The contact owns a 2025 Ford Mustang. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 25V546000 (Exterior Lighting) and 26V418000 (Visibility); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that several exterior lights randomly illuminated while the vehicle was turned on or off, causing the battery to drain. The parking lights, headlights, and the turn signals were unintendedly illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed that parts for the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 26V418000 (Visibility) were not yet available. The dealer confirmed that there was water intrusion into the module at the front of the vehicle that had caused an electrical short. The dealer stated that the wiring harness needed to be replaced before the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V546000 (Exterior Lighting). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.
Ford Mustang headlights problems
109 of the 8,915 owner complaints about the Ford Mustang describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 109
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 60,000
By model year
Often reported together
Water leak 10Wipers 5Stalling 5Fire or smoke 4Door locks 4Check engine light 4Won't start 3Jerking 3
What owners say
“Charge system service now” came on the dash, battery lost power after about 10 seconds, screen went black, dash went black, car locked up, opened the hood and the engine was on fire, called 911 who came quickly and put the fire out without the entire car burning, insurance later total losses the car. I don’t know if it was the battery or the engine responsible for the failure, because the flames were on the engine and not the battery, but the incident was triggered by a battery warning. I was on the interstate driving 60mph when the car shut off and everything including my headlights and even hazard lights went black. Not only could I have been struck by a car on the interstate, I could have died in a car fire. Because the car locked up, I couldn’t open the trunk or use any electronics. The door could have just as easily locked and trapped us inside a burning car. The car is on a salvage yard, no attempt to replicate has been made. Progressive insurance, and Columbia fire inspected it and found that it was undetermined. “Charge service system now” was the only warning before the infotainment screen shut down to reduce battery usage. Every light on the dash flashed right before everything on the dash went black and power was lost to the entire vehicle.
Driving down the road all tire sensors went into default – started flickering on and off headlights kept flickering on and off AC kept working and then stopped working.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on a rainy night, the headlights started flickering. The contact stated that upon exiting the freeway, while driving 30 MPH, the headlights completely turned off and the hazard lights were inoperable. The contact drove to the nearest gas station and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
The headlights on my 2008 Ford Mustang are dim at best. And it's hard to drive the vehicle at night due to the lighting. I've already had one accident where a deer ran in front of me and that was due to it being at night on a dark Road. I have tried to fix it but the mechanic says that it is the way the factory made it. I've already spent $2,300 on fixing the car once and would like to know if there's anything I can do as a safety feature
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that one day after a rainstorm she noticed several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the headlights were inoperable due to the water leaking into the interior of the vehicle. Additionally, there was water leaking into the interior of the dashboard. There was also water coming out of the driver’s side front air vent and the interior lighting in the vehicle from the interior module and center console. The lights were flickering on and off. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer however, the dealer was not able to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Tl * the contact owns a 2020 ford mustang. The contact stated while driving and pulling into a parking spot, the contact heard a loud clicking sound coming from the vehicle. Additionally, the interior lights and headlights started flickering. The contact stated that the vehicle loss motive power and stalled, without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to towne ford of redwood city (1601 el camino real, redwood city, ca 94063) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was caused by the battery however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure . The failure mileage was 20,318.
Forward collision avoidance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, driver notification and auto high beam control stopped working on 2018 ford mustang. Car currently in shop having image processing module recalibrated for $1232.22. This is a known issue for other mustangs as indicated by recall 20s26. Ford claims my car is not included in this recall even though it appears to be for the same, known issue. The system alerts me this is not working as soon as the car is started via message on dash and several beeps.
Tl* the contact owns a 1994 ford mustang. The contact stated that while driving at night, the headlamps were very dim. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the hood latch fractured causing the hood to raise up and crack the windshield and damage to the dashboard. The contact stated that the seat heater over heated and the wiring harness was disconnected. The vehicle was not diagnosed. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted by letter however, there was no response. The contact mentioned the federal safety agency campaign number: 09e025000 (exterior lighting), 97v180000 (structure), and 95v062000 (seats) as a possible solution to the failures however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000. *ck*bf consumer stated there was water damage and problems persisted.
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.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Mustang, and Mustang GTD vehicles. Water may enter the body control module and cause a loss of communication with the exterior lighting, including the license plate light, side marker, and tail lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- License plate, side marker, and tail lights that fail to illuminate as intended can reduce visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and seal the body seams as necessary. Dealers will also inspect the body control module for corrosion and replace it, if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 10, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C43.
Recall number 25V546000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: lighting control module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang Mach E, and Mustang vehicles. The LED Driver Modules may contain a burnt diode, which can cause the low-beam and high-beam headlights, daytime running lights, front position lights, and front turn signals to fail in the affected headlight. On Nautilus vehicles only, this condition may also cause the rear tail light, rear turn signal, and rear position light to fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Exterior lighting failure can reduce visibility for the driver and other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the LED Driver Modules, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C39.
Recall number 25V519000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: back up lights
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 ford f-150, 2012 expedition and lincoln navigator, and 2012-2013 mustang vehicles, for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard nos. 102, "transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect" and 108 lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment. these vehicles may have a transmission range sensor (trs) that was calibrated out of specification for reverse gear.
- Risk
- If this condition exists, the transmission may not go into reverse or when the driver pushes the shift lever in the reverse r position and the vehicles transmission does go in reverse, the r may not illuminate on the dashboard of the f-150, expedition, or navigator models and/or the backup lamp on the rear of the f-150, expedition, navigator, or mustang vehicles may not illuminate. These conditions increase the risk of a crash or a pedestrian being struck due to the vehicles not signaling it is in reverse.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the trs as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on june 11, 2012. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 12V190000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Mustang headlights
Which Ford Mustang years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (17 complaints), 2000 (12 complaints) and 2001 (10 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Ford Mustang?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 13 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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