- A risk of fire associated with the 2024 Mustang has Ford recalling several thousand units.
- The cars in question all have a manual gearbox and could have a clutch pressure line that’s too close to the exhaust headers.
- Should that pressure line get too hot it could leak and cause a fire.
Update June 6: The NHTSA has officially confirmed that 8,161 units of the 2024 Ford Mustang with a manual transmission could potentially be affected by the clutch issue. Ford estimates that about 1% of these S650 generation pony cars may have the defect.
As of May 24, 2024, the Blue Oval has identified two potentially related underhood fires and one smoke incident related to the faulty clutch line. Thankfully, there haven’t been any reported accidents or injuries.
To address the issue, Ford has instructed dealerships to halt demonstrations and deliveries of any potentially affected 2024 Mustangs. Technicians will inspect the clutch line to ensure it’s securely connected and make any necessary repairs free of charge.
Original story follows below.
Ford is in the process of alerting Mustang owners about a new recall. While the NHTSA hasn’t released the details yet, it’s clear that a safety concern is present. Reports indicate that a loose clutch line might be to blame and that it may have already caused one Mustang Dark Horse to burn down.
Several owners have reported that Ford sent them a recall notice via their FordPass mobile phone app. The notice states that a “hydraulic clutch pressure line may not be properly retained to a locating stud on the dash panel.” In cases where it’s not retained properly, it could end up resting close to or against the exhaust.
Exclusive: New Mustang Dark Horse Burns Down After Stuck Clutch, Ford Makes It Right
Obviously, the exhaust is going to get quite toasty from time to time and could melt things that touch it. According to the message shared on Mustang7g forums, Ford tells owners that “If leaked hydraulic fluid accumulates near a sufficiently hot surface, you may observe smoke and experience an under-hood fire.” For at least one Mustang Dark Horse owner, this appears to be the cause of his experience with a fire.
In April, his clutch pedal got stuck in the depressed position while he was driving. Despite attempts to pull it back up, he couldn’t get it to work again. Moments after he pulled over, he popped his hood to find smoke and a fire “right behind where the clutch is.” The conflagration that followed made waves.
As of this writing, the NHTSA nor Ford have made official recall documents available to the general public. Due to that, there’s no indication of how many vehicles are in the recall population or how the error popped up in the first place. What is clear is that Ford plans to inspect affected vehicles and make repairs as necessary.
Read: 8 Sports Cars Allegedly Racing Each Other Pile Up In Georgia Highway Crash
Owners won’t necessarily notice a problem until there is one though so if you have a 2024 Mustang with a manual gearbox contact your local dealer to schedule an appointment.
