Recall affects more than 2,100 Mustangs in North America and Canada.
One of the wonderful things about the Ford Mustang is that you can still order it with a manual transmission if you just have to have it. The S550 version of the automotive icon is more high-tech than ever, but the team behind it hasn’t forgotten that some people prefer to change gears for themselves, no matter how fast and efficient and paddle-shiftable modern automatic transmissions may be.
You know what else makes the manual gearbox in the new Mustang great, aside from how satisfyingly it shifts? The fact that it’s not part of Ford’s latest safety compliance recall. In addition to recalling 10,610 2018 Escapes over concerns about their side curtain airbag diffusers, the automaker is recalling 2018 Mustangs equipped with the 10-speed SelectShift automatic and 12.4-inch instrument cluster.
Ford says that if you own one of the approximately 2,167 affected Mustangs (2,100 in the U.S. and federalized territories and 67 in Canada) and you turn the car off when its gearbox is not in park, the instrument cluster may not light up the PRNDL display.
Additionally, you may not get the key-in-the-ignition warning chime when you open the driver’s door. That could lead to problems, such as your Mustang slowly galloping away from you. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem as if this issue has led to any worst-case scenarios because Ford isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries related to this recall.
If your 2018 automatic Mustang was built between March 14, 2017 and Nov. 26, 2017, expect to get a recall notice (reference number 17C21) from Ford. Once you take your car in for the required service, the blue oval will update its instrument cluster software for free.
Looking for a good deal on a new Mustang? Get insider information here.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
