Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford mustang convertible. The contact stated that the rear passenger seat belts malfunctioned and would not secure anyone sitting in the rear of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and advised that he would need to purchase replacement seat belts for the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The VIN was not available.
The worst 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine4
- Seat belts3
- Acceleration1
- Fuel system1
- Seats1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine4
- Seat belts3
- Acceleration1
- Fuel system1
- Seats1
- Steering1
- Suspension1
- Transmission1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
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 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 the federal safety agency 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 the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible 8
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Vehicles may experience vibration/shake at steady speed approximately 100 km/h (62 mps), vehicles with 3.8...
- Some vehicles may exhibit a rattle noise from the door wedge when driving on rough roads
- Some vehicles may exhibit vibration / shake when driven on smooth roads at spped around 62 mph / 100 kph
- Some vehicles may exhibit concerns of vibration / shake
- Experiencing vibration / shake when driven on smooth roads at speed around 62 mph / 100 kph
- Some gt convertibles may experiences vibration / shake when driven on smooth roads at constant speeds...
- Some vehicles may experience vibration/shake when driven on smooth roads at constant speeds around 62...
- Some gt models may experience vibration / shake when driven on smooth roads at constant speeds around 62...
What 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
We took our 1998 6 cylinder mustang in for an oil change. It has about 90,000 miles on it. We were told that it is leaking fuel and that it is a safety hazard. We now have to spend $1000 to replace the fuel rail, both valve gaskets, valve cover gaskets and fuel injector o rings. Plus a significant amount on labor. We were told that our car/engine will catch fire, if we do not replace these parts. This is my daughter who is in college's car. How can they have such a horrible design and if we replace the parts is this going to be repeated? The other issue is that there was no warning from an engine light or anything else. The technician checked it because when he looked under the hood, he thought he smelled gas and then found the leak. We hadn't noticed a leak. My daughter could have been killed driving back to school this week.
Passenger and rear seat belts stopped working....cannot pull them out.
I was traveling home from work and was just starting to brake to make a right turn into my crescent when the vehicle started accelerating uncontrollably. I drove up onto the curb and took out two sections of fence and turned my wheel hard to avoid hitting a parked car, the acceleration finally stopped when I cranked the wheel, no effect when I was braking at all! I have injured muscles in my neck and back.
I have a 98 ford mustang gt. The car is covered in the class action suit, but I found out about it 3 months after it expiried. (ford vs. Chamberlin). It's a major problem in all cars between 96-99. I'm sure you have more information on it.
Dt*: the contact stated, the engine overheated due to cracks in the head gasket, causing the transmission to slip. There was an accident on 6/20/06 due to the transmission slippage. It was raining and the rate of speed was 30mph. No injuries incurred but minor damage to the other vehicle was reported in the police report.
Dt: when making a right turn at a speed of about 20-25 MPH the steering wheel kept turning but the wheels were not moving. This was the first time anything like this happened. This caused the consumer to hit a parked car. The car was extensively damaged, but has not been totaled by the insurance company. Insurance company instructed a mechanic to inspect the steering wheel, it was noted there was problem with the shaft which broke and therefore caused the accident. The mechanic said he had never seen anything like this before. It was noted by the mechanic, and the insurance company as a defective steering on the car involving the shaft. Mechanic said he must repair vehicle to determine if there was other issues within the steering or suspension. As of yet no repairs have been made. *ak the consumer stated he and the owner of the other vehicle did not think it was necessary to file a police report since the damage was minimal.
1. I was driving from san diego to fresno, on I-5. About 70 MPH. I stretched, and leaned back into the seat, when the seat flipped backwards far enough to cause me to loose sight of the road. Fortunately, I was holding the steering wheel tightly enough to raise myself quickly and regain control of the vehicle.*ak 2. A metal bracket that connects the seat to the floor track broke, causing a loss of rigidity of the seat. 3. I will have to replace the part, or get it welded, in order for the vehicle to be safely driven.
I was driving home when I smelled coolant. When I got home and checked for leaks I found that the intake manifold was cracked and leaking coolant it to the engine valley. My moms '96 cougar and friends '98 mustang did the same thing. They had to have the manifold replaced.
Driver-side seat belt is severly frayed/compromised. The portion of the belt that is damaged can be seen when the belt is extended out as in use (extended) and looking down at the retractor assembly. I believe this excessive wear condition is produced by normal driver movements that cause the belt to rub against the guide located on the outboard base of the seat near the retractor assembly. I can provide digital images of the problem, if that is helpful to you. [email protected]
Compare the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible
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Questions about the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible
Is the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible reliable?
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible, fewer than a typical Mustang Convertible model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible?
Engine and cooling, with 4 complaints. Next is seat belts (3).
How many recalls does the 1998 Ford Mustang Convertible have?
No recalls on record.
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