Known engine coolant intrusion problem with the Ford EcoBoost engine. It misfires and was confirmed by a service center that a whole new engine was needed. Car shaking and rumbling-- gas smell. Afraid of it catching fire.
Ford Mustang fuel smell problems
32 of the 8,915 owner complaints about the Ford Mustang describe gas smell in the cabin, most of them for the 1998 model year.
- owner complaints
- 32
- worst model year
- 1998
- typical mileage
- 36,400
Is there a fix? There are 7 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 4Stalling 3Fuel leak 3Misfire 2Hesitation 2Loss of power 1Jerking 1Headlights 1
What owners say
While driving up hill in low gear, the vehicle suddenly will jerk, a service light will come on, and a powertrain warning will occur. When this happens, it warns that the pre-collision assist is unavailable, as well as the exhaust mode selection. Once this occurs, the vehicle becomes much more difficult to drive as the rev match no longer occurs, the vehicle no longer increases revs as you start releasing the clutch, and when in gear it becomes more jerky as you are driving along. I don't have the experience but I suspect it is essentially in a low power mode with minimal computer aid. After being able to pull off and turn the car off for a number of minutes (not off and on as that does not resolve it), the vehicle returns to normal. This has happened twice now while driving on the same section of roadway in almost the exact same spot. I previously called the dealer after the first time and they told me if it happens again to bring it in. They did not seem interested in looking at it. I will be hopefully doing that tomorrow. I am not sure if it is related, but the vehicle did seem like it was running rich earlier in the day (a slight smell of gas when driving by).
Campaign 23E12 under hood liquid fuel jumper line. Gasoline smells inside vehicle and engine stalls to start after refueling. Check Engine light.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the RPM's increase rapidly but the vehicle lost motive power. The contact also stated that there was a gasoline odor present inside the vehicle. The check engine and service engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the fuel tank filler pipe, fuel vapor line, and fuel supply tube. The fuel tank filler pipe was repaired. The fuel vapor line, and fuel supply tube were not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 14V774000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 15V339000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 34,000.
I am looking for support concerning a possible defect with our 2016 Mustang V6. It appears to be a fuel tank defect. Causing our garage to completely smell like gas when the car is full of fuel. Similar to recall# 15v339-7601. Our car has a hairline fracture (according to our dealership service department). They attempted to repair the issue by replacing the EVAP line, instead found a crack in the EVAP nipple. According to our dealership the emissions warranty expired the week before we reported the issue in 2023. This is upsetting as I feel this is not a maintenance issue and more of a design flaw as Ford changed the design of the fuel tank after 2017. The dealership wants us to pay for this service but this is not our fault they fixed it incorrectly. I feel like this should be a recall or some sort of extended warranty from Ford for a design flaw.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact state that the while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a right turn, the vehicle failed to shift into 2nd gear and stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that upon inspecting under the hood of the vehicle, he noticed that the clutch fluid line had shifted back and forth causing the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that he smelled a burning fuel odor inside the engine. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle and drove the vehicle in 1st gear. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,923.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Mustang. The contact stated there was an abnormal fuel odor outside the vehicle. The contact stated that the “Check Fuel Inlet” message was displayed, and the emissions warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 138,000.
There is a recall for fuel odor on build dates 9/14-10/14 due to a failed fuel line sensor. My vehicle has a build date of 8/14 and is experiencing the same issue but not covered under the recall, which is a heavy fuel odor after putting gas in. Any amount of fuel put in has a severe odor, it doesn't have to be filled.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, there was an abnormally strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced because the cap on the fuel tank was fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was no recall for that failure. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 31,115. The consumer stated the vent nipple on the top of the gas tank failed.
Few months ago, suddendly I got a bad gasoline smell coming from the aft of the car. The smell is strong when I refill the tank. Brought the car to FORD service, they found a very small crack on top of the tank. I'm very surprised how a 5 years car got this kind of safety issue, FORD wants charge me 2000$ to fix it. FYI: I'm not been caught in any kind of accident.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco, Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, 2021-2022 Lincoln Navigator, Mustang, F-150, and 2022 Expedition vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump may fail, which can result in an engine stall while driving.
- Risk
- An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump on super duty vehicles and update the powertrain control module (PCM) software on all other affected vehicles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S75.
Recall number 25V455000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: injectors
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2023-2024 Escape, 2024 Mustang, and 2025 Explorer vehicles. The fuel injectors may have been assembled without O-ring support discs, which can result in a fuel leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install new fuel injector O-rings and O-ring support discs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 7, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S54.
Recall number 24V634000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024 Mustang vehicles equipped with 2.3L engines. The low-pressure fuel supply line may be damaged or cut, which can result in a fuel leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire. In addition, a loss of fuel may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel supply line, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 4, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S19.
Recall number 24V220000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Mustang vehicles manufactured February 14, 2014, to February 10, 2015, and equipped with 2.3L engines. Prolonged exposure to elevated underbody temperatures can cause degradation of the fuel tank and/or fuel vapor lines, which may eventually result in a fuel leak. In addition, this condition could cause seals in the parking brake cable to degrade, potentially affecting parking brake function.
- Risk
- If the vehicle experiences a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source it can, increase the risk of a vehicle fire. Reduced parking brake function could potentially result in unexpected vehicle movement, which may increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank shield, add thermal patches to the fuel tank and parking brake cable, and add thermal wraps to the fuel vapor lines. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 9, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S19.
Recall number 15V339000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Mustang vehicles manufactured September 25, 2014, to October 9, 2014. The fuel pressure sensor may not have been seated properly to the fuel jumper line, which may cause a fuel leak.
- Risk
- A partially seated fuel pressure sensor could cause a fuel odor or a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire in the presence of an ignition source.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel jumper line, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S27.
Recall number 14V774000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 4.6l engines. Some of these vehicles has missing or inadequate braze joints between the fuel rail body and the fuel rail mounting bracket(s).
- Risk
- If the bracket separates from the rail, the rail can lift one or more of the injectors, and fuel leakage will result. In the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel rail on these vehicles.
Recall number 97V216000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
- What is wrong
- The fuel rail that provides the fuel supply to the fuel injectors has an improperly formed tube which has the potential to fracture, causing fuel to leak.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source canresult in a fire.
- Remedy
- The engine fuel rail will be replaced.
Recall number 93V159000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Mustang fuel smell
Which Ford Mustang years have gas smell in the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1998 (5 complaints), 2001 (5 complaints) and 2014 (3 complaints).
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