Case file · FORD-MUSTANG-2024-2026 · Field document

Ford Mustang 2024–2026 · Pre-purchase checklist

Bring this to the inspection. Every check below is specific to this generation's documented failure modes — not generic used-car advice.

1. Check 01

   Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before anything else. This generation has an unusually busy recall sheet for its age — confirm every campaign shows completed, especially the 25V546 cowl-seal/BCM water-leak fix.

2. Check 02

   Check the passenger-side footwell carpet for dampness or a musty smell, and look for water staining below the windshield corners — the classic cowl-leak tell. Walk away or negotiate hard on a car with a soaked BCM history.

3. Check 03

   With the car running at dusk or in a dark spot, verify every exterior light works: taillamps, side markers, license-plate light. Flickering or dead rear lighting is the BCM water-intrusion symptom.

4. Check 04

   On a 2024 built July–November 2023, confirm the 24S49 rear-suspension-knuckle inspection was performed. On a 2024 EcoBoost, confirm the 24S19 fuel-line recall is closed.

5. Check 05

   Cold test drive an automatic: creep to several stops and listen for a clunk or lurch around 25–30 mph as it downshifts. Some of this is 10R80 character, but ask whether the latest transmission software update has been applied — and on a 2025, that the 25V164 valve-body recall is done.

6. Check 06

   Cycle the digital cluster and the 13.2-inch center screen through a full restart. Ask if the 24C35 cluster software update was done and whether the APIM (infotainment module) was ever replaced.

7. Check 07

   On a 5.0, let it idle warm and listen near the passenger front wheel well. A light irregular tick is the known 'typewriter tick' — Ford calls it normal — but you want to hear it yourself before you own it.

8. Check 08

   Inspect paint and panel gaps in daylight, especially the nose cone and front fascia edges. Launch-era cars left the factory with visible defects often enough that owners documented them.