Ford Mustang Electrical Problems

medewey

I started the car yesterday and the radio was turning on and off (by it self) and the electric windows would not work.The mirrors still work and all guages work. It sounds like a relay is turning off and on,any one seen this before.Thanks for any help.
DW

otterway

Please can someone help. Ive just found that my right side turn signal lights are permanently ON. If i use the right turn signal i get the clicking sound but at twice the normal speed. The only fuse I have found that turns them off is fuse 59 (instrument panel fuse box). Im no electrician so any help would be greatly appreciated.

lavrishevo

I don't know if you have over 36,000 miles but if I were you I would just take it in. Probably have a short in the electrical line to the tail light assembly. You could check to make sure it's not pinched or bent. If it was a fuse it would not work at all. Good luck.

lavrishevo

Hey guys, found a list of Ford TSB's and detailed instructions on how to fix them. This is very useful, gives you the power to somewhat diagnose a problem you may or might have with your Mustang be able to go to the dealer knowing more information then they do at times. Just be slick on how you go about letting them know the problem. Dealers seems to hate you diagnosing your car yourself.

Daniel

http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Ford/index-issue.html

pony_pirate

These are not specific to the Mustang. For a list specific to the Mustang, as well as the model year, check out Edmunds' list.

geeja

Sounds like a bulb on the right side is burned out.

stangaholic

I have had my 06 V6 for 3 months now and use it as a daily driver. It has very mysterious problems that come and go all I think are related to one or more electrical problems. They are so intermittent that the dealer can never duplicate them and has yet to solve them. Some of the things it does:

The stereo (shaker 500) suddenly becomes sluggish (it takes 30+ seconds to change volume am/fm or turn off. If turned off while in this state it will not come back on. Let it set for a few hours and all is fine.

Occasionally, after driving the car will not start while hot.

Occasionally, while driving the transmission makes poor shift decisions and either doesn't downshift when accelerating (even at WOT) or just downshifts to remind me it is there while in cruise on a flat surface.

Occasionally, after driving a short distance and coming to a stop when starting to accelerate the car stumbles (hard almost stalling) then after a few seconds, takes off.

These are the frustrating problems not including the list of things that the dealer can fix:

Left speaker has a harmonic vibration.
Right door rattles.
Weather-strip doesn't seal against the convertible top.
Convertible top has a listing that causes a rattle at highway speeds(front listing).
CD Player skips unless the disc is new and 100% dust free.

Oy!
:sick:

lmm

If the radio continues to do this have them swap it out. The Shaker has had many complaints.

Your stumbling has been noticed by others. There is a tsb for the fuel system. It also could be due to the drive by wire throttle.
There are many sites that list the tsb's. do a search.

I havent had any transmission issues. But many mod their mustang to override the computer to get rid of throttle lag, shift points, etc.

jewelsstang

Many of the same issues in the past two days. 2006, V6, 10,000 Miles- today- the Electric Throttle light came on as the car basically did not drive any longer on my way home from work. stalled out along the way, started back up and made it home while sputtering. Parked, and then restarted the car and nothing !!!! Al is fine for the moment. Already received my car back two days ago after several seperate issues and it not shutting itself off after a LOW idle. Very wierd and definately trying my patience. :mad: :confuse:

bgamble1

Ford knows about this and hopes you wont sue them..... take my advice... call an attorney now and ford will offer you money to settle or you can wait for years and make their asses take their crap back and refund you all your money.

jewelsstang

:mad: I took it in yet a third time to the dealership due to the car stalling (While driving) 4 sperate times within one day. After it being :sick: for TWO days at the dealership and me in a rental car (also after a HUGE argument)They told me they replaced the Mass Air Flow Sensor. after the replacement- they road tested the care for 34 miles and with no avail, could not get it to duplicate anything. Well, So far, so good on the stalling, etc... I guess we'll see. I personally don't have a great feeling about the car being , but only time will tell i suppose. I'll keep you updated. My next move is definately - :lemon: .

rorr

"They told me they replaced the Mass Air Flow Sensor. after the replacement- they road tested the care for 34 miles and with no avail, could not get it to duplicate anything. Well, So far, so good on the stalling, etc..."

My current car (not a Mustang) exhibited the exact SAME symptoms shortly after initial purchase (nearly stalling out when trying to accelerate; essentially just falling on it's face when I gave it gas and then suddenly going). Dealer's thought it was bad gas/wrong gas yada yada yada.

Finally they replaced the O2 sensor (essentially the same as your Mass Air Flow Sensor). The car IMMEDIATELY ran much much better and hasn't done the stalling thing again. And it's been 5-years and over a 100k miles since that O2 sensor was replaced.

Try to have a little faith.

jewelsstang

Well, AWESOME - I can say that the car does drive like it never drove before. No grabbing, stalling, dying, etc.... Hopefully I got lucky. Thanks

wrekrambler

For the record, a mass airflow sensor and an O2 sensor (oxygen sensor) are not the same thing. The MAS measures the volume of air going into the engine through the air filter, throttle body, intake manifold, etc. The O2 sensor measures the content of unburned fuel in the engine's exhaust.

A car with bad MAS typically runs really badly. I personally have never seen bad O2 sensors make a car run badly. (A bad O2 sensor will light the "check enging" light and can cause other problems like high emissions and cataltic converter damage, but the computers in the newer cars seem to keep the engine running smoothly via an "open loop" mode.)

jewelsstang

Thank you for that. It sucks when you have these problems arise and as we are not all mechanics, it's tuff to trust anyone when they tell you numerous things in regards to what's wrong with the vehicle. I believe this MAS was the issue since day one because it seems to be a completely different animal now. Drives like a car now. All of the numerous issues are showing themselves. What a Relief.

yellowstang

Got my 05 yellow mustang on 10/26/2004. GT Premium package. V8 auto. Had to. My 1999 got crushed by a tree. In 11/04 had major transmission fluid leak, 325 miles. Had to have cooler line repaired.
In Aug of 05, with 5700 miles, brakes squealing. All 4 brake calipers had corrosion on them.
Feb of 06, 9062 miles. Several problems. Car is getting worse. Transmission slips when starting from a complete stop. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong. Replaced a few parts. Interior trunk lock and linkage had to be replaced. Right front dashboard rattled and was very noisy. Dealer re adjusted dash. Rattle came back. The tires began to loose 5 to 10 lbs of air per week. Dealer said the inside of rims were oxidized and they cleaned them. That didn't last long.
April of 06, 10,315 miles. Had to have car put on flat bed and towed into dealer. Electrical system went haywire. Couldn't start car but all lights on dash were blinking.
Had to have new battery??? Also had same issues as in Feb of 06. All tires loosing air, rattle in dash getting worse, transmission still lurching from a stop. Dealer said all was fixed when i picked up car. Yeah right!!!
August of 06, 12,413 miles. Same issues as before, trans slipping, tires loosing air, rattle in dash constant and the big one, engine grinds when starting. That one they had to replace the timing chain. At this time, dealer assured me that all other problems were fixed 100%.

As of today, the rattle in the dash is the worse it has ever been. All tires are still loosing air, have to keep a tire gauge with me at all times, and the trans still slips. I call customer service, that was a joke.

I also have the gas shut off problem which i will address when i take my car in on monday.

My car is going back to the shop on Monday. Anyone have any problems like this.

yellowstang

I also have the same problem with the transmission. I have had it into the shop 3 times and they tell my there isn't anything wrong. But my 05 GT is going back to the shop on monday, again. i will let you know if they find anything, but don't hold your breathe.

mschmal

Has anyone had problems with water leaks causing electrical problems?

Mark

writchoice

I have a 98' ford mustang automatic.The gauges on my dash are not working. This includes the speedometer, odometer, battery, oil,,etc. When I start the car the only lights that come on are the battery light and the theft light. I had my fuses checked @ pep boys and they checked fine. He tested them with the car on of course. Then I asked a friend of mine who is a mechanic and he said it could be the instrument panel fuse and it needs to be replaced. I lost my owner's manual so I'm not sure exactly what it looks like or where it is located. Can someone give me an idea. Also if it is not a fuse can anyone give me any ideas as to what else the problem could be.

mschmal

www.fleet.ford.com

Mark.

marineway1

Anybody have an idea why the map lights on the rear view mirror (05 convertible) would suddenly stay on? I assume there's a sensor or switch somewhere that signals the map lites that the door are both closed and to turn off in a few seconds' but suddenly they just stay on(key out, pushbuttons checked off). Had to pull the bulbs to keep the battery from running down until I can solve the problem. Help?

mschmal

Next to the headlight switch is the dash dimmer. If this is turned all the way up, the courtesy lights come on.

Also, the car has a battery saver that prevents the lights from discharging the battery, you can put the bulbs back.

Mark

playa_pimp6918

Yea u can say my muctang is a little bit weird with a problem no one has ever been able to solve. I have a 98 Ford MUstang 3.8 litre. What it does is hard to explain. ok, u get in and drive around town like a normal day around the city. After a while the engine will loose power at a certain rpm, 1st i will start at 4,000, then 3,000, 2,000, and eventually the engine will die. When it does, u just turn it off and turn the car back on, and it goes away for a couple of minutes. it doesnt really loose power, it has power up to that certain rpm, then it has none. but after a while it will shut off. We have tried everything to fix this problem, changing out the o2 sensors, changing out this sensor, that sensor. if its cold out, it will not do it as much, but if its hot, it will act up really fast. if u put in 87 gas, it will act up more faster than 93 octane. The A.C. on will make it act up real fast 2. Ive put it on several computers, it said the Egr valve, we change that, it didnt help, then it said the key was bad, we changed that, it didnt help, then it said the o2 sensor was bad, we changed that, it said many other differnt things also, but nobody seems to figure out what is wrong with it. If you know how to fix it, let me know please. email me at playa_pimp_6918@yahoo.com

tayl0rd

Vacuum leak?
PCV valve gone bad?
Air filter?
Fuel filter?
Spark plugs/wires/distributor?
Injectors?
Cylinder compression leak?

playa_pimp6918

it cant be the pcv valve because i always change it during a tune up, it cant be the air filter because i have changed that several times, ive changed the fuel filter several times, i have done several tune ups and i dont have a distributer, maybe a vacuum leak or the injector wiring, i dont think its the cylinder compression because it doesnt do it every day, so i guess i ruled out every thing you said, you got any more hints i can check into? i really want to solve this problem.

shepherd5619

I HAVE AN O6 GT WITH 750 MILES AND 3 MONTHS OLD AND ALSO REPLACED THE BATTERY AND IT STILL GOES DEAD IF IT SITS OVER WEEK
WHY--NOBODY KNOWS-NO EXCESSIVE PARASTIC DRAIN EITHER ???

steinbud

i have an v6 05 same problem dealer no help said found nothing wrong wrote ford they contacted dealer that is as for as i got stored for the winter did you get any ans. thaks steinbud

dandalton

This seems to be a chronic issue. It seems that if a person drives their car every day they are alright. Mine sits a bit . I am on 1 jumpstart-3 tows-3 batteries in 11k miles.
I had to give the dealer a chance to prove me wrong before I contacted Ford. I am up to a "customer service laison". He seems to be willing to help and said that they will put their advanced testing methods to work but at the same time, the dealer calls and tells me that they put another new battery in it and I can come get my car! Check out this site http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=159130#159130

pipeman13

I purchased for my wife an '06 V6 pony pkg. coupe in Oct. '05, The dash rattling started soon after. That combined with the hit or miss shutting off of the fuel pump during fills prompted my first trip back to the dealer. Well, the Dealer fixed the rattle, but he said the filler was an 05 issue and had been corrected prior to mine being built. He said he put gas in it and had no problems. I bit my tongue and left. August '06 I go to start the car after it had been sitting for a few days in my garage, ...nothing, It's Friday evening, dealers closed all weekend, so I replace the battery with a HD Duralast. Sure, Factory batteries go bad quick, but 8 mos.? Everythings fine up until last week, then.... dead again. This time I get it jumped and take it back to the dealer. Another half day of pay gone. Four Days later dealer calls and says he can't find anything wrong. The car only has 5k miles and has been nothing but a pain. I will trade it in on a different make come spring. I hope someone considering a mustang purchase visits this site first, I wish I had.

dandalton

I wrote to just about everybody at Ford that I think "might or should" be able to help. If you are interested drop me an e-mail and I will give you the names and addresses and you can do the same. Hopefully there is strength in numbers. Dan Dalton danieldalton2003@yahoo.com

rroot

06 Pony package, 20k miles. Bought it for my daughter. Our problem is her left rear turn signals wont work. The four ways or hazard lights work. I can't find any fuses for the turn signals and the owners manual mentions a Light control module, I can't find it... Any help? Yes I seached to no avail.

akirby

Why bother? Just take it back for warranty service.

dandalton

Because Ford will most likely nurse it along until the warranty is expired and the car will still not be fixed!

akirby

Or they could identify the problem and fix it in 10 minutes. This sounds pretty simple - either it works or it doesn't. Take it in.

cccompson

The battery drainage problem MIGHT well be related to the radio drawing power when it is left on. Yes, I know that this sounds crazy but try turning off the radio before parking the vehicle for more than a few days.

mschmal

This is always drawing current also.

mellor_21

k to the left of the clutch theres a pedal that really doesnt seem to do anything, any ideas what the heck it is??

Mr_Shiftright

That's your "dead pedal", purposely designed to allow the driving enthusiast to rest his foot, rather than have it scrunched up sideways against a wheel well. You should love your dead pedal and wax it (just kidding, don't do that)--it is a wonderful thing that drivers appreciate only when they drive a car without one.

mellor_21

hi i have a 97 GT and my cruise doesnt work... when i push on and set nothin happens, no lights, no cruise.. any ideas?

specialed

I have a 2006 Mustang GT Premium and just took the car in to the dealer due to a massive electrical failure while driving in a heavy rainstorm (water got into one of the modules). While driving home the radio went out, the windows wouldn't work, the instrament panel was flashing crazily and the gas guage dropped to empty (low fuel light came on) . When I got home (2 blocks later) I backed it into my drive and put it into park so I could open the gate. I couldn't get the car out of park!!! I was half-way into the street (scarry). I had to wait about 1/2 hr for it to dry up a bit. It worked fine except for the 'Service Engine Soon' Light (See other post- Fuel) and The dealer said they will fix it so it won't happen again.

Just a heads-up. -Ed

specialed

I would start with the basics.
1) Did it ever work (for you)?
2) if yes, When and in what circumstance did it stop working?
3) Did you check the fuses?
-Special Ed

mschmal

For furture emergency, there is a access plate next to the shifter. Pry that open and then push the key into the slot. This will release the shifter from park when the battery is dead or when you don't want to leave the key in the vehicle such as when it is being towed.

mark

mellor_21

no
and yeah theyre all good

h8mstng

It sounds like you had the same issues I had with a 2005 convertible. Every time it rained, the electrical system was seriously screwed up. The TCS and ABS warning lights would come on and stay on. The message center indicated that the charging system had failed. The radio would only work in park and neutral. The car reeked of mold and mildew. It seems that there were some cars that were not assembled properly at the good ole Ford factory. I had a major leak between the firewall, "A" frame and floor pan. Water would get in to the car from the drain hole on the front fender and run into the passenger side. This water would run over the ECU junction box and cause numerous electrical problems. Ford claimed that the car never leaked. The Better Business Bureau sent an inspector to my house who was able to find the leak in less than 3 minutes. Ford's technicians couldn't find the leak in 8 different trips to the dealership. Each time I contacted Ford customer service, they would hang up on me. The dealer I bought the car from threatened to have me arrested if I didn't get my car off his lot. Any other dealer I took the car to refused to fix it because "it wasn't their problem" and it might reflect badly on their fix it right ratio. I had to go through the Better Business Bureau to get Ford to take their piece of crap back :lemon:
Things to look for after it rains:
Pull back the carpet from under the kick panel on the passenger side (and this might seem funny) and sniff. (Do this on the drivers side too as I have heard of this area leaking as well as the passenger side. You might smell a moldy smell.
If you do smell something, look up over the large black box and the wiring harness above it. Check the entire wiring harness. You might even see water dripping from the harness. (My leak resulted in ice cicles hanging from the wiring harness.)

Check the padding under the carpet for dampness and squeeze it. If you have a leak you will notice it then. It's really hard to miss. (My carpet was a little harder to lift up, it was frozen to the floor.)

If you can't find the leak. Open the hood. Look along the top of the fender. Fairly close to the windshield you will find a hole. Place a hose near that hole and let the water run into it. Look inside the car along the floor pan where you have the carpet pulled back. If you have a leak, you will DEFINITELY find it then.

FORD WILL NOT HELP YOU WITH THIS PROBLEM. They will do everything in their power to lie to you about it. There have been MANY documented and unfortunately undocumented cases of leaks on the Mustang. Ford continues to lie about the Mustang ever leaking. It's just proof that you can put crap in a shiny box, but it's still just crap.

belvette

I recently bought a 2003 Ford Mustang GT conv 4.6 liter. I noticed the fog lights are always on when the lights are on low beam. I cannot seem to turn them off via the fog light switch. Does this seem normal or is the switch defective? If it is a bad switch how difficult would it be to change?

akirby

Are you sure you're using the switch correctly? Push the switch in to turn them off, pull it out to turn them on. If the switch is pushed in and they're still on then I'd remove the switch and test it with a voltmeter before you replace it. Should be right behind the dash panel.

mschmal

probably defective

Mark

belvette

Thanks for the quick reply, the switch itself is not a push/pull type. It is located in the center dash panel just below the radio along with the rear defrost and traction control switches. It has an led indicator which is always lit no matter how many time I depress it.

akirby

In that case I'd say the switch was bad. Shouldn't be too hard to change. When you unplug the switch the lights should go out.

flmustang

I recently purchased a used 2005 GT. No real issues, other than the stereo (Shaker 500) would act up occasionally (not play CD's, etc.). About a week ago, I noticed that the radio had lost the time and all the presets. I turned it off, back on and the problem had vanished--all settings were back like they always had been. I then went out of town for 3 days. I arrived back at the airport, started the car and drove off as normal--no issues at all. I drove about 60 miles, stopped at the store and was out in under 5 minutes. I put the key in, turned to accessory, everything lit up like it should. When I turned the key to the start position, there was an audible 'pop', and the whole car went dead. No lights, radio, anything. I had the car towed to the dealer, and they have replaced the battery. While I am not a certified mechanic, batteries do not suddenly go from fully charged, to dead (and wouldn't take a charge) in less than 5 minutes. I purchased the vehicle used, so I am not sure if I have the same recourse under a lemon law if (when) this occurs again. It may just be me, but my issue sounds very similar to some of the others posted, other than the fact that the car had only been shut off for less than 5 minutes, and had never had a slow start issue in the two months that I have owned it.

tayl0rd

If it made an audible pop, that sounds like a classic bad ground to me.