8 complaints reported

2020 Ford Mustang Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
8
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Feb 2026

THIS IS A SAFETY RISK: TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LEAKING Oil is leaking hard out of the Transmission oil cooler, that sits underneath the car. This oil is being sprayed onto exhaust system generating oil smoke and potentially a fire hazard, when hot oil hits warm exhaust pipes.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2026
Jan 2026

January 22, 2025 Ford Case #CHX-XXX-XXX RE: Approval Code: XXX This vehicle was bought on June 26, 2020 with a 3 year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty along with a 5 year 60,000 mile power train warranty. It has been regularly serviced by Ford dealership as documented on Ford's records. The following dates are documented FORD service and complaints of hard shifts by customer yet no work was done. July 21, 2022, 10,239 miles on vehicle. Under the bumper to bumper warranty. February 28, 2023, 14067 miles on vehicle. Under the bumper to bumper warranty. March 10, 2025. 26,088 miles on vehicle. Under the power train warranty. January 13, 2026. 30,000 miles on vehicle. 5.4 months, 60,000 miles for power train.* *On January 9th brought in to Spring Hill Ford, for same issue, but no transmission tech available for 4 months as stated by service. Brought to Flammer Ford in Tarpon springs for transmission issue on Jan 13, 2026. Dealership states: Transmission is bad and needs necessary rebuild. **Previous Technical bulletins have been sent out by Ford prior to customer complaints date of shifting concerns in 2022. The latest, most in-depth bulletin is dated May 26, 2023 on this very issue. Ford first denied to to "outt of warrenty. 2nd offered to cover an approximate 70% of repair. Final offer to cover 75% of repair. This is not acceptable by customer. Reasoning: with multiple complaints of issue to Ford dealership service, over multiple time periods, all withing the warranty period, customer request Ford to honor the warranty coverage. This was denied. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2026
Sep 2025

Description of the issue: The transmission has a recurring problem with shifting. When placing the vehicle into Reverse, it engages with a harsh and sudden jerk. When shifting from Reverse to Drive, there is a noticeable delay in engagement before the vehicle responds. These problems occur under normal operating conditions and are repeatable. Safety risk: This creates a significant safety hazard. The harsh jerking when shifting into Reverse can cause unintended movement, risking collisions or injury. The delayed engagement when shifting into Drive leaves the driver vulnerable in traffic situations (such as backing out of parking spaces or entering traffic), increasing the chance of an accident. Inspection/confirmation: The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership. However, it has not been permanently resolved. Ford has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) addressing this known transmission problem through a software update. Manufacturer/dealer involvement: When the vehicle was already connected to Ford’s diagnostic system for a Body Control Module recall, the dealer refused to apply the available TSB update for the transmission without charging an additional $280 “diagnostic” fee. This was despite the fact that Ford has officially acknowledged the issue and issued a TSB to address it. No permanent fix has been provided. Availability for inspection: The vehicle and transmission are available for inspection upon request.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2025
Jun 2025

Transmission Issue. Transmission slams into 2nd gear when downshifting from 3rd. Transmission has grinding noise when going from 4th to 5th. Potential safety issue due to potential transmission failure. Yes, problem is reproducible, however, it is awaiting inspection at Mike Patton Ford. No warning lamps. Car has had transmission issues intermittently since 4/2020. This issue started 2 weeks ago.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2025
Apr 2024

Flywheel broke while driving under normal conditions causing damage to clutch. Have to replace the entire assembly along with slave cylinder. When speaking to ford technician they stated it's a common issue

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2024
Aug 2023

Transmission issue. Transmission is leaking fluid. Vehicle is currently at my home waiting to go to dealership during normal business hours. Car started smoking and running hot while getting off the interstate. I was in a travel lane when this happened. Huge safety risk. Fire department was called to ensure there was not a fire that started. Car was towed to my home until it can be towed to a dealer during working hours. General vehicle inspection done by fire department to ensure there was not a fire. They advised the car not be driven until it has been inspected by Ford. No warnings or indications there was a problem other than the smoke billowing from the engine.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
May 2023

The transmission takes over when shifting from first gear. This is a automatic 10 speed that when first driven after setting overnight slips out of first and the engine revs on its own (foot removed from gas pedal) to between 4 and 6 thousand then slams into the next gear. This lurches the vehicle ahead and slams the rear pinion. trying to stop the car is difficult when it revs so high then slams into gear. This also happened in a full parking lot and could have lurched into people. I have had it at the ford dealer several times to fix, The first dealer rode with me and replicated the issue. The first dealer reached out to ford engineers and they suggested replacing the valve body in the transmission. (it was worse after the valve body change) The dealer told me they did change the valve body but there is no warranty information showing that. I have been without my car total of 5 weeks so far and they continue to tell me they cant replicate it. I have it on video and it does it almost daily when I drive it. I will not let my spouse drive the car because of this safety issue. This is the same issue that the f150 had in 2020.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2023
Apr 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 FORD MUSTANG, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Ford Mustang has 8 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.