2001 Ford Mustang GT from North America - Comments

My mustang got keyed all the way down the passenger side the third week I had the car. (I know, not Fords fault)

Emergency break didn't work; a recall fixed this.

There is a plastic cover over the seat belt where it attaches to the car. This cover continuously pops off. The seat belts won't stay in the holster on the driver/passenger seats. Why are they there?

Engine spark knocked for first three months and would get worse upon acceleration.

The clutch started making a strange vibration noise going into the fourth month.

Further more, the designated Ford dealership I took it to repaired it three times in a row and it still made the noise. I finally took it to a Lincoln/Mercury dealer and they fixed it. It has been several months since they fixed the clutch and now the noise is back. ARrrrrgg!

Head gaskets blew at 19000 miles.

2nd gear seems to grind easily; does not catch well.

I finally received the most help after taking the lemon to the Lincoln/Mercury dealership. They finally convinced Ford to give me an extended warranty. Which I will really need now because my car's clutch is acting up again.

There are still other issues I have with the performance of the engine and transmission in the car. The engine still seems to spark-knock upon acceleration and the clutch does not catch gears well. Especially 2nd gear, I have to let the clutch out slowly or else it will grind.

The only positive thing I can say about the car is that overall it does perform well. The steering is very responsive and the handling is pretty swift. Acceleration is nice when the gears don't grind. The tires have lasted me a full 2 years too. That's pretty good for a Z rated tire.

I have heard rumors that the clutch grinding is common in all GTs built in 2001. Rumor has it many mustangs came from the factory with a bent shift fork. Though there have been no recent service bulletins that apply to this, I have been hearing the same complaint from other mustang owners.

I have also noticed a problem with shifting in 2nd gear. Not that it's a really big deal, but every once in a while it's not that smooth. The car produces a lot of power. I was afraid the car was very noisy, but it's not bad - only in 1st and 2nd really. Enough to get people to back off at a light. The car is a performance car though and needs to be treated as such. Regular maintinance and high octane. If you don't it will break down. You also have to think of modifications with this car, windows, engine, etc. - you will want to make it hot- people are watching you know! Overall I am very happy with the car. It handles very well. Curves are no problem. Power is good. The GT has nicer options (the 6-CD player is great). A lot of people complain that its not a luxury car, but if you want a quite ride with the kids you need a BMW.

I have 2001 Mustang GT and I have the same issue with 2nd gear. Someone told me one time, if you can't find them then just grind them. That seems to be true or my 2nd gear. I have owned the car for 13 months now and have 27,000 miles on it and 2nd gear is my only issue so far. People stare at me when the hear a loud grinding noise coming from a high performance car. I sometimes feel like a dork. The car has plenty of power and has great handling. Good job by Ford on the 2001 Stang!

I may have an answer to some of your problems. The spark knocking can be solved by simply using high octane gas. My stang spark knocked very loud at first until I started using the high octane. The problem with the clutch sounds like something that will cost you more money then what it is worth. I would recommend changing the clutch. Put some kind of high performance clutch. In the long run I think you will spend less on a new clutch then trying to fix the stock one. On another positive note the high performance clutches do help with shifting quickly.

I have a 2001 mustang gt. I love the car.. the first thing I did was add some 2 chamber flowmasters on it.. then I tinted all the windows, and I put eiback performance springs on it.. THE CAR NEED TO BE DROPPED!!! it cost me 500$ TRUST ME ITS WORTH IT.. the handling was 1000 times better.. I couldnt believe how much nicer and how much stiffer the suspensions got.. i also have a 75mm throttle body, and a K&N filter and charger..haven't lost a race so far :)

I got my car in July, in Florida. The first day I had it, I did notice some spark knock. So from then on I used 89 octane gas (Chevron - exclusively). The manual says to use 87 octane, but the weather conditions here and my driving style suggest otherwise. Stay away from the cheapest gas in town, there's a reason for that great price. Even at $0.10 more a gallon, it only amounts to a dollar or so more per fill-up.

I had the grinding problem on my 2002 GT, but the dealer took care of it by adding a friction modifier to the transmission fluid. They said they had received a notice from Ford to do so if a customer was complaining about problems with grinding gears with the clutch all the way in.

I have a 2003 GT, and I also have the 2nd gear grinding problem. I took it back to the dealer for my first service appointment and had the transmission replaced. It ended up doing it again on my ride BACK from the dealership! Is this friction modifier something that most dealers know about now? Also, would a performance clutch help this? If anyone knows, I'd appreciate the help. I've only had the car for 7 and 1/2 months, and I feel like crying every time I hear that noise.

Shortly after I purchased my 2001 GT with 18,000 miles, I noticed a knocking sound in the transmission when the car was in neutral and the clutch was out. Beleive me it was excessive. I took it to my local Ford Dealer and they installed a new transmission and the problem was still there. They then installed a complete new clutch assm. and the noise was still there. Ford advised the dealer that the noise was common in that transmission and nothing was wrong. In 2002 they went to a completely different transmission. My complements to the dealership for their work to correct the problem. I LOVE THE CAR...

I've now owned my 2001 GT for 5 months. My tranny did the same thing. Ford rebuilt the tranny with new block rings and synchros. That fixed it, but it is still notchy. Putting a Steeda Tri-Ax shifter helped a lot. I lowered it 1.5 inches and put Bilstein shocks and struts on. Steeda pulleys and timing adjuster plus a flowmaster catback help power. There are some rattles, and the driver side door closes funny, but all around... very fun.

Love the car, pity the knocking or pinging and stability not prepared for the power, beware bumpy curves and forget rainy days. Once I changed shocks/struts, springs, lower/upper control and had them well balanced out the car changed to the best. Tri Ax shifter worth it all the way. Beware of cheap after market parts, you'll pay for it.

Once some money is well spent on the car its awesome. Mustang had a transmission change mid 2001 model.

You should look into trading your Mustang in on a used Camaro. Your car will be trouble free and much more capable.