1998 Ford Mustang: common problems and reliability

The 1998 Ford Mustang has 336 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 14 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are engine and engine cooling and fuel system. Owners most often flag manual transmission (mt-82) concerns: grinding, notchy feel, and general reliability concerns. frequency: recurrent.

Safety record for the 1998 model year

336
Owner complaints
14
Recalls
51
Crash reports
22
Fire reports

Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 1998 Ford Mustang vehicles (US, public record).

Is 1998 a good year for the Mustang?

Across the 17 Mustang model years we track, complaint volume runs from 112 (2024) to 868 (2005). With 336 complaints, the 1998 Mustang sits abovethe model's median of 260.

These are raw NHTSA complaint totals, not adjusted for how many cars sold or how long each model year has been on the road. Older and higher-selling years accumulate more complaints.

Where owners report problems

engine and engine cooling
97
fuel system
32
gasoline
32
seat belts
25
vehicle speed control
24

Recalls affecting the 1998 Mustang

exterior lighting:headlights

Campaign 09E025000

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMEN

exterior lighting:headlights

Campaign 08E050000

K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF F

exterior lighting:headlights

Campaign 06E023000

CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHI

fuel system, gasoline

Campaign 06E056000

CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTOR

What owners say across generations

Sentiment is highly fragmented and generation-dependent. Long-term owner reports for older generations (e.g., SN95/New Edge, S197) often express strong satisfaction with reliability, simplicity, and the ownership experience, with some…

  • S550 Generation (2015-2023) Common Issues:
  • Manual Transmission (MT-82) Concerns: Grinding, notchy feel, and general reliability concerns. Frequency: Recurrent.

Owner insights cover all generations of the Mustang. See the full Mustang owner picture and every model year.

Typical used price

Used Mustang listings typically run $30,638–$44,149 across 2007 to 2026 model years.

Other Mustang model years

Compare every Mustang year side by side to see how 1998 ranks against the rest.

Compare the Mustang against its rivals