Problems with 2005 Ford Mustang ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. the contact stated that the instrument panel failed. the fuel gauge would read empty when the vehicle was full of gasoline. in addition, the speedometer and the oil level gauge failed. the contact took the vehicle to a mechanic for inspection and they informed him that the speedometer cables needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the problem was common for all 2005 ford mustangs. the failure mileage was 75,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. the contact stated that the tail lights would go out on an intermittent basis. also, the cluster panel was completely inoperable. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and they confirmed that the cluster had failed and would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown.

Speedometer failure. the speedometer in my car started showing i was going 10mph while the car was not moving.i had to turn the car off and restart it to get a correct reading. eventually that didn't work. the speedometer would stay at 10 or 20mph till the car warmed up, then it worked fine. then it started staying at 20mph if the weather was cold. (at night it didn't work, in the daytime when it was warmer outside it worked). now the speedometer doesn't work at all any more. its permanantly stuck on 55mph even when the car isn't running. i did research on line and found a large amount of 05 mustang owners with the same exact problem. this is a safety issue and an obvious manufactured defect and needs to be recalled to fix the problem. *tr

Took my 05 v6 to the dealer because there was a collection of lights on the dash lit up, check engine, brake, oil pressure, traction control, traction control off, low fuel, fuel gauge not working and the turn signal lights on dash didn't work either. this happened after water leaked into my car after a hard rain. dealership said smart junction box got wet due to bad sealant,which caused the leak. however, smart junction box is not covered under warranty and my car only has 65k miles. this is now the third time this has happened due to their mistake. *tr

This is regarding a defect, but not an accident. i had the exact same issues on my 2000 mustang, which ford declared a lemon 2 years after i purchased it new. primary problem is fault in electrical system, which causes intermittent and increasingly inoperative problems with engine dying in the middle of the road, even at high speeds, losing all steering and control; convertible top opening and closing; windows opening and closing by themselves but not when desired; and dash gauges not working, indicating randomly and literally off the chart, or spectrum, if you will. other intrinsic issues include gas tank gauge giving false "full" read every few seconds whenever attempting to refuel, requiring near constant repositioning of nozzle, and random interior parts falling off without even minimal use and within 3 years of owning vehicle. vehicle currently has only 67,000 miles on it. since this is my 2nd mustang with same problems, i have to believe it should have been a recall. please recall this vehicle, and all fords with these issues. dangerous and problematic, not only because you cannot close and lock your car, but because engine dying in middle of road has almost caused what could have easily been a very serious accident on more than a few occasions, in both cars. i have seen many complaints online regarding the engine stalling out, which seems to have something to do with running the air conditioner. *tr

Speedometer began working erratically at around 33,000 miles. speedometer needle would hover at 20mph when in idle and would jump up to 80mph and then work sometimes, other times it would stay at zero. have not noticed any changes due to weather (rain or temperature). compared speedometer reading with gps speed and found inconsistencies of up to 10 mph when the speedometer did work.speedometer complete failure at 33,500 miles. temperature gauge failed at same time. i'm concerned about not knowing how fast i am going. i drive "pacing" traffic which still is not safe. multiple incidents of instrument cluster failures reported on several ford mustang forums by current owners. fords solution is a new instrument cluster which costs about $700. apparently the problem is with the failing stepper motors that drive the gauges. this should be a recall item as it does present a serious & potentially deadly situation in not knowing what the car's actual speed is. instrument clusters usually don't fail much less at 33,000 miles! there is clearly a design flaw, please issue a recall on this item! *tr

Driving on wet roads, front passenger side leak, shorting fuse box. car lights, turn signals, instrument panels, and radio all go dead. when car is put into park it will not shift back out. dries out, and all is well again. this is an extreme safety issue.....imagine if you will driving on a highway late at night in traffic only to have all your lights and turn signals go out. *tr

Driving on wet roads, front passenger side leak, shorting fuse box. car lights, turn signals, instrument panels, and radio all go dead. when car is put into park it will not shift back out. dries out, and all is well again. this is an extreme safety issue.....imagine if you will driving on a highway late at night in traffic only to have all your lights and turn signals go out. *tr

All of my gauges started to read improperly or not at all, speedometer, oil pressure, gas, battery, coolant temp, rpm. they didn't all go at the same time. it has gotten progressively worse. not knowing how fast i am going is a major safety hazard! i am surprised that this has not already had a recall issued viewing all the problems with this make, model and year with the same problem. *tr

All dash gauges work erratically, happens at random both while driving and at start up. *tt

In reference to tsb-08-26-7 and tsb-07-14-6, there is a difficult to diagnose water leak in the floor board of the vehicle. the water leak coming from the passenger side of the vehicle from the wheel well into the floor board of the vehicle comes into contact with the smart junction box (sjb) of the vehicle. when water seeps into the sjb, it short circuits the majority of the electrical system of the vehicle including: headlights, tail lights, a/c, instrument panel, radio, windshield wipers, rear defroster, windows, door locks, and a variety of other items. if all the correct conditions prevail, such as, night time driving in the rain and the water seeps into the sjb and short circuits it, the driver is left in the dark with no lighting, no wipers, or instrumentation of any type. quick fix for dangerous condition was to pull the kick panel out of the floor board, unplug the sjb connector, and allow to briefly air dry before reconnecting. vehicle was taken to dealer only to be claimed the "instrument cluster" was bad. even though the tsbs were mentioned by the owner, nothing was said of the sjb being the problem. *tr

Speedometer erratic, inaccurate. often inoperable. occasionally works in ambient temperatures above 60 degrees f. erratic/inoperable condition is more pronounced as ambient temperature drops below 60 degrees f. replaced sensor assembly - engine speed, part #xw4z-7h103-aa. problem persists. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang gt. the contact was driving 40 mph in heavy rain when the entire electrical system failed without warning, including the lights and dashboard gauges. the contact continued to drive with caution to a nearby service station. the engine was turned off and restarted after five minutes. the vehicle resumed normal operation until the failure recurred within twelve miles. the dealer was notified and informed the contact that the failure would be difficult to diagnose since the vehicle was operating properly. the failure mileage was approximately 66,200. updated 01/14/11 *bf updated 03/28/11

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. while driving approximately 50 mph, the instrument cluster stopped working. the contact stated that each gauge failed separately. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repair. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. while driving at 60 mph, the instrumental panel gauges failed and became inoperable. in addition, when accelerating the vehicle would abnormally accelerate at a rapid pace. the dealer advised there was an electronic sensor that would potentially need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed for the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 58,000 and the current mileage was 72,000.

All of the gauges in the gauge cluster have stopped working correctly, the speedometer registers over 80 mph when driving 20 mph. gas gauge was the first gauge to start acting weird and now the gas and all other gauges do not register correctly. this seems to be a common problem and a safety hazzard for this year model and a recall for the gauge cluster needs to be in order for all 2005 mustang owners. *tt

None of the gauges on this vehicle work. including speed/temp/oil/fuel. *tr

My speedometer gauge is not working properly. when in high enough heat or low enough cold, the speedometer jumps from 10 to 40 or all the way to 120mph when the car is not even moving. this is dangerous! i may be on the highway thinking i'm going 50 when in reality i'm going slower or faster! *tr

Speedometer needle moves with speed increase, but does not reverse motion with speed decrease. *js

I first started having an issue with the temp gauge not working. now when it is cold outside my speedometer and rpm meter are not functioning until the car is warm enough. this first happened in feb 2010 but just one time. the first time it happened it was cold out and my speedometer went from 0 to 120 while stopped at a light then it stuck there and did not fix itself till the last part of that day. now it is happening again each time it is cold out the speedometer just stays below zero and so does the rpm until i drive for 5 miles or so. it seems to only be happening when it is cold out about 65 and below weather. temp gauge still not working and has been pointing at the bottom of the cluster since then. it still moves like it wants to work but never goes back to normal. ford says its the instrument cluster but i am a single mother and can not afford to pay 700 to 1000 dollars to fix what i think should be a defect because i have seen a lot of people online posting about the same issue and they are all the 2005 models. someone help please. i love my car so much. i have had it for 5 years now and still love it. thanks. *tr

one incident, driving home from work when car ran out of gas and saw the as gas guage indicator facing straight down, temperature guage and the tachometer was not working. the car ran out of gas on major high way and my daughter alone stuck on the road at 3 am with large trucks passing by. she had believed the car had plenty of gas. the guages are still not fixed properly do not work at 100777 miles.

On my 2005 ford mustang, which was purchased used, after having it for 2 month the fuel and odometer gauges began acting erratic. the dealership would not cover as part of the warranty. this is a defect and why should the consumer be let holding the financial bag... *tr

Driving down the highway in a drizzle rain, the headlights, blinkers, fuel gauge, stereo, stopped working, the ebrake light, fuel light, check engine light, oil light, came on. the traction control turned of and will not turn back on. on passenger side of vehicle floor was wet, the smart junction box had water on it and on the wiring harness. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. the contact stated that instrument cluster failed as none of the gauges on the instrument panel illuminated or functioned at all. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the cluster was not functioning and needed to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer and was told that there were no recalls or warranties for the failure. the current and failure mileages were approximately 60,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. while driving approximately 60 mph the temperature gauge for the oil read 195 degrees even though the vehicle was running hot and began to smoke. the contact drove onto the emergency lane and waited for the vehicle to cool down. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test and to be repaired. the dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for paying to have the instrument panel replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the contact stated that the instrument panel was still defective. the approximate failure mileage was 2,500 and the approximate current mileage was 3,064.

Speedometer gauge does not work it started to get stuck now it does not work. to my consideration it is dangerous not to know the speed you are going. also the fuel gauge is not working. *tr

The fuel gauge began to act erratically before ceasing to work altogether. i took the car to fairway ford (placentia, ca) and reported the problem. the service writer dismissed me by saying the repair was too costly and that there was no known universal problem with the 2005 v6 ford mustang. he did not document the problem reported on my service record. i have a colleague with the same year and model who has the same problem.

I have a 2005 ford mustang that the speedometer and odometer are not working. i have contacted ford motor company and they said that they have not had enough complaints to warrant a recall. apparently, they have not googled 2005 ford mustang instrument cluster and read all of the problems from other mustang owners. i am in the process of getting problem fixed but i am very dissatisfied with the service that i am receiving from battlefield ford and ford motor co. *tr

All the gauges and radio on my 2005 mustang v6 are failing it starts with the radio then the tach, the fuel gauge and the speed gauge got sticky. *tr

My tachometer fail a few years ago. when i took it to the dealer, he said all mustang gauges fail and to be happy it wasn't the speedometer. slowly over time all the electrical has been having problems. sometimes the car won't start, all the gauges stop working, the check engine light goes on and off for no reason. also the driver seat electrical failed, was replaced and failed again. i couldn't afford to have it fixed.

Water leak in passenger side kick panel ford knew of water leak issue when vehicle was manufactured. i had about an inch of water on my passenger floorboard after a storm. also rear brakes stick after using emergency brake. if i ever have to use my e-brake in an emergency the rear wheels will lock up and be even more of a hazard and danger. both these issues are very safety related. searching the internet you will find literally hundreds if not thousands of complaints about this water leak and e-brake damage issue. please do something about this. i am currently thinking of suing ford for the water leak and the fact that the technician at the dealership admitted this is a known ford problem but not enough people have complained for them to care... *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. while driving between 50-55 mph in rainy weather conditions at night, the entire instrument panel and exterior lighting failed without warning. in addition, the front passenger side floor area and fuse panel exhibited water leakage. there was extremely poor night visibility due to the failures. the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. the contact heard a clicking noise coming from the instrument panel before it and the exterior lighting resumed operation. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but a diagnostic was not performed due to the cost. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vehicle was not accepted by the system. the failure mileage was 38,000 and current mileage was 50,000. updated 5/26/09 *cn the consumer stated the speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge were inoperative. updated 05/28/09.*jb

Initially, the tachometer stopped working unsure of the date, early 2009. 5-speed. replaced a fuse thinking that was the problem but it didn't fix the problem. in september 2009, while on the highway for about 45 minutes heading out for the weekend, the temperature gauge indicates the car is hot. we pull over and check under the hood; no smoke, no leaks, no smell, everything seems normal. we decide to return to our house, park the car until we get back to further investigate. the gauge continued to move hotter so we ran the heater all the way home. upon our return from the weekend trip, we started the car and the gauge automatically went to hot. a search on the internet came back with many others with the same year/model and the same problem and indicated that the dealers were saying that it was a bad instrument/cluster panel that would have to be replaced and that the other gauges would also stop operating. cost to repair about $1000 and mileage would have to be certified. we continued to use the car without any heating up problems although the gauge indicated otherwise. recently, the speedometer has started going bad as well. sometimes it tells you speed and sometimes it doesn't. only thing working right now is the fuel gauge and don't know for how long. mileage is under 25k. *tr

The mustang battery dies out prematurely. i have had 2 batteries die out in the course of 2.5 years. *tr

I have a 2005 ford mustang. there seems to be a problem with the panel the rpms do not work,the gas gauge doesn't work and the cold to hot gauge does not work. i contacted ford they said there is not any recalls and it my problem. and i needed to have it fixed thought it seems to be a computer system error with the car.to start the rpms would work then not work. i thought well not big deal might work its self out then i noticed when adding gas the gas gauge would spin around like a clock and you could not read it or know when you were running out of gas that is very unsafe to be on the road with out knowing how much gas is in your car. and the low on gas light does not come on to tell you either. then what failed was he cold to hot gauge. nothing works on the panel at this time. i cant drive the car feeling safe.everything seems to be some sort of computer problem with the car and ford does not want to step up to the plate and say there is a problem with there car but there is and there refusing to fix it like they told me its not there problem. i told them they need to pay for and fix this problem i didn't build the car they did they refused. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. the contact stated that the instrument panel was inoperable including the fuel, temperature and speedometer gauges. both the dealer and manufacturer advised the contact to replace the instrument cluster and advised her that there were no recalls associated with the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 121,000 and the failure mileage was 100,000.

Was driving down the highway dec 23, 2008 when the entire electrical system on my 2005 ford mustang with 25,000 miles on it went completely dead. i purchased this slightly used mustang at a chrysler dealer six months ago and i purchased a top of the line extended warr, for $2000.00 when the vehicle was taken to the ford dealership my top of the line extended warr. did not cover the repairs due to the problem being a known factory defect. ford motor company was no help with the problem also due to the car being slightly over the 3 year warr but not over the 36,000 mile warr. i have done some research since then on the matter and found this problem is a big problem with ford . the internet is loaded with complaints from consumers with this exact same problem as mine. i would imagine driving down the highway at 65 miles per hr could be a catastrophe after losing all electrical power. ford has a tsb number for this problem, it is tsb 07-14-6. the problem is water is entering the cowl area on the front of car and getting to the electrical system and shorting the system out. to make things worse, after all denied response to fix factory defect, they handed me a bill for $508.00 to trouble shoot problem when i specifically told the dealership there was a tsb notice on this problem and the problem was that of the tsb 07-14-6. this is no way fair and something has to be done. *tr

Gauge cluster bad. don't know how fast i am going.the rest of the gauges do not work so i don't know temp,voltage,gas,oil pressure or tech. they need a recall i did not give 30,000 for a car with problems. they want 700 to fix it but everyone with a 05-06 model has this problem. *tr

My speedometer is very erratic especially during the cold months. when cold, the speedometer usually reads zero or other times it reads that i am doing 100+ mph when barely moving. when the weather is warm i have no problems at all. i feel that this is very unsafe driving without a properly functioning speedometer. i have read many online forums and this seems to be a very common problem with the 2005 mustang. please please please help us 2005 ford mustang owners and issue a recall on this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford mustang. he stated that the speed odometer only works after the vehicle is turned on and off. the vehicle had been taken to the dealer but it was not repaired due to the cost of the repair. the failure mileage was 75,000. the current mileage was 92,000. updated 6/17/10 *cn the consumer stated the speedometer was defective. sometimes it worked when the engine was warm, but it stayed at zero until then. sometimes, it would work after an hour of driving. the consumer stated a new instrument panel is needed. updated 06/18/10.*jb

Complete lighting failure while traveling at night. while driving home all of my lights began to flicker then completely failed, no headlights tail lights dash ( seemed to be a complete electrical failure ) initially thought engine had quit but no it was still running. i did get an engine code indicator light on the dash. once pulled over i checked the battery cables both were tight still no lights in the process i had put the car in park, transmission locked in park. after a short while lights came back on . everything seemed normal so i resumed my attempt to reach home however a few miles down the road it did it again. next day i took the vehicle into the dealership where they told me they had to reprogram the computer. vehicle so far has operated fine so far. not sure if the problem was related to the chips in the keys or the anti theft system however if this had occurred on a remote road or highway it could very well have caused an accident. i had no electrical period including the emergency flashers. the battery , alternator , and fuses were all functional. *tr

The instrument cluster on my mustang began behaving erratically at about the time and mileage noted for a long time, the speedometer and tachometer would work for 30-45 minutes of driving (less when it was hot outside) then quit, however the gas and temperature gauges worked consistently until a few years later. in 2010 or thereabouts the other gauges quit working. the warning lights still work and the speedometer/tachometer come on feebly for a few minutes when you first start driving the car the gas and temperature gauges never change at all. i used the low fuel light for the last few years to tell when i needed gas and have had no idea how fast i was going most of the time. apparently this is so common there is a cottage industry providing a rebuild of the instrument cluster for these cars much more cheaply than ford. although my car is far out of warranty (254,000 miles and still running good) i thought it would help to report this issue since it appears to have happened to so many of these cars. otherwise a great car, bought a 2014 v6 mustang replacement. *tr

The issue with the vehicle is the instrument panel. at first the temperature gauge failed to work and the needle showed the temperature cold regardless of how long the car was running. next the fuel gauge failed, it would work erratically and show fuel for days or completely go in 360 rotations until it finally stopped working all together. and recently, the speedometer gave and remains stuck at 30 mphs even at idle. i've been able to live with the temperature gauge not working, and have been keeping track of mileage to determine my fuel remaining, however, i do not have an alternative to judge my speed. i will unfortunately have to replace this part. *tr

There is an electrical problem. first 1 blinker started blinking fast(all lights were good), then it stopped, then the other blinker started, then stopped. next the window would not auto close when the door was opened and closed letting water in when it rained. then that stopped. next both blinkers started blinking fast. i was told by the dealer that the extended warranty i bought does not cover finding the problem. *tr

I have a 2005 ford mustang, 4.0 and about 3 years ago the cluster started giving me problems, first the temp and fuel gauges stopped working all together. then my tachometer and speed started acting very erratic, showing that my tachometer was running above what it should as well my speedometer are going crazy. it shows me doing 120 when i'm doing 40, 55 etc.. why won't ford recall these clusters in all these cars, they know that they are bad. i almost had another heart attack when i got the price to replace the cluster from the local ford company, it was going to cost me $800.00, plus a diagnostic fee of $100.00. wow!!!! talk about greed!!!!

The battery in my 2005 mustang convertible has gone dead twice. there is a technical service bulletin out on this, tsb 07-5-13 which says to tell the owner to buy a battery charger. this tsb applies to 2005-2008 mustangs, 2005 explorer sport trac, 2005-2008 expeditions and explorers, 2007-2008 explorer sport trac, 2005-2008 lincoln navigator and the 2005-2008 mercury mountaineer. ford knows there is a constant drain on these cars that drains the battery unless the car is driven basically every day. they refuse to even replace the battery. *tr

The instrument panel in my 05 mustang has completely failed. in 2008, the gauges would become erratic at times. (tach, speedometer, etc) this has become more problematic over the last couple of years usually only occurring in colder weather. at this point, the gauges have completely failed. case in point: during the summer of 2011 the car "actually" overheated due to a cracked thermostat housing and the gauge never displayed the issue before the failure. we were fortunate to have picked up on the issue (while driving the car at highway speed) before a fire or other unfortunate event occurred.... or before the car was permanently damaged. when i've consulted with the local ford dealer ship, (cookeville, tn) they act as if this the instrument panel failure is something new. this issue is posted on every major mustang forum or support site. heck, there are even businesses on the "web" that advertise their ability to replace the "stepper motors" that control the gauge functions. apparently the stepper motors that ford opted to use in their instrument panels are the cause of the issue. furthermore i receive customer complaint updates via the carfax web portal monthly. each update contains dozens of new reports with this problem. so.....the excuse that ford doesn't know anything about this issue..... doesn't hold water. if ford wants to offshore its components to 3rd world countries for cheaper labor and parts..... fine. the least they could do is stand behind their products when / if they fail. after all, they should have extra $$$ in the coffers from the savings of offshoring their components. any help you fellas could provide in pressuring ford to step up and take care of their problem would be greatly appreciated. *kb

The speedo went first then all the other gauges started giving false on no reading at all. i am using a gps for a speedo others in this small town say they are having the same problems with there 2005 mustangs.i took it back to the dealer they said they knew of no recalls or problems. *tr

None of the gauges work. i have to drive pacing myself with other vehicles. only the icon for gas needed comes on when the gas is low. starting after about 10,000 miles on the car i have had increasing problems getting fuel in the car. not just myself, but anyone that tries to fuel the car. i initially started holding the fuel nozzle upside down to get gas and that worked for a few years. (although you look like a dumb ass that doesn't know how to put gas in a car!) this last year it has gotten so bad that i am lucky to get 2 gallons in it, and that is with it repeatedly shutting off. since day one the right front wheel makes a grinding/clunking noise when i turn the tire in either direction. it makes me feel like the wheel will fall off. my cars body assembly is also crap. the front lower grill has popped off and disappeared. i have seen several, at least 10 other mustangs of this year missing the same part. the plastic, yes plastic!, screws pop out. the places where the inside seams of the car are supposed to connect are detached. the light enclosure in the trunk will not stay attached. the seat handles fall off. i only have 50,000 miles on this car. repair shops tell me to wait for a recall, when is that going to happen? *tr

All of my gauges started to read improperly or not at all, speedometer, oil pressure, gas, battery, coolant temp, rpm. they didn't all go at the same time and the problem moves around but there is always at least 2 or 3 gauges showing inaccurate data. it has gotten progressively worse. not knowing how fast i am going is a major safety hazard! i am appalled that this very prevalent problem has not already had a recall issued. *tr