The 1986 Ford Mustang has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 3,600,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
SPRING LOCK FUEL LINE COUPLING MAY NOT BE PROPERLY ENGAGED.
COUPLING COULD DISENGAGE DUE TO FUEL PRESSURE,VIBRATION, AND ENGINE MOVEMENTS; THIS WOULD CAUSE LOSS OF FUEL WHICH, INPRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, CREATES A FIRE RISK.
INSTALL RETAINER CLIPS OVER THE COUPLINGS TO PREVENT COUPLING SEPARATION AND FUEL LEAKAGE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“The contact owns a 1986 ford mustang. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and he was able to continue driving in second gear. The vehicle then lost motive power and failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to…”
“The contact owns a 1986 ford mustang. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and he was able to continue driving in second gear. The vehicle then lost motive power and failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1986 ford mustang. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle for emission testing, the vehicle did not pass due to defective co2 sensors. The contact purchased the necessary parts for the repairs yet the dealer advised the catalyst system was brand new and would not need to…”
“Purchased tires 04/2006 for collectible car that sees low mileage. Car started with a slight vibration about two months before incident and continued to get worst with time. Rotated all four tires to inspect and found one suspect tire with a four inch wide bulge that started at the center of the…”
“The ignition switch( the one's recalled for 88-93 mustangs 96v071000 ) is failing intermittently, the engine will turn off without notice. Mine has been happening or many years now. The problem is getting worse, a couple of times a day. Someone please help to include this vehicle in the current…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1986 ford mustang. The vehicle has tbc sigma shadow tires, size p225/75r15. On august 7, 2007, while driving 65 mph, the rear driver side tread separated from the tire. The vehicle sustained damage to the mud flap and back corner panel. The contact was able to pull off the…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1986 ford mustang. The contact stated that his vehicle was recalled. He tried to have the vehicle repaired for three years. The dealer refused to repair the vehicle since it would take two hours to repair it. The manufacturer advised the contact that the dealerships are…”
“Driving on interstate at 70 mph. Right rear tire started making a whining noise and went flat. Tire shredded before I could pull over. Looked at tire and didn't see any nails, etc in tire to cause deflation. Took tire back to place of purchase for a pro-rated replacement. I did keep tire in case…”
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:FORD BELIEVES THAT THE AL-LEGED DEFECT ONLY OCCURS IN A SMALL NUMBER OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ANDRECALLED ABOUT 195,732 1984 TEMPO/TOPAZ VEHICLES IN JUNE 1986.ANALYSIS: VEHICLES POTENTIALLY INVOLVED INCLUDE TEMPO/TOPAZ, ESCORT/LYNX/EXP, MUSTANG/CAPRI, LTD/MARQUIS, AND…
NO SAFETY DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN DETECTED.===
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There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1986 Ford Mustang as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.