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Which Mustang is the most reliable?

GrabberBargeCaptain

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I've seen very few failure threads tbh.

One of my past cars (FR-S) had a subaru engine, and it was like every day you'd get another thread about someone spinning bearings lol. These cars are reliable as hell tbh. 10 quarts of oil im sure helps.
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SCP440

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If you want performance there is always a chance and it doesnt matter who makes it, A friend with a Porsche that is 5 years old is $20k into repairs with bore score and the engine had only done 15k miles. Another with a BMW has been told he needs two turbos and some other work and that is going to be the thick end of $7k.
Let them warm up properly before you push them, regular servicing using quality products and do it before its due rather than leaving it to the last minuite. Oil is cheap.
 

WItoTX

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No you haven’t. Maybe a few here and there for various reasons, but by no means are there “a lot” of Gen 3 coyote failures. As far as performance engines go, the coyote is about as reliable as it gets. In addition to the Mustang, they’re also in the F-150. Different tune than the Mustang, but basically still the same engine.
About to be "that guy"...LOL, but different firing order, different cams. I think the physical pistons and rods and bearings & whatnot are the same though.

Agree though, the Gen III is the best example. A buddy tracks the hell out of his 2020. 147k on the clock and still going strong. It's almost annoying haha
 

MAGS1

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About to be "that guy"...LOL, but different firing order, different cams. I think the physical pistons and rods and bearings & whatnot are the same though.

Agree though, the Gen III is the best example. A buddy tracks the hell out of his 2020. 147k on the clock and still going strong. It's almost annoying haha
LOL, no I know there’s more differences than just the tune for the F-150 but they’re based on the same platform and as you said have many of the same physical parts. The OP saying he’s seen “a lot” of gen 3 failures on this forum is flat out incorrect. The failure rate isn’t zero and there some that have issues but they’re about as stout a stock performance motor as you’ll find.
 

sk47

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Hello; Let me try to redirect the thread a bit. I do not think the OP is trying to cast any Mustang in a bad light. He has posted of looking to buy one. That means he likes them.
seems a reasonable question to check with enthusiasts about which year, model, and equipment group to buy.
I have followed a few threads lately and some comments have stood out to me. Among them being do a thorough check before buying. There are a number of things/ways to check out a used car. However outside of such inspections there ought to be some suggestions you owners can give to a prospective new Mustang owner.

One area which ought not be controversial is the ten-speed auto trans. There has been a class action about that joint Ford/GM endeavor. Again, it is hard to know if the issues with that are fixed.
 

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sk47

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2021 Ford Mustang Engine And Engine Cooling related problems

Hello; Here is a link to a site I have looked at. I plugged in vehicles I have owned for sometime and have found the site reports to match issues I have had. The site is annoying any more as there are too many unrelated pop-ups trying to get you to click here.
 

wa9njm

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Fwiw I've owned 4 s550's at this point, and none of them have had an engine issue.
'16 GT PP w/ 75k (This one also had the power pack 2 on it for 35k)
'21 GT w/ 10k
'19 GT PP1 w/ 80k
Currently in a '19 Bullitt w/ 45k

To add in some more anecdotal evidence of reliability, also had a 2013 with the gen 1 that had 80k on it and currently have a '12 f150 with 140k.
 

2015 Silver GT

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Fwiw I've owned 4 s550's at this point, and none of them have had an engine issue.
'16 GT PP w/ 75k (This one also had the power pack 2 on it for 35k)
'21 GT w/ 10k
'19 GT PP1 w/ 80k
Currently in a '19 Bullitt w/ 45k

To add in some more anecdotal evidence of reliability, also had a 2013 with the gen 1 that had 80k on it and currently have a '12 f150 with 140k.
Stop cluttering up this thread with actual facts!
 

CrazyHippie

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Fwiw I've owned 4 s550's at this point, and none of them have had an engine issue.
'16 GT PP w/ 75k (This one also had the power pack 2 on it for 35k)
'21 GT w/ 10k
'19 GT PP1 w/ 80k
Currently in a '19 Bullitt w/ 45k

To add in some more anecdotal evidence of reliability, also had a 2013 with the gen 1 that had 80k on it and currently have a '12 f150 with 140k.
I own a 23 gt/cs and the 10r80 is as smooth as butter in all driving modes. I suggest looking for a 23 - the theory being that they worked out the trans tuning (and other bugs) at the end of the s550 model lifetime.
 

mmff88gt

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I have a 2019 GT 6M with about 75K miles on it. I am a barbarian in that I only use 87 octane gas, except at high altitudes, and have been using 7,500 mile cycle for oil changes based on results of Blackstone testing of my oil. I have always used Motorcraft full synthetic -- initially 5w-20 per factory recommendation, then 5w-30 when spec changed for newer model years. About 20K miles ago, Blackstone's comment was: "Your Mustang just keeps looking better and better! This sample contains the least amount of metal to date, and wear levels are impressively low for how long this fill was run."

Obviously, this is anecdotal too, but my engine has performed flawlessly. I do not track the car.
 
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Mgt2

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If one is worried about an engine failure in a Mustang, then don’t buy one. Pretty simple.

Agreed 100% with the above statement! I have a 2020 pp2, Lund tune about 4 years ago. Barton short shifter plus everything Steeda, front and rear. 50,500 miles, never had any issues. AND I drive it hard sometimes. It puts a smile on my face when ever I get behind the wheel!😎😉!
 

sk47

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Hello; I forget which year Porsche started the Boxter but I know that for over ten years they put a flat six engine in the Caymans & Boxters. Turned out the engines had a potentially fatal flaw from the factory. An intermediate shaft inside the engine rotated on bearings.
One of the bearings was a sealed type and not fed with engine oil. Something like 10% of those engines failed due to the bearing coming apart. In 2009 Porsche fixed the issue. So before I gave up on having a Cayman I only shopped for 2009 & newer. Some claim the 2008 was pretty much fixed with a better factory bearing.
The point being sometimes cars/trucks wind up with known & common issues. A company usually comes up with a fix for issues as the model years go by. Such common & known issues be them major or small may be the sort the OP is wanting to know about. On the pre 2009 Porsche engine there came to be an aftermarket fix. A better, ceramic I think, bearing could be inserted in the engine if you took the transmission out. That would be the sort of thing I would want to know was done if I was looking at an early Boxter/Cayman.

I recall reading threads on here about a Coyote series issue regarding the chain tensioners. Several members posted pictures of what to look for when checking the timing chain thru an access port. The idea being to make sure a pin is seated correctly I think.

I do not blame owners for being proud of their ride. The testimonials are encouraging and actually helpful.

Good luck to the OP. Hope you find a way to determine the model year to buy.
 

-RAC-

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It started in 1999 (1998 in Europe) with the IMS bearing. It's was the 911 and Boxster. Excludes all turbo and GT cars. They did not have an IMS bearing.

I owned a 99 911 996 C4. I miss that car should have never sold it. 150k miles zero issues.

The problem was if the bearing failed it blew up the engine. Porsche forced the dealers to replace the entire engine and refused to let the techs crack open the engine. Porsche would goodwill a new engine outside of warranty but only to the first owner. After that you were SOL.

It was the aftermarket guys who solved the issue. I believe it was LN Engineering who solved it. They crack open a 996 engine. They developed the tool to pull and replace with a different designed bearing. I think the cost to do it was very reasonable.

Most people would replace the bearing when they had a new clutch installed.

It's also one of the stories that blew up on the Internet making it worse than it was. But all makers and cars will have some sort of issue. The F355 had issues with it heads due to heat. The aftermarket guys figured something out. Give enough time the aftermarket usually finds a fix.

But if you are the unlucky one that the failure happens to, it sucks for sure.
 
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