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2000 Ford Mustang problems

The most common problem on the 2000 Ford Mustang is brakes, typically around 19,158 miles. It has 1.2 times the complaints of a typical Mustang model year.

Typical year1.2x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
310
Recalls
2
Service bulletins
139
Worst area
Brakes
Fuel economy
14-21mpg

The worst 2000 Ford Mustang problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2000 Ford Mustang

No deployment 21Seat belt 18Stalling 14Headlights 12Knocking 9Fire or smoke 9Brake failure 8Fuel leak 5Power steering loss 5

Recalls 2

Parking brake: conventionalReported October 30, 2000 · 434,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. If a vehicle is parked with the parking brake not fully applied and not in first gear, as directed in the owner guide, and the self adjustment pawl subsequently skips one or two teeth, the vehicle could move on some grades.
Risk
This could result in unintended vehicle movement and a vehicle crash without prior warning.
Remedy
Dealers will modify the parking brake control and install a plate or over-bracket to the control to lock the self adjust mechanism in position following adjustment.

Recall number 00V349000 · Recall details

Seat belts: front: anchorageReported September 20, 1999 · 25,306 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The seat belt retractor may have a pin shaft in the switchable elr/alr mechanism that is incorrectly formed. In some circumstances, the switching mechanism could become nonfunctional, preventing the seat belt webbing from being extracted from the retractor. It is also possible that malfunction of the mechanism could prevent the belt from being switched into the alr mode. The elr mechanism is not affected by this condition.
Risk
If the mechanism malfunctions and does not allow the webbing to be extracted, the lap and shoulder belt could not be worn by a vehicle occupant. In the event that the mechanism does not allow the alr mode to be engaged, the operator may be unable to properly install a child seat in that seating position.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the lap and shoulder belt assemblies. Assemblies with julian date codes of 200 through 223 are suspect and will be replaced.

Recall number 99V250000 · Recall details

See all 2 recalls for the 2000 Ford Mustang

Defect investigations

Spark plug ejection from cylinder headOpened September 22, 2005, closed January 4, 2006

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 2000 Ford Mustang 139

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 139 bulletins for the 2000 Ford Mustang

2000 Ford Mustang fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
3.8L 6‑cylRWD17-1825-2620-21
4.6L 8‑cylRWD15-1622-2318
5.4L 8‑cylRWD121714

What 2000 Ford Mustang owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 30, 2025 · Transmission · 105,000 miles · GA · crash

The contact owns a 1965 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle unintendedly reversed on an incline of a parking lot and struck another parked unoccupied vehicle. There was no injury sustained. The contact stated that the vehicle was not designed with air bags. The vehicle sustained fenders, bumpers, and paint damage. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had unintendedly shifted from park(P) to reverse(R). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Oct 5, 2021 · Seat belts · CA

Drivers side and passenger (front) seatbelts no longer operational. They do not retract and they do not lock in place -- this is a safety issue. We attempted to get them replaced, but our Ford dealer has confirmed the drivers side belt has been discontinued. We have no recourse here.

Filed Jul 23, 2020 · Seat belts · 78,854 miles · MO

As many have said the pass. Side seat belt is jammed up, cannot be used. Even if you spend rime and completely straighten every thing out it works maybe once and jams up again. The complaints are legit. This car has 80,134 miles on it.

Filed Jul 8, 2020 · Lights · 120,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford mustang. The contact stated that the headlights were dimmed and made it difficult to see while driving in low light conditions. The contact stated that the side amber reflector lights were missing from the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the headlights failed to meet the fmvss requirements. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Filed Jun 27, 2020 · Airbags · 11 miles · TX · 1 injury

I was making a normal order delivery drop off going off my GPS I came to a narrow road where no signs of a dip ahead. Came to a dip ahead that you couldn't tell it was a dip and I wasn't going no more than 11 to13 miles when I was coming over it and my airbags busted out of my steering wheel hitting my hand and my arm leaving burn marks. I couldn't stay on the road so I waited 30 mins before I drove slowly back to my house cause then my tire started going low.

Filed Jun 9, 2018 · Brakes, Engine · 116,000 miles · NV

Is a big problem shifting in a gear after in first gear starts to sputter and shake believe it's the transmission manual 5-speed also engine overheating and knocking sounds vibrations coming from engine compartment brakes have always been shaky even if applied slowly and softly

Filed Jun 14, 2017 · Airbags, Seat belts · 193,550 miles · CA

As I was pulling into a friend's drive way, my airbags just went off. The seat belts don't retract

Filed Jun 10, 2017 · Body · 1 miles · CA

Vehicle report file no. 15-010497.

Filed Dec 3, 2015 · Fuel system · 97,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford mustang. The contact stated that while driving, there was an odor of fuel present inside vehicle and fuel was discovered to be leaking under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the fuel filler line had corroded. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000. Updated 04/06/16*lj; updated 05/02/18

Filed Jun 12, 2015 · Seat belts · SC

My passenger side seat belt does not work.

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2000 Ford Mustang before you buy

Compare the 2000 Ford Mustang

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Other model years

1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026

Questions about the 2000 Ford Mustang

Is the 2000 Ford Mustang reliable?

Owners have filed 310 complaints about the 2000 Ford Mustang, 1.2 times a typical Mustang model year.

What is the most common problem with the 2000 Ford Mustang?

Brakes, with 63 complaints, typically around 19,158 miles. Next is airbags (42).

How many recalls does the 2000 Ford Mustang have?

2 recalls, covering parking brake and seat belts.

Was there a recall on the 2000 Ford Mustang brakes?

Yes, 1 recall: 00V349000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Ford Mustang have bad brakes?

The Ford Mustang model years with the most brakes complaints are 2000 (63 complaints), 2015 (51 complaints) and 1999 (44 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2000 Ford Mustang get?

Official estimates for the 2000 Ford Mustang range from 14 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.8L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 17-18 city and 25-26 highway.

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