There are 11 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2002 Ford Mustangin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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FIRST INCIDENT: I WAS APPROACHING MY MAIL BOX TO STOP AND GET MY MAIL OUT, WHILE BRAKING INSTEAD OF STOPPING THE CAR ACCELERATED AND WENT RIGHT PAST MY MAILBOX. I DROVE INTO MY STONE DRIVEWAY, THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY EVEN THOUGH I HAD STOPPED, THE TIRES WERE SPINNING SO FAST THEY MAD RUTS IN MY DRIVEWAY. EVEN SITTING THERE IN PARK, THE RPM NEEDLE WAS RACING UPWARD. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS GO ON. I TURNED THE CAR OFF. NEXT DAY I WENT OUT, AND CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING WITHOUT ME STEPPING ON THE GAS. SCARED TO DRIVE IT, I HAD IT TOWED TO A SERVICE CENTER. THEY HAD IT FOR A WEEK AND A HALF, NEVER HAPPENED FOR THEM, AND SAID UNLESS IT HAPPENS WHILE THEY HAVE IT, COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. (ALTHOUGH THEY DID MENTION A FEW POSSIBILITIES: THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, LEAKAGE, COMPUTER) AS I WAS TAKING MY CAR TO A FORD DEALERSHIP ON 8/9/13 FOR OTHER SERVICE, I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY SAID ALSO UNLESS THE CAR DID IT WHILE IT WAS THERE THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CHECK IT OUT. SECOND INCIDENT: WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, PROBABLY ABOUT 55-60 MPH, THE CAR ON ITS OWN SPED UP, THE RPM NEED SEEMED STUCK AT 3, EVEN THOUGH I WAS BREAKING THE CAR WASN'T SLOWING DOWN; AND JUST LIKE THAT, PROBABLY IN 30 SECONDS, IT RECOVERED AND RAN FINE. I WROTE A LETTER ON 9/6/13 TO FORD MOTOR CO EXPLAINING WHAT IS HAPPENING AND ASKING FOR THEIR HELP IN IDENTIFYING A SOLUTION. I RECEIVED A LETTER BACK FROM FORD MOTOR CO DATED 9/16/13, THEY OFFER NO ASSISTANCE AT ALL. *JS
WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS BEING PRESSED OR IS COMPLETELY PRESSED TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR ACCELERATES AND LUNGES FORWARD.
DT: CONTACT STATES THE THROTTLE STICKS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. IT OVERRUNS THE BRAKE; IT DOES NOT THROTTLE DOWN; IT ACCELERATES WHILE BRAKING. HE DOES NOT HAVE TO HAVE FOOT ON THE GAS AT ALL. HE NOTICED THIS HAPPENING A FEW MONTHS AGO AT HIGH SPEEDS OF 60-65 MPH. IT OCCURS MORE OFTEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN A DOWNWARD PITCH. IT HAS OCCURRED ON A BIG HILL AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO SURGE FORWARD WHILE HE WAS BRAKING. AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD IT DOES THROTTLE DOWN. HE HAS NOT TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER. HE HAS NOT YET TALKED TO THE MANUFACTURER. HE IS PLANNING TO TALK TO FORD SHORTLY. THE MANUFACTURER'S NAME, CITY, STATE WAS ALL THAT WAS AVAILABLE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 35-45 MPH AND ONCE RELEASING THE GAS PEDAL VEHICLE WOULD COAST FORWARD. *AK *LA
CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE ACCELERATED. *AK
VEHICLE WOULD STALL ON TAKE OFF AND EVENTUALLY BEGAN TO STALL WHILE IN MOTION (45 MPH) WHICH WOULD CAUSE ALL POWER ASSISTED OPTIONS TO FAIL, NEARLY CAUSING MANY WRECKS. TRAVELING 65 MPH THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW AND IT FELT AS IF THE CRUISE WAS STUCK, BUT THE CRUISE HAD NEVER BEEN ENGAGED. TAKEN TO DEALER BUT COULD NOT GET PROBLEM TO HAPPEN IN SERVICE. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN SERVICE. DT
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
STALLS OCCURS APPROXIMATELY EVERY 1-2 WEEKS WITHOUT WARNING; REPLACING IAC DIDN'T FIX. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH ACCELERATOR PEDAL FELT FLOPPY. CONSUMER CHANGED GEAR , LET FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR, AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. CONSUMER APPLIED CLUTCH TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. VEHICLE IS AT DEALER AT THIS TIME.*AK
STALLING AFTER ACELERATION. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026