Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Ford Mustang GT submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
IN MY 2003 MUSTANG GT WITH TREMEC TRANNY...GRINDING TYPE FEELING GOING INTO SECOND GEAR. WENT TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID FEELING WAS NORMAL,AND IT WOULD GO AWAY,IT HAS NOT. I ONLY DRIVE IT ONCE AND A WHILE BUT IT IS WORSE ON COLDER DAYS!!!
I HAVE A 2003 FORD MUSTANG GT THAT DURING COLD WEATHER HAS PROBLEMS SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, IT'S ALMOST AS IF I AM NOT EVEN PUSHING THE CLUTCH IN. I HAVE 700 MILES LEFT ON MY WARRANTY AND IT WILL BE MANY MONTHS BEFORE IT IS COLD AGAIN TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM FOR THE DEALER SO I SUPPOSE I WILL BE EATING IT ON THIS UNLESS FORD OWNS UP TO IP. AFTER RESEARCH ON THE NHTSA SITE I SEE MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND GETTING NO RESULTS FROM THE DEALER.
2003 MUSTANG GT CP, PURCHASED FROM PLANET FORD DEALERSHIP 20403 I-45 NORTH, SPRING, TX 77388 (281) 719-3891 ON JUNE 28,2003. I WAS ONE HAPPY CUSTOMER UNTIL I DROVE MY VEHICLE INTO THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT APRIL 10,2004 WHEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE ABOUT MY MUSTANG; STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION, REAR END VIBRATION AND DELAYED SHIFT IN TRANSMISSION. I WAS TOLD TO ROTATE MY TIRES, BALANCE TIRES, UPGRADE THE WHEEL BALANCING AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT. ALONG WITH THE PROBLEMS I RECEIVE THREE EMBARRASSMENT; POLICE ESCORTED ME OFF THE PROPERTY BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO PROVE TO BOTH DEALERSHIPS THAT MY PROBLEM WAS NOT MY TIRES. BUT, THEIR WORDS WERE THAT FORD HAS THE BEST MECHANICS. I THEN HAD TO DRIVE MY CAR TO LEADERSHIP FORD IN DALLAS, TX IN ORDER FOR SOMEONE TO PROVIDED WITH THE PROPER CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT I WAS DENIED BY PLANET, TEAM AND RUSSELL & SMITH FORD IN HOUSTON. LEADSHIIP FORD TOOK THE TIME TO LESSON TO THE ISSUES AND TEST DRIVE THE CAR TO VERIFIED THAT I HAD A PROBLEM. THEY DETERMINED THAT VIBRATION THAT I EXPERIENCE WAS CAUSED BY THE TRANSMISSION AND THE REAR END, NOT THE TIRES NOR THE FRONT END. AS A RESULT THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AND THE REAREND. I MEET WITH PLANET FORD GENERAL MANAGER - RON EUREN, WHOM APOLOGIZED FOR THE PROBLEM I HAD WITH THE CAR. BUT, HE FOLLOWED HIS APOLOGY WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS - "SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS FOR THIS DEALERSHIP FOR ANY ADDITION ISSUE YOU MAY HAVE WITH YOUR MUSTANG TAKE TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. DO NOT RETURN TO PLANET FORD OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE ARRESTED ON THE SPOT.*JB
TREMEC 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION HAS ERRATIC PERFORMANCE WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. MY RESEARCH ON THIS HAS INDICATED THAT THERE IS A SEVERAL YEAR HISTORY OF MANY CARS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION (MUSTAND GT AND COBRA ) THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BY FORD DEALER ONCE BUT WITH NO DIFFERENCE AND FORD CONSUMER HELP LINE HAD YIELDED NO RESULTS. THIS HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY IN WINTER WHEN FLUID IS MORE VISCOUS AND BLOCKING RINGS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY DEALER AS POTENTIAL CAUSE. HAS BEEN HAPPENING CONTIUOUSLY SINCE I HAVE OWNED VEHICLEL FOR OVER A YEAR AND 28,000 MILES.
THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SHIFT GEARS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS COLD. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT IT WAS A COSMETIC PROBLEM, AND THEY WERE AWARE OF IT. HOWEVER, THE RECALL WILL NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL THE FOURTH QUARTER. *AK *NM *SC
MY 2003 MUSTANG GT WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION (5 SPEED), GRINDS WHEN I GO FROM FIRST GEAR TO SECOND GEAR. THIS GRINDING GOES AWAY AFTER THE CAR IS WARM AND IS MUCH WORSE IN THE WINTER AND COLD DAYS. THIS IS A COMPLAINT THAT ALMOST EVERY MUSTANG OWNER HAS AND IS DOCUMENTED WELL ON WEBSITES SUCH AS STANGNET.NET. THE DEALERS NEVER FIX THIS PROBLEM AND TELL YOU THAT IT IS NORMAL OR IS NOT REPRODUCEABLE. FORD IS NOT OWNING UP TO A PROBLEM WITH THEIR CAR, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT NHTSA HELPS WITH OR DO I NEED TO CONTACT SOMEONE ELSE? MIKE HAMILTON. *AK
UNDER HEAVY ACCELERATION TRANSMISSION MAKES CHATTERING/RATTLING SOUND. THE SOUND IS VERY PRONOUNCED. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, THEY REPLACED THE CLUTCH, REAR DIFF FLUID, OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL AND SEVERAL BEARINGS IN THE TRANS WITH NO LESSENING OF THE EFFECT. DEALER STATED NO REPAIR WAS POSSIBLE. TRANS STILL LEAKS FROM THE OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL, AND STILL MAKES A NASTY RATTLE UNDER ACCELERATION LOADS. POST REPAIR, IT IS DIFFICULT TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR WHEN BEFORE THE TRANS HAS WARMED UP. AFTER A BIT OF WARM UP, THE HARD SHIFT GOES AWAY, THE RATTLE NEVER DOES.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION IN 2003 FORD MUSTANG GT SHIFTS WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY FRM FIRST GEAR TO SECOND GEAR. SOMETIMES, IT HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING FROM SECOND GEAR TO THIRD GEAR. THIS SITUATION MAKES THE CAR DANGEROUS AS ONE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE AWAY FROM A POSSIBLE COLLISION DUE TO THE CAR SLOWING DOWN WHILE TRYING TO GET IT INTO GEAR. SECOND GEAR WILL OFTEN "GRIND". FORD SUPPOSEDLY HAS A FIX BUT WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE 2-3 MONTHS.*AK
CONCERNS WITH A TR3650 MANUAL TRANSMISSION EXHIBITING CLASH/GRINDING SOUND DURING THE FIRST FEW MILES OF DRIVING. *AK
GRINDING 2ND GEAR WHEN SHIFTING UP FROM 1ST GEAR. MUCH WORSE IN COLD TEMPERATURES. DOWN SHIFT OKAY. TREMEC 3650 TRANSMISSION. DEALER STATES CONDITION IS NORMAL. *AK
TRANS SHIFTING PROBLEMS GRINDING FIRST TO 2ND GEAR AND LOCK OUT SOMETIMES TO THIRD. SOME DIFFICULTY GETTING INTO 2ND ALSO FROM FIRST
MANUAL TRANSMISSION SERIES 3650 ON 2003 FORD MUSTANGS GRIND AND/OR LOCK OUT UPON SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR AS WELL AS IN TO THIRD AS THE PROBLEM CONTINUES.*AK
2003 MUSTANG COBRA , 600 PLUS MILES, WAS DRIVING AT AROUND 32 MILES AN HOUR WHEN I PUSHED IN THE CLUTCH TO SHIFT AND THE CAR DIED, WHICH LOCKED UP THE STEERING WHEEL, NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, AND LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. THE LOCAL DEALER HAS NO CLUE HOW TO FIX THIS, AND SUPPOSEDLY SVT IS WORKING ON A FIX BUT IN THE MEAN TIME THERE ARE OVER 13000 OF THE CARS DRIVING ON THE ROADS WAITING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS PROMPTLY THANKS. *LA
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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