defect. All will fail at some time. a mechanic recommended to contact ford rather than pay him to repair as ford IS aware of this problem and has paid for repairs in the past. *ph
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Cracked intake manifold. *ak
- Structure › Frame and members
My main concern IS with the welding on the rear of the car. I have had the car looked at by more than one independent maintenance professional who has stated that the original defect, the improper welding of the brackets on to the unibody at the factory IS a non-repairable defect. Originally, the…
My main concern IS with the welding on the rear of the car. I have had the car looked at by more than one independent maintenance professional who has stated that the original defect, the improper welding of the brackets on to the unibody at the factory IS a non-repairable defect. Originally, the dealership found the defect and represented to me that the body shop would be able to fix the defect. At that time, I was told the rear tires were pointing to the right. Now I am being told by everyone other than the dealership that they are "toed to the left - no adjustments can be made". At the time the dealership put the car in the body shop for "re-welding" it had only 20628 miles on it, and the tires were completely ruined. The dealership refused to make any allowances for new tires. At that time, the car would fishtail and swerve on right turns, even from a dead stop. I informed the dealership that now the car does the same thing on left turns. I have had them look at the vehicle three times in the last month, and their consistent position IS that there IS nothing wrong with the vehicle. The manufacturer's response was that I needed to go through the dealership. I purchased the car new and paid for an extended warranty which had not expired at the time I brought this back to the attention of the dealership and the manufacturer. At this time, however, the warranty has expired. I do not feel that matters, however, as the defect here IS a manufacturing defect that according to the information which I have, IS non-repairable. I have provided the dealership with the computer printouts which I have from other technicians explaining the problem, but, as I said, their consistent position IS that there IS nothing wrong with my car. And that IS pretty much the extent of their explanation. I will continue to pursue my position with the manufacturer, hopefully with better success.
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.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 620287Some vehicles with manual transmission or with automatic transmission may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detach from the engine.
- 613762Some vehicles with a T-45 transmission may shift from 4TH to neutral (pop out) when the clutch IS released.
- 613630Some vehicles equipped with manual transmission and with automatic transmission may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detach from the engine.
- 612936Some vehicles equipped with manual transmission and with automatic transmission may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detach from the engine.
- 612717Some vehicles with manual and automatic transmissions may exhibit a front end accessory drive (fead) belt that has become broken or frayed and / or detached from the engine.
Every Ford Mustang GT model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.