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2020 Ford Mustang Airbags Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest May 6, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
7%
of 117 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
6
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
4

What this page shows

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2020 Ford Mustang submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 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.

Owner reports naming airbag

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Airbags
Filed May 6, 2026

My husband was notified via the Ford app that there was an issue with his airbag system. He called the dealership and set up an appointment. We brought in the car to German Ford dealership in Beavercreek on 4 May, where they confirmed that the airbag was bad and needed to be replaced. They confirmed it was the airbag on the drivers side knee. The airbag light did come on, but we were under the impression airbags usually last the lifetime of the vehicle. Thankfully the car warranty covered the replacement, and we just had to pay the deductible. However, had my husband been in a crash that airbag would not have deployed, there is also the chance that the airbag could have deployed randomly while he was driving, which would have caused a potentially fatal crash.

NHTSA ID
11736144
Incident
Apr 27, 2026
AirbagsInterior & seatsSeat belts
Filed Jul 31, 2025
Crash reported

On [XXX], I was involved in a front-left collision while driving my 2020 Ford Mustang GT (VIN: [XXX] ) with my [XXX] daughter in the front passenger seat. She weighs approximately [XXX] and was properly seated with her seatbelt fastened. The only airbag that deployed was the driver’s knee airbag. The front passenger airbag did not deploy at all. After the accident, the FordPass system reported multiple “Restraints Indicator Lamp Warning” alerts, all timestamped the day of the crash, stating: “Your Air Bag Warning is on due to an issue with the front passenger air bag system. The front passenger airbag may not work properly.” This alert was not visible on the dashboard prior to the crash and was only discovered after checking the app. This failure of the airbag system placed my daughter at serious risk. A properly seated child passenger of sufficient weight should have been protected. The vehicle had approximately 19,177 miles at the time of the accident and had no prior airbag-related service or known damage. The crash occurred at normal road speed during a left turn when another vehicle impacted my front driver-side area. My vehicle is currently with the insurance company and available for full diagnostic inspection by NHTSA or the manufacturer. The passenger-side OCS and SRS systems should be investigated for sensor failure, deployment failure, or manufacturer defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11677498
Incident
Jul 25, 2025
Airbags
Filed Apr 1, 2025
Crash reported

Nun

NHTSA ID
11651933
Incident
Apr 13, 2024
AirbagsElectricalSeat belts
Filed Sep 26, 2024

- The light of the airbag and seatbelt came on my dashboard, went to the dealership and they told me that there's an issue with the control module, apparently there is a recall for that but since my car wasn't called they could repair. - Backup camera goes completely off when trying to go on reverse.

NHTSA ID
11616690
Incident
Jun 7, 2024
AirbagsBody & structureEngine
Filed Aug 30, 2023
Crash reported

This 2020 Mustang GT VIN# [XXX] with 9,600 miles was a total loss that happened on 10/28/2022 paid out by Insurance company USAA 1-800-531-8111. Please take note that this vehicle was a TOTAL LOSS with severe FRAME DAMAGE. My Name is [XXX] and owned the vehicle when it was a TOTAL LOSS due to a meager collision on 10/28/2022. If you have any questions please contact me at [XXX] or [XXX] . I have all of the documents of the TOTAL LOSS and PAY OUT from USAA Ins. 1-800-531-8111. Thank you! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11541615
Incident
Oct 28, 2022
Airbags
Filed Jun 22, 2022
Crash reported1 injury reported

I was in an accident hitting my entire front end, which has a lot of damage. With the impact the car had obtained, I feel as though the airbags should have deployed.

NHTSA ID
11470383
Incident
Jun 17, 2022
Airbags
Filed Dec 14, 2021
Crash reported2 injuries reported

The contact owned a 2020 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, in the center lane a tractor-trailer side swipe and hit the contact front passenger side door which caused the contact vehicle to spin around and hit a median wall, and spin out again with the vehicle coming to a stop in the middle of the intersection. The front tires were ripped from the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained bruises on the lower and upper back, bruises to both knees. The contact also sustained vision impairment to where he started seeing black dots and a bruised left arm. The contact was also suffering from panic attacks. The passenger sustained a bump on the forehead, neck, and lower back bruises, as well the right knee was severely swollen. There was no medical treatment at the scene, but the contact went to the hospital the next day. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center where the insurance company deemed the vehicle was a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA ID
11443786
Incident
Dec 3, 2021
Mileage
28,000 mi
AirbagsBrakesSeat belts
Filed Oct 14, 2021
Crash reported1 injury reported

On July 26, 2021, I had a head on collision ( driver side to driver side ) where I felt like the vehicle didn’t want to stop. Even when I applied the brake, the vehicle kept going forward. In that collision, even though I was wearing my seatbelt, my head went straight up and I hit the top of my car. My head felt crunched into my neck and shoulders, and the belt restrained me enough to pull my right shoulder back and down from having my head crunching further into the top of my car. Although I wasn’t given a ticket for the accident, the Police found me to be at fault. Later, I went to an Urgent Care where they diagnosed me with having a concussion. I haven’t seen any other necessary doctors, because I don’t have the money out of pocket. I don’t know that my remaining PIP will cover anymore. I am still having issues with my head, neck, back, and hip now. I recently saw a Dentist and I may have TMJ. I never have experienced such pain of my entire left side of my face. My migraines have increased in frequency and intensity, and other health issues are agitated and inflamed.

NHTSA ID
11436847
Incident
Jul 26, 2021

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .