2016 Mustangs - Build Quality

[vintage1]

Hello,
This is my first post. I just ordered my first Ford and specifically an Ingot Silver Mustang GT and am very excited to take delivery. Delivery eta is 11 weeks. I have always loved Mustangs but have owned Honda's and Acura's for the last 30 years and decided to take a leap and make a change. I have been doing a lot of reading on the car from this forum and others and there are two questions I have around build quality that hopefully members have some insight on:

1. There have been a lot of posts about misaligned panels, etc on the 2015. I have seen only a few posts on this issue on the 2016 model year. Does anyone know if this issue is improved on the 2016 now that production has being ongoing for just under 2 years? Prior to pick up I plan on asking the dealer to do a review of panel alignment in general to confirm acceptability before I review.

2. Under the Issues, Repairs, Warranty, TSB and Recalls section of this forum, there is a thread on Auto Transmission metal clanking sound and mention of a sound in the automatic transmission when shifting on some cars. The cause from what I can tell relates to the front flange at the transmission which if replaced seems to correct the issue. Again most of the models referenced which this impacted were 2015's. Is this as wide spread with the 16's?

When I get my car I will post some pictures.

Thanks.

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[BiloxiFun]

I have a 2016 and didn't notice much alignment issues or panel gap or none that caught my eye and drove me crazy. However, due to how the doors are glued internally and aligned I had what looked like a dent in my passenger door. I trusted my PDR guy to fix it and he did. No more issue. I didn't want to deal with the dealership.

I love my Mustang but my Honda Accord (it is an EX-L so leather, etc, etc) is put together better than this Ford. Just quality in general. I knew that getting into the car though.

 

[whoishomer]

I also came from Honda's and Acura's. I had a 2005 RSX S with a Comptech Supercharger. It was fun, but couldn't compare to the 2013 mustang I traded it in for. I now have a 2015 mustang. Obviously I haven't had it that long yet, but so both mustangs have been ever bit as reliable and well built as my RSX was.

 

[18psi]

Both of the issues you mention are quality control issues. They randomly appear on some 15's and 16's. The 16 is not any less prone to have these issues, because they're still just as busy stamping these things out due to high demand.

I come from a LONNNNG line of jap cars, and the poor quality control of domestics, even my '15 GT Premium, is quite a change for me, but otherwise the car is a ton of fun, and I'm still loving it, and of course for 15 they definitely improved everything drastically.

I was comparing my '15 premium to a '13 the other day and was surprised at how much more upscale the newer ones are. Previous years are just pathetic.

 

[GoBlues38]

There are not "a lot" of quality issues. What you have is the age of the internet where 1 or 2 examples are being blown out of proportion by a few misguided owners who think a $35k Mustang should have the same tolerances as a $200k Bentley.

 

[AR306]

My passenger door has a dent along the front gap, I'm sure it's some kind of misalignment issue as the door doesn't sound the same as the drivers door when closing.

Also, my hood is misaligned causing the paint to chip on the drivers side.. it's really noticeable at night due to the extra light leaking from the passenger side of the hood near the headlight due to the larger gap.

 

[wildcatgoal]

My panel alignment is fine. My paint along the edges of the rear bumper cover could have been polished down a little better, but not anything I care about daily, and that's saying a lot. What I don't like is that some wiring in the engine bay looks like the guy who put the harness together ran out of electrical tape and just sent the harness on its way down the line. But all the other GTs I've seen look the same there.

 

[CB]

You have a pair of eyes that work don't ya! Look at the car. Hell with what the dealer thinks. If you don't like it, don't buy it.
So it should be obvious to the dealer that you are serious about buying this car. So here's what I do when I buy. My salesman and the manager know up front that when my vehicle arrives just exactly what's going to happen. I don't care how long it takes or how many miles I have to test drive it, but I ain't buying unless I'm completely satisfied. And I won't put up with the "our service department can take care of that" bs. If there is anything wrong I want another vehicle.
With all of that being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with my Mustang. The Pirelli tires are great and so is the transmission and the stock shifter. Enjoy.

 

[andrew.k]

See my thread about my 2016, I picked it up six days ago. Few pictures in the post as well for you.

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43066

 

[Stangl1fe]

Almost every 16 I saw on the lot had a gap over the headlights between the quarter panel and hood, mine included. It was a easy fix though, pop the hood and locate a 10mm hex nut holding your quarter panel to the engine bay/frame. It will be body colored as it is painted and 6-8 inches from the front, you can't miss it. Loosen this bolt and press with your other hand until the point of that panel is where you want it, tighten while holding and you are all set.

 

[Zelek]

Sure hope the 2017's are cleaned up on the QC side. That's one of my worries if I decide to order one.

 

[brandonsmash]

There are not "a lot" of quality issues. What you have is the age of the internet where 1 or 2 examples are being blown out of proportion by a few misguided owners who think a $35k Mustang should have the same tolerances as a $200k Bentley.

Personally I think that my $35k Mustang should have the same build quality as my $20k Mazda.

 

[18psi]

Correct. The only people that overlook the issues are people that come from a long line of domestic products all of which were so pathetic they can be compared to my son's big wheel tricycle. My wife's 35k lexus makes the mustang build quality seem like it's from the 1800's.

At the end of the day though, I still got one and I still love it

 

[ElAviator72]

I had a 2015 car, and I now have a 2016 car (just picked it up last week). I can say that Ford has taken major strides forward on the Mustang on QC issues

My Mustang was built the week of 2/29/16, which was also the first week the plant became Mustang-only (which it will be for a while until they start building the 2017 Lincoln Continental at Flat Rock Assembly this summer). Until then, Fusions rolled down the same assembly line...

Zero body panel alignment issues. I checked for them when I took delivery. No driveline vibration between 50-70 MPH.

The two issues I have are very minor and can be dealt with by the dealer on the first scheduled maintenance visit-the parking brake isn't properly adjusted (it engages way too early!), and there's some string-like material that's pinched between the glove compartment door and the glove compartment release button (and that's only visible if you open the glove compartment) ;)

Loving my 2016 'stang :ford:

 

[stangbro]

My car is nearly flawless. No rattles, no transmission issues, no sync/sirius issues. The only thing is that my trunk lid is slightly misaligned but i dont worry myself with minor cosmetic issues.

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