2018 Ford Mustang · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 32owner reports
- 56,000median miles
- $5,000median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 11, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
62 of the 193 complaints on this car are about the engine. 32 of those describe overheating. Only misfire is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 32 reports
Overheating on other Mustang years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (9 reports) and the coolant hose or reservoir (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the engine covers the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The hose barb fittings on the supercharger kits may be manufactured incorrectly, possibly causing damage to the fuel lines and resulting in a fuel leak.
All 4 recalls on the 2018 Ford Mustang, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Mustang
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head. Closed jan 4, 2006.
None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.
What owners paid
5 of the 32 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $5,000 to $8,200.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 40,000 and 66,637 miles, from the 19 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“The vehicle was subjected to the âecoboomâ due to Fordâs lack of care when designing the engine. The car blew the head gasket and now requires an engine rebuild.”
Filed Apr 15, 2026
“Head gasket failure from research online there seems to be a flaw in the engine block that leads to coolant leaking in between cylinder walls causing premature head gasket failure.”
Filed Apr 10, 2025
“Just like the other Ford Ecoboost engines, mine is also leaking coolant into the engine, which is causing me to have to buy an entire new engine. The code is reading a misfire into the third cylinder initially which I âfixedâ with a tuneup. Turns out, Iâll need an entire new engine.”
Filed May 10, 2024
“Coolant leaking in 3rd cylinder causing engine misfires. The vehicle has less than 50K miles on it and shouldn't be having these issues. The shop quoted nearly $5,000 to fix. Many other mustang owners are having this same issue.”
Filed Sep 9, 2023 · 50,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 32 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
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Other problems on this car
- Check engine light or misfire 36 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 28 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 26 reports