Goodbye to Ford...2018 Mustang Gt ownership

[Hattrick]

Wow how much are ford paying you?

Nothing as i had more GM cars than Fords but when something works for me i state it like the saying your results can vary , all cars u drive harder than a DD commuter eventually will have issues. Just mechanical beasts and the more stress u put on them the shorter they will last. Thats what warranties are for and your local dealer? Some good some bad unfortunately

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[ethanhunter34]

I just traded in my 2018 Dodge Charger scatpack for a 2020 Shadow black Ford Mustang gt premium cs. I owned 2 chargers 2010 5.7l and 2018 6.4l. They are great cars but I enjoy driving the scatpack more since it had a lot of torque which you can feel but it was heavy. The interior I didn’t really like but the Uconnect was nice and with a zautomotive tazer you had track mode and other options.. I did put a borla atak cat back which made the car roar which I liked. The only problem I was having is a whistle like ticking sound when the car is driven and warmed up. Took it to the dealer but they could never find the problem.

I always wanted a mustang and now was the time since my 2 kids are all older. I do like the look of the mustang better and the interior is nice as well. Handling felt better since it’s lighter I’m assuming..The Charger has more torque but the 5.0 has some power more towards the top end where it starts to pull. I notice the Charger pulls hard from the start. I have a 6sp manual and really enjoying it. The exhaust note sounds so good . I think it sounds better and deeper then the Charger at times. Planning on putting a H pipe later so I’m thinking it’s going to sound even better. I also have the active exhaust. The Charger was a good and fun car to drive with a lot of power.

 

[IrishStallion]

Wut...?

 

[LakerStang]

Similar experiences and after 3 engines and fixing to be the 3rd trans, I got out...just ate all the shit I could....this was my first new car and every step of the way it was negative and a battle....will miss the performance but not the headache and denials, I almost got into a fist fight and got banned from my local Ford store and im an old man......
Good ideas without good support just isn't worth it...

I definitely agree. I feel like the car became work and issues just kept adding up. I get cars have kinks but it was only 2 years old. The car just wasn’t fun. Ford’s CS was the last straw. I felt like if something major went wrong they would have said I’m on my own.

 

[BlueCollarDaily]

I just traded in my 2018 Dodge Charger scatpack for a 2020 Shadow black Ford Mustang gt premium cs. I owned 2 chargers 2010 5.7l and 2018 6.4l. They are great cars but I enjoy driving the scatpack more since it had a lot of torque which you can feel but it was heavy. The interior I didn’t really like but the Uconnect was nice and with a zautomotive tazer you had track mode and other options.. I did put a borla atak cat back which made the car roar which I liked. The only problem I was having is a whistle like ticking sound when the car is driven and warmed up. Took it to the dealer but they could never find the problem.

I always wanted a mustang and now was the time since my 2 kids are all older. I do like the look of the mustang better and the interior is nice as well. Handling felt better since it’s lighter I’m assuming..The Charger has more torque but the 5.0 has some power more towards the top end where it starts to pull. I notice the Charger pulls hard from the start. I have a 6sp manual and really enjoying it. The exhaust note sounds so good . I think it sounds better and deeper then the Charger at times. Planning on putting a H pipe later so I’m thinking it’s going to sound even better. I also have the active exhaust. The Charger was a good and fun car to drive with a lot of power.

Did you try either of the widebody, Challenger or Charger which come with adaptive dampening? Wonder if they would feel more nimble than a base GT aka non PP1

 

[BlueCollarDaily]

The passenger side door lock was part of a system to prevent the battery from draining too much. The car automatically shuts off certain systems in an attempt to save amps. The solution is simple: drive more or put the car on a battery charger. Today's cars have way too many computers and parasitic drain when off. The programmers did what they could to reduce it. It doesn't take long for the battery to drop to a voltage that shuts them down. If you drive the car daily, you might never see the issue. Of course, if you do not drive enough, the battery also can be affected. Not ideal, I know, but this is what you were seeing and is normal.

A10 also hunted for me but then again, being a manual driver for most of my life, I think I would have been very sensitive to any non conscience changes the tranny would do. If it did not do what I wanted when I wanted while I was thinking it, I would see it as a problem. Not saying this is you, just why I might have found more issues than a regular auto driver who might be less focused on things since they are use to driving an auto. I am just use to shifting because I thought it was the time to shift. Any deviation from that would be seen as an issue. Might be why any manual guy could have an issue with some autos. Not all but some. Just how we are wired and until we relax or succumb we might always see issues where none exist.

8 instead of 10qt is an issue. Ford should have done better. Ford should have made a cap in all Gen 3 Coyotes that states it takes 10 qts and had it standard equipment in the car. When I had my first 1000 mile change, I told the rep to list it takes 10 quarts. He said that they know and did not. Guess what? They put in 8. Drove 42 miles before checking and having them drain and, refill and replace the filter. Had them drain it over a strong magnet and cut open the filter to make sure no damage. Nothing. At the very least, they need to update service to better be able to recognize a Gen 3 and know it takes 10. This is knowledge transfer. I wonder how many mechanics do not ever check a dipstick? That is the real problem. I am sure many feel that the oil has not drained down enough to verify since they are rushing. Time is money.

I wonder if the paint issue was because your car might have had delivery damage. Sometimes during shipping, cars can get damaged and the dealer is allowed to correct them. I wonder if the back bumper was repainted. My PP2 had a wheel damaged and they ordered the wrong wheel. The front wheel is cheaper or the rear was incorrectly listed in their system so instead of getting a rear PP2 wheel (19x11 et48), they got a front (19x10.5 ET24). Eventually they correctly ordered the right wheel.

Good luck with the Dodge. For me, I will never buy a Dodge unless they start making reliability Job One. Have had too many issues with Dodges and am a bit jaded. If they become more reliable then I might. Sure, there are those who have not had my experiences but I have. Also, for many years, Dodge, Chrysler and Fiat are often found on the low end of reliable by many authorities and magazines. Most cars seem fine for the first few years but I tend to keep my 10+. When I see them climb in those reports, I will entertain. All I can say is I hope you have success.

I had my car off for weeks at a time without starting no battery issues but I did have a rat eat the soy based insulation off my knock sensor harness and toss codes, evidently it's more common than I thought especially on trucks...hehe I've had so much shit I'm literally remembering more as I go.....

The factory paint was bubbling up from the metal right as roof line with brown splotches under clear there too, requiring at minimum the black accent to be repainted the a pillar to roof rail and entire drive shift 1/4 panel...Ford dude tried to dissuade me from having it done because of the hit on my car fax and lol and said it was 3 pages long already, if I kept it they were painting it, I could tell I was gonna have a problem out of him already.....
The 2qts low of oil thing I caught and called them on, they said didn't hurt anything and im like ok so I have your permission to run it 2qts low cause that would save me money...of coarse not lol.....also you need a Blackstone analysis to really tell mine showed a pretty bad analysis after that in hindsight WAY worse than my last engine which broke in properly....
The a10 simply isn't sorted, especially the valve body good ideas they literally use the same ratios and planetary gear sets the dodge ZF8HP70/90 does except for the 2 new ones...but there isn't even a close comparison to how smoothly the ZF trans operates in comparison...on thing that will help the 10r80 after building mine is a serviceable valvebody aka you can replace just the fail solenoid not a $627 valvrbody plus core plus over 100 in fluid plus 100 filter plus having Ford only be able to marry it with an IDS....and more clutch area on the stall but looks like they are revising it on the MACH 1 ( 3 revisions I could find by having to trace out obsolete part numbers from Raybestos)...

Its all good ideas just poorly polished out....I see Durangos all the time with 5.7L Hemi running with ZF8HP70 trans near or at 300k miles....thats a good way to tell what really holds up....look locally for the highest mileage running vehicles vs parting out...for instance the Dodge 4.7 might be the worst modern V8 ever made hehe, I did a spread sheet one time over a 6 month period....
Top was Toyota Force V8 like in my sequoia beater...they would have 350k miles and be running...
5.7L Hemi
6.0/6.2L LS

If I'm alive I'll see if any Gen 3 Coyotes are alive stock at 300k....my tech buddy is booked out 2 months on truck Coyotes now....said they are failing left and right....Gen 3 that is....they put more miles on them but we are rougher on em...I dont see 10r80s making 150-180k either...MAYBE a 10L90 might....
I wish em all luck I loved the car the few days it worked right and even now with my tall lard ass it's still the most comfortable I sat in....but like Oak Island it was costing more money to get to the treasure than its worth hehe....

 

[Erik427]

I’ve owned 3 cars in my life and they’ve all been Mustangs. I had a 1996 v6, 2013 v6 and what I thought was my dream car, a red 2018 Mustang GT. This car was supposed to be the car I’ve always wanted. It was a GT PP1, 401a package and 10 speed auto. I factory ordered the car in Feb 2018 and it took 16 weeks to arrive due to rail issues. My dealer was not helpful in providing me with any updates. When I finally got the car the dealer showed me they thought were 200 driven miles on the car which turned out was the miles to empty on gas .

Needless to say it didn’t get off to a good start. I wanted to share my honest opinion of the car of what I liked and issues I had.

I loved the comfort of the car. The nav and touch screen was very easy to use, leather seats were very comfortable and the exhaust was second to none. The car looked sleek and handled great. It also had great power.

Some of my biggest problems were the 10 speed was very clunky. It was always guessing which gear to go into and made for some pretty rough shifts at times. Esp with you first got it going. The engine tick I had since the start. I know most get it from the first oil change but mine had it from the get go. It also had the low rpm rattle.


I took it to the dealership for both the tick and trans within the first 6 months of ownership. I was hoping the trans issue was something they could reprogram and wanted to create a paper trail just incase the tick developed into something else. The car sat there for 4 days and they found no issues with the tick or trans.


Other issues I dealt with were my passenger door sensor wouldn’t lock or unlock about 4-5 months into ownership. I took it to the dealership 5x for that alone. Which they kept telling me they couldn’t replicate. My dealer wouldn’t replace the door handle until Ford ok’d it. I called Ford and opened a case to get it replaced, Ford or the dealership never contacted me. The car battery was also consistently going into battery saver mode not sure if that had anything to do with the door sensor.

I had a check engine light for a P0300 random misfire on the cylinders which the dealership pretty much cleared it and didn’t even look to see if there were any real issues with it. With so many ppl having engine issues on 2018+ GTs this def worried me.

I took my car to 2 different service departments under ownership and 2x they put 8 qts of oil in the car. I’m glad I saw thread online to check the oil levels before leaving the dealership. So after that everytime I took it to service I had to be the annoying guy to repeat 10 qts of oil for a simple service visit.

My rear bumper started to develop spider cracks in the paint. This car had roughly 9,800 miles on and I def did not drive it hard. I didn’t hit any bumps or back into anything where the paint should have been cracking.


I had the car for about 2 1/2 years and last Saturday I traded it in for 2021 Dodge Charger scat pack Widebody. I love Mustangs but after this experience I don’t think I will buy a Ford again. Their customer service has been extremely underwhelming and the quality being put into these cars lately clearly shows they are lacking.

I’m hoping I have better luck with my Charger. My gut told me to dump the Mustang as I felt there were going to be bigger issues down the road that would significantly decrease the value of the car and I felt I should get what I could out of it now. Again this is my personal opinion and I’m not trying to come and here and simply bash Ford. I hope by sharing my experience this helps anyone who’s thinking of purchasing a 2018 and up GT. I was really disappointed in giving itbup but felt it was the right move.

The engine tick / rattle plus oil consumption is why the Godzilla platform is being considered.

Paint issues happen with all brands.

Horrible customer service has no excuse.

Door lock is a software issue, I literally did a redneck reboot on my Escape
to fix a similar problem. Dealer was of no help.

Trans is a software issue.

 

[Emilbadal]

Let’s be honest guys, Mustangs age like milk. Right now, I have AC compressor failure, possibly evaporator too. One of the keys fobs is not recognized by the proximity sensor for keyless entry for no obvious reason. There’s an on going rattle fest in the interior and I noticed my rear bumper gaps are growing ) mind you the car has under20k miles. I’ve had Nissan, Mazda, BMW and Mercedes and by far the true build quality of Ford has been the lowest among all of them. The initial perceived quality was good when it was new, but it deteriorates very quickly

 

[edco]

To be fair if I were in OP's shoes, I would have got rid of the car too. It's one thing to have a few bad experiences, but to have non stop little issues only for the dealer to waste your time and say "hurr we didn't find anything" is nothing short of infuriating.

A P0300 doesn't just happen for no reason, lol.

P0300 = random misfire.
A P0300 DTC kept my '07 GT from passing license renewal inspection. P0300 can be a headache to diagnose and repair. Dealers and shops gave up. When in doubt do it yourself. Decided to pull all 8 plugs, use oscilloscope to component check each COP, and ohmmeter-out each COP signal wire.
It was my lucky day. Started on the driver side forward cylinder. Pulled the COP. Removed the plug.
The plug head wobbled. The plug spar was snapped in two inside the ceramic. Most of the time the spark would jump across the split. I would get a check engine light crossing RR tracks. Shock caused the split to open defeating a spark. So It was very intermittent. Bought a new plug. P0300 fixed. I can't blame the OP for getting distressed. I admit to a WTF moment myself. However, keeping your head can help you keep your car. The fuel injected / electronic ignition / variable cam / drive by wire V8 engine is a marvel. They are just like computers. 68% of problems are connectivity related. Don't sell the farm for a mouse in the barn. Get the mouse.

 

[Dominant1]

P0300 = random misfire.
A P0300 DTC kept my '07 GT from passing license renewal inspection. P0300 can be a headache to diagnose and repair. Dealers and shops gave up. When in doubt do it yourself. Decided to pull all 8 plugs, use oscilloscope to component check each COP, and ohmmeter-out each COP signal wire.
It was my lucky day. Started on the driver side forward cylinder. Pulled the COP. Removed the plug.
The plug head wobbled. The plug spar was snapped in two inside the ceramic. Most of the time the spark would jump across the split. I would get a check engine light crossing RR tracks. Shock caused the split to open defeating a spark. So It was very intermittent. Bought a new plug. P0300 fixed. I can't blame the OP for getting distressed. I admit to a WTF moment myself. However, keeping your head can help you keep your car. The fuel injected / electronic ignition / variable cam / drive by wire V8 engine is a marvel. They are just like computers. 68% of problems are connectivity related. Don't sell the farm for a mouse in the barn. Get the mouse.

no kill the mouse...

 

[shogun32]

Did you try either of the widebody, Challenger or Charger which come with adaptive dampening? Wonder if they would feel more nimble than a base GT aka non PP1

they don't. there's no arguing with mass. The widebody and 'competition/adaptive' absolutely helps but its a VERY long way to even base Mustang. The pp1 suspension is a farce and should never be used as any kind of a benchmark to aspire to.

 

[1emglenn]

Two things. I didn't like the A10 factory program either. That is why I bought the M-9603-M8B. Its tune for the A10 is much more aggressive and doesn't spend time looking for gears. Sometimes it stays in a gear a little longer than I want, but that is what the paddle shifters are for. The other thing is what was said about the passenger side door sensor. I didn't even have 5 hundred miles on the 19 when a woman decided a stop sign did not apply to her. Hit me in the right rear 1/4 panel, right behind the door. When I got it back from the shop the sensor worked fine for a while, but then started to fail. Would work one time and not the next. No rhyme or reason. Figured it was because of the accident and gave it no more thought. Now this is the second time somebody in a forum has voiced the same problem. Maybe there is something to it. Anybody else out there experiencing the same problem? And by the way NoVaGT, it doesn't matter how long you hold your thumb to the sensor. It's dead and you have to take the fob out of your pocket and hit the unlock. Though, I have had times at the store where it won't work, use the fob and then get home and it works fine. Go figure.

 

[jimmerheck]

I've read from others on this forum about their passenger door unlock feature not working. I dont think its rare.

 

[Fastfwd]

I've read from others on this forum about their passenger door unlock feature not working. I dont think its rare.

Put me down as one. I just got mine back from the dealership. This is the last month of bumper to bumper warranty coverage. I thought I would try to get this fixed. Nope. They replaced the passenger door handle (and painted it very poorly I might add). They replaced the JR3Z 15604 B Kit? Alarm/Keyless Lock and it is still doing it. They had my car for 2 weeks and parked it where birds shit on it for two weeks straight apparently and it's not fixed.

 

[edco]

I feel for Fastfwd. Guys that take pride in their car care about appearance and detail.
That is downright ugly. Do not assume the door interior was handled any better.
It was not a dealer, but a trusted repair shop, the owner (top mech that kept me as a customer)
put his rookie on my Crown Vic power window repair. Something did not hang or fit quite right.
I pulled the door panel. The rookie broke off every plastic hook that the panel latches to the door frame with. It is #1 remove screws, #2 lift-up, #3 pull out. He did #1 and #3. The guy had zero training. My tie-wraps, sheet metal screws, rivets, and replacement of missing insulation got the door back to road worthy. It is just a fact that nobody cares about your car except you. I still buy Ford. We drive the car not the dealer. I like the Ford design and engineering better. I don't think that either Chevy or Dodge employs NASA techs to fix a door handle.

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