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Selling a junk Ford Mustang

Any Mustang sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Ford Mustang

NHTSA has 10,236 owner complaints on file for the Ford Mustang, model years 1995 to 2022, the 45th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (2,317, 23%), transmission and drivetrain (1,084, 11%), engine and cooling (868, 8%). 887 complaints involved a crash, 176 a fire, and 312 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 43,000 miles. The 2005 model year has the most complaints (893). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is air bags, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car after an accident: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Ford Mustang by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995829Engine and cooling65391690,000
1996329Engine and cooling2361271,000
1997231Engine and cooling20311—
1998297Engine and cooling52121490,000
1999281Engine and cooling6321060,000
2000427Transmission and drivetrain6410965,000
2001219Air bags422860,000
2002159Engine and cooling259645,901
2003181Engine and cooling236624,000
2004130Speed control210615,000
2005893Air bags4310952,625
2006508Air bags323956,000
2007728Air bags649938,000
2008384Air bags320838,300
2009215Air bags344643,000
2010297Air bags193648,202
2011583Transmission and drivetrain271542,267
2012573Transmission and drivetrain343735,000
2013325Air bags192645,500
2014427Air bags411430,000
2015600Other43141137,000
2016502Engine2310536,650
2017344Driver assistance1812642,000
2018247Engine123433,000
2019199Engine81621,500
2020184Transmission and drivetrain2610823,600
202167Fuel system606—
202277Fuel system819—

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Ford Mustang recalls

NHTSA lists 69 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (13), lights (10), driver assistance (7). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2019 model year, electrical system (campaign 26V372000, Jun 2026): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Ford Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 19V076. At vehicle start-up, the Instrument Panel Clu…
  • 2020 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V695000, Oct 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles.…
  • 2021 model year, electrical system (campaign 25V689000, Oct 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Mustang vehicles repaired incorrectly under recall number 23V727. The brake fluid level sensor may not activate the visual warning indicator when the brake fluid i…
  • 2015 model year, seat belts (campaign 25V614000, Sep 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles. Water and road salt may corrode the front seat belt anchor pretensioner cables.
  • 2015 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V572000, Sep 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-201…

What a Ford Mustang is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Mustang on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Ford Mustang worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Mustang gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Ford Mustang that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ford Mustang?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Ford Mustang numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.