Hundreds of Ford Mustang buyers forced to wait even longer due to recall fix

A global recall of the new S650-series Ford Mustang is impacting local buyers of the iconic pony car, with almost 400 examples not able to be delivered until a fix is rolled out.

Last week, Ford Australia announced the recall of 750 Mustangs, due to a software issue which could cause its Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) to fail to illuminate the seatbelt warnings, vehicle speed, fuel level, engine status, and other critical safety information.

While 240 of these vehicles have been delivered to customers and 130 are in stock at dealers without owners, 380 examples have been contracted but not yet delivered to their owners.

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For these 380 vehicles awaiting a fix before being delivered, Ford says it expects the remedy to be completed during the first quarter of 2025 (January to March, inclusive).

The affected vehicles were built between May 10 and August 20, 2024.

“Wherever possible, Ford will utilise enclosed storage facilities (i.e. indoor warehouse and outdoor with hail nets) to store the vehicles awaiting delivery,” a Ford Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.

“Ford has a thorough preservation process for units in storage, including batteries being checked, and tyres being rotated every 30 days.

“We understand this will frustrate and disappoint many customers, and apologise to this passionate and enthusiastic group. We will communicate to all affected customers directly, and communicate with dealers to keep them updated on progress.”

The delivery pause for these 380 examples comes after the new-generation Mustang’s Australian arrival was delayed multiple times.

After being unveiled at the Detroit motor show in September 2022, the seventh-generation Ford Mustang began arriving at US dealers in mid-2023, and was due to arrive in Australia from late 2023.

However, its local launch was subsequently delayed to the first quarter of 2024 (January to March), then the second quarter (April to June) before being moved to the second half of 2024.

The first deliveries to Australian customers came in late July, 10 months since orders opened in October last year, and 17 months after the new-gen Mustang made its debut in the Supercars Championship – the first racing category in the world to feature the S650 model.

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