Defect
THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
1989 Ford Mustang Recalls
Recalls on record Updated July 2026
The 1989 Ford Mustang has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 7,900,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 127 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
12fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
3fires
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
1crashes3injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
5fires
SEATS
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
3fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
2fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
3fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
2fires
Total complaints127
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“I have had the outside sidewall separate from the rest of the tire on two occasions, with these tires. The first time was in may of 2021, the second on june 1, 2023. I currently have the tire that separated on june 1st. Both times I was on the highway driving around 70 when the car began to shake…”
“Seat belts pull out and latch however the cross body portion does not recede back into frame, only continues to loosen and not retract this happens at any time you ate using the seat belts, happens with front and passenger seat belts, either stopped. Driving, breaking or excelling. Its all the…”
“Seat belts pull out and latch however the cross body portion does not recede back into frame, only continues to loosen and not retract this happens at any time you ate using the seat belts, happens with front and passenger seat belts, either stopped. Driving, breaking or excelling. Its all the…”
“Seat belts pull out and latch however the cross body portion does not recede back into frame, only continues to loosen and not retract this happens at any time you ate using the seat belts, happens with front and passenger seat belts, either stopped. Driving, breaking or excelling. Its all the…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1989 ford mustang. The contact stated that the ignition key became extremely hot. The contact had not taken vehicle to dealer to get a diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 120,000.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1989 ford mustang. The contact stated that the ignition key became extremely hot. The contact had not taken vehicle to dealer to get a diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 120,000.”
“My wife was driving the mustang and following me at night. She had the fog lamps turned on along with the headlamps and the lights went out. She ran off the road before she could stop, but did not cause any damage. The lights kept flickering on and off staying off for several seconds. We finished…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1989 ford mustang. Whenever the key is inserted into the ignition to start the engine, the vehicle will not start on the first attempt. The contact must remove the key from the ignition and retry in order for the vehicle to start. He discovered nhtsa campaign id number…”
Defect investigations
Investigation PE89133 Opened 1989-06-29 · closed 1989-11-28
UNDERDASH FIRES
There is no summary currently available
Investigation PE90052 Opened 1990-03-07 · closed 1990-06-20
FR SEAT FLOOR MOUNT FAILS
There is no summary currently available
Investigation PE91137 Opened 1991-10-09 · closed 1992-02-27
HOOD LATCH FAILURES
There is no summary currently available
Investigation PE94010 Opened 1994-02-02 · closed 1994-04-19
FUEL LINE ROUTING
There is no summary currently available
Sources & methodology
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Ford Mustang as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.