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We found the following complaints for FORD MUSTANG (1988)

Read complaints for FORD MUSTANG (1988)


I was driving to a funeral home to pick up ashes 40 miles from home with two chow dogswhen the steering column started smoking and was burning. The vehicle stalled out and i pulled to the side of the road. I contacted aaa to have the car towed to a reliable repair shop. I had a used oneinstalled as the ford dealer said the computerdoes not go back to that year for parts. I did not know about the recall at that time. However i found out how to find out due toa good morning america show. I contacted the local ford dealer this time in person and again computer could not give any information.the person in charge was john larue and he gave me a phone number to ford 1-800-392-3673 and i called explained the situation andapparently there was nothing they could do as there may be a blanket recall whatever that isand nothing listed on their computer and was blown off. Nothing . Nada. I believe that if you sell it you service it if it is defective. This is my reason for this complaint.

Electrical defect or malfunction within the dashboard area, causing fire.(insurance agent for client)

The contact owns a 1988 ford mustang.while driving 60 mph, the vehicle began riding roughly and the engine failed.the contact pulled out of traffic, waited twenty minutes, and then restarted the vehicle.he drove a block and the vehicle stopped again.the vehicle had to be towed to a mechanic.the diagnosis was that the ignition module failed.the current mileage was 47,000.

Alternator failed four times, causing fire. *dh

Alternator fire.

Alternator failed.

The vehicle had been parked for about 20 minutes in the off position. A vehicle fire originated from under the hood, the cause was a faulty alternator.

Alternator caught fire. *sd

Alternator failed.

Alternator failed three times.

While driving consumer noticed smoke from hood area. Pulled vehicle over to a service center, opened hood and saw alternator on fire. A serviceman tried to put fire out with a extinguisher, but fire would not extinguish until cable on battery was disconnected. *ml

Vehicle horn failed.

The contact owns a 1988 ford mustang.the vehicle will not pass inspection because the turn signals and horn do not work.the dealer was unable to correct the failure because themanufacturer discontinued the parts.the current mileage was 19,400 and failure mileage was 17,000.

Vehicle parked at airport. Owner on trip. Fire occurred while vehicle parked. Fire dept put flames out. Reported as accident. Indicated fire originated in ignition. Wife notified 22 oct 98 of fire. Vehicle was totaled.

Car came to a stop on a highway entrance ramp. Towed to service station.faulty tfi module

On (2) occasions, vehicle caught fire second occurrence w/house catching fire. Please describe details.

My car has ignition stalling problems and ford needs to do a recall.

Ignition switch failure ignition switch was recalled and replaced during nhtsa campaign 96v071000. Ford part #f29a-11572-da. Wiring harness end was also repaired due to melting during overheating of terminals. The switch that was replaced did not melt or fail internally, but became separated. The original switch as well as the replacement switch is made of plastic and a light duty white metal that are crimped on the ends to close the switch. I found that the old switch as well as the new faulty switch, became separated. The end crimps slowly bend open and the top of the switch pushes away from the base. This separation seems to be caused by the internal spring pressure on the switch plates pushing on the battery side. The metal crimps are not able to hold the switch closed. There is no other mechanical fasteners holding this switch together. The increased gap between the contact plates causes an overheating of the switch, primarily at the battery connectors, melting the switch and harness assembly.my first switch only caused damage to the harness and wires. Because i checked into the smell of burning insulation in the column i did not experience a fire or substantial damage. This time, i did not smell anything, but lost power to my turn signals while driving the car on the road. When i traced the power loss i came to the ignition switch and found the harness melting again and the switch nearly splitting in half when it was unbolted from the column. Again the switch opened up as the metal base gave way.

I bought this car new sometime in 1988. Over the years it has often stalled at the worst times. Had i not known defensive military driving these events may have had fatal results. It usually seemed to take place after the vehicle had heated considerably. When itwas cold i was often able to start it up. I have spent years, money and grief trying to find the source of this problem. I am pissed to find out that ford knew all along. My car is doing the same [xxx] thing, what about my car? ford made a comment about replacing those under 100k miles; what cars from this time frame are really under 100k miles? will it affect me in any regard? can you answer any of my questions?information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

While driving smoke started coming from ignition which area dealership informed him ignition burnt out. Vehicle stalled in route to dealer w/problems of exhaust. Please describe details.

The vehicle has caught on fire and exploded, just received letter from ford notifying her of a recall. Fire started in steering column. Recall 96v071000.

While parked,an electrical short in ignition switch, causing the steering column to catch onfire.

On (2) occasions, vehicle caught fire second occurrence w/house catching fire. Please describe details.

The ignition system fails while driving, causing the vehicle to continually stall, consumer is able to restart vehicle on every occasion so far. *mjs

Ignition switch shorted out and caught fire.

Ignition switch fire prior to recall.

Ignition burnt out while driving.

The ignition switch malfunctioned.consumer received recall 96v071000 concerning ignition switch failure. Dealer performed recall repairs, but problem reoccurred. Also, whenheater is on the turn signals are inoperative. Please provide further information.

The vehicles steering column smokes and the car will not turn off when the igniton is turned offand key is removed. Please describe.

Consumer has experienced a shortage in the ignition switch as described in therecall, but this vehicle is not included due to vin #.dealer has been contacted.

Car burned up in the steering column and the dash while parked in backyard on 7/6/96. Received recall notice on 7/8/96. 96v071000. Consumer stated that ignition burn caused dash to burn and windshield to crack.

Electrical short or shock in the ignition switch, smelled a bad smoke in the vehicle, and the vehicle also stalled/hesitated.

Ignition switch shorted out and caught fire.

Ignition switch fire after recall.

Driving car, smoke filled inside of car, car caught fire, driver burned slightly, stopped car & got out, called fire dept to put out fire, fire started due to a short in the ignition wiring.vehicle wa stotaled.

Ignition switch failed, resulting in vehicle fire, consumer not notified of recall on component.

When driving there is a smell of smoke like wires burning,vehicle overheats when driving. Has a recall notice , has taken car to dealer and they did't have parts. Has been 2 months and they still say theydont' have the parts. 96v-071000.

Going down a street, saw smoke coming from the dash of the car,pulled over and got out of the car , checked the hood of vehicle, black smoke came from inside,burned the entire front of the inside of the car.

Ignition switch burned out while driving, resulting in stalling. Please describe details.

Electrical short in the ignition switch,causing the vehicle to catch fire.*aqk

While driving, noticed smoke coming from steering ignition switch, then caught fire.

Ignition switch fire.

The plug attached to the ignition switch has burned the wire inside of the switch.please provide additional information, dealer is aware of the problem. Ph

Ignition switch shorted, causing fire. *dh

Ignition switch fire prior to recall. (attorney for client)

While driving smoke started coming from ignition which area dealership informed him ignition burnt out. Vehicle stalled in route to dealer w/problems of exhaust. Please describe details.

Consumer received recall notice for the ignition switch. Ford will not honor the notice because they say that the vehicle had been flooded.

Ignition switch failed prior to recall notice resulting in vehicle fire.

Electrical: recall #96v071 ignition switch. Had recall work done in may 1996. Vehicle caught fire may 18,1997 . Fireman said it was an electrical problem.

An electrical short or shock caused the vehicle igntion switch to catch on fire while parked.please describe.

Ignition burned out while traveling. Vehicle then began experiencing stalling w/exhaust blown. Please describe details.

Ingition switch and attached wiring has melted.please give more details.

Recall #96v071,electrical ignition switch: had recall work done in august 96. Vehicle parked in lot and someone noticed it was in flames. Vehicle totaled,cause unknown.

This vehicle was part of manufacturer's recall 7774, and was fixed by dealer in 1996.however, ignition switch stopped working because the two wires that power the ignition swith were melted.*ml

Car was parked and caught on fire which started in the steering column area.

The wiring harness in the light started to burn . Please describe .

When driving and put fog light on, the headlights/tail light go off, consumer received service bulletins .service bulletin 89-17-11 states that wiring is too small from the factory, causing fog light problems and possible fire.

Had head & fog lights on. Fog lights started flickering off & on. Fog light switch overheated. Turned off fog lights. Has not taken to dealer as of yet.

Vehicle was parked and dash caught fire.

Vehicle was parked.smoke began coming from dash.car caught fire.fire department was contacted.

The contact owns a 1988 ford mustang. The contact stated while adding air to the tires, the radiator exploded in the engine. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Cooling fan inoperative.

Engine overheating.

Engine overheating.

While driving, consumer began to see smoke coming from under the passenger seat, the vehicle was evacuated and the entire vehicle caught on fire and was destroyed, possible cause of fire was engine oil had leaked onto the exhaust.(ohio traffic crash report 10-90-256)

Smoked entered the vehicle through the air conditioning system, resulting in vehicle fire.

Cooling fan motor replaced.

Since car new had problem when using fog lights, all lights would go out for 5 minutes or more whilst driving. Dealer at that time said there was no problem with lights. I did not realize at that time that the problem was related to the fog lights. I had used fogs frequently on long distance driving and had initally gone off road on fla turnpike. After warranty over, spoke to other gt owners who informed me of the same problem. Stopped using fogs after realizing wiring harness at switch was overheating. (glowing red).

When the headlights and fog lights are on at the same time the lights will flicker.

Headlights blink on/off when fog lights are turned on.

Head lights flash when fog lights are on, completely cut off cooled down.

Headlights go on & off for no reason, mainly on high beam. Any time consumer has the head lights on they start going off and on , but mainly when high beams are on.

Headlights shut off after about (20) of driving then come on after a minute. The dash above headlight switch gets very hot and dash has started to melt. This happens until driving lights are turned off.

No summary listed for above vehicle.

The vehicle's headlights flicker on and off while being used. Please describe.

When the headlights and fog lights are on at the same time the lights will flicker.

Headlights blink on/off when fog lights are turned on.

After 5 to 15 minutes after the fog lights are turned on, all the lights went out.the lights did not come back on for about 5 to 10 seconds.luckily i was able to come to a stop without hitting anything.i have spoken with many people who own late model mustangs, 1986 to 1997, and most of them report this same problem.as secretary and newsletter editor for the first pennsylvania mustang club, i come in contact with many 'mustang' enthusiasts.this problem is so prevelent that it has been covered in national "mustang" magazines several times (specifically, i have read this in mustang monthly and super ford).the problem stems from the circuit breaker in the assembly not being large enough and allowing the switch to overheat.then the circuit trips and does not come back on for several seconds.as you can imagine, the driving/fog lights are usually tuned on when more light is needed due to bad weather.this is a horrible time for all the lights to go out.

Headlight switch circuit breaker failed, causing headlights to go out. (2nd vehicle from 480750)*aw

Headlight switch burns out on a regular basis while driving down the highway. The lights just shut down, leaving only the parking lights. Dealer has been contacted.

Plastic pigtail in wiring started to catch fire and melt, causing headlight failure.

Headlights switch off while driving.

Headlight switch wiring harness and connectors in dash melted and caused a short circuit extinguishing the lights

The contact owns a 1988 ford mustang.the vehicle will not pass inspection because the turn signals and horn do not work.the dealer was unable to correct the failure because themanufacturer discontinued the parts.the current mileage was 19,400 and failure mileage was 17,000.

The ignition switch malfunctioned.consumer received recall 96v071000 concerning ignition switch failure. Dealer performed recall repairs, but problem reoccurred. Also, whenheater is on the turn signals are inoperative. Please provide further information.

Gasoline leak, causing fire.

Fuel pump failed.

Fuel pump wiring burned the fuse recepticle which may have caused the vehicle to explode and cause a fire.please provide further information.

Leak in fuel line caused engine fire.

Leaky quick connect fitting on fuel rail caused vehicle fire.

Fuel hose leak, causing fire.

Seven of the eight fuel injectors leaking where connected to fuel rail; leaking down onto manifold, creating fire hazard.

Hood : driving approximately 55mph and the hood flew up on the vehicle. Got out of vehicle and slammed the hood down.proceeded to drive very slowly,and the hood flew up again just asapproaching the house. Now it won't close at all.

While drivinghood popped open and cracked the windshield. The roof is also bent. Dealer has not seen vehicle.

Transmission vibrates, causing noise, and has failed four times. *dsh

The throttle cable assembly for the throttle valve came undone while driving, and the transmission went out, the driver was stalled in traffic.

The urathane grommet is deteriorating which is causing a cable to fall and is making the transmission go out. Please describe.

Seat belts do not buckle.

The seat belts do not work properly.nlm

Drivers side seat belt does not latch. Female protion does not hold.tt

Passenger side seat latching mechanism will not release.tt

The driver side seat belt buckle won't closed .tt

Driver and passenger side seat belts will not retract.tt

The drivers side and passenger'sside seatbelts will not always retract and would not protect the occupant in an accident.

Driver's side seat belt has unravled and will not retract. Please describe details.

Seat belt return spring is not working properly.please give more detail

Front seat belt will not hold their tension.

The restraining bolt on the bracket of the drivers seat, which prevents the seat from collapsing backward, sheared.i was stopped in a parking lot at the time.had i been in motion, i would have collapsed backward, submarining underneath the seat belt and would have been seriously injured had i crashed.

The restraining bolt on the bracket of the drivers seat, which prevents the seat from collapsing backward, sheared.i was stopped in a parking lot at the time.had i been in motion, i would have collapsed backward, submarining underneath the seat belt and would have been seriously injured had i crashed.

Seatback support collapsed.consumer contacted dealer.

While driving at 65 mph driver hit a curb when applyingbrakes.the brake pedal went down to the floor. Vehicle was towed to the dealer for analysis, and mechanic replaced rotors and parts due to corrosion.

Sway bar replacement/steering wheel separation.mrthe repaired/replaced parts are as followed:sway bar links(replaced the two sides), heat shields had come loose, and the steering wheel had come off on two occasions.the consumer was told he could drive the vehicle while loose and with the broken sway bar/on the right side.the sway bar looked as if it were cut on both sides after repairs.scc

Smelled smoke while driving then fire started coming from steering coloum, entire car was on fire.

During panic stop steering wheel locked up causing loss of control and collision into fence and tree.

Consumer stated that the power steering was repaired.

Sway bar replacement/steering wheel separation.mrthe repaired/replaced parts are as followed:sway bar links(replaced the two sides), heat shields had come loose, and the steering wheel had come off on two occasions.the consumer was told he could drive the vehicle while loose and with the broken sway bar/on the right side.the sway bar looked as if it were cut on both sides after repairs.scc

While drivinghood popped open and cracked the windshield. The roof is also bent. Dealer has not seen vehicle.

Vehicle exterior paint began to peel off and chip away.

Sway bar replacement/steering wheel separation.mrthe repaired/replaced parts are as followed:sway bar links(replaced the two sides), heat shields had come loose, and the steering wheel had come off on two occasions.the consumer was told he could drive the vehicle while loose and with the broken sway bar/on the right side.the sway bar looked as if it were cut on both sides after repairs.scc

Ohtsu tires (p225 65 r15) experienced blowouts, the consumer did not get compensated for either tire.

Dealer told me it was not under warranty, but i think this repair should be covered for the life of the car as it is a safety requirement.*no safety defect listed in summary.

Car from a fast idle jumped into reverse ran out of controlinjuring one person and crashing into two vehicles.

While driving vehicle suddenly accelerated for no reason. State trooper was behind vehicle & gave out a ticket for speeding.

The throttle cable assembly for the throttle valve came undone while driving, and the transmission went out, the driver was stalled in traffic.

Floor mats when placed too high cause accelerator to stick, resulting in acceleration.

About a month ago, while returning from a long trip, the cruise control on my mustang just stopped working.subsequent inspection revealed that the hollow plastic head piece on the actuator cable had broken and the control cable was no longer able to pull on the throttle.the steel cable is terminated a couple of inches back of the throttle arm and slides freely inside the plastic head piece which is attached the throttle arm itself.i assume it built like this to prevent binding when the cruise control is not in use. Fast forward to yesterday, while coming home on the freeway, i was accelerating around some slower moving cars when the throttle jammed wide open.no amount ofmanipulation of the peddle could get problem to clear so i had to kill the ignition and coast to the side of the road.i got out and inspected the linkage and discovered that the end of the cruise control cable had slid past the end of the plastic head piece and had jammed the throttle wide open.the nature of the construction of the cable and theplastic end piece makes this type of failure only possible if the throttle is wide open.it seems to me that this is the kind of problem that recalls are made of.has anybody else experienced this problem? *nlm

Heater core failure.

Power windows inoperative.

Power windows failed.

Power windows inoperative.

Power windows failed.

Right rear wheel detached from the vehicle, causing damage.




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