Ford to Recall Mustang GT350 and GT350R Models For Shoddy Oil Cooler Lines

Dec 05, 2023

Engine oil cooler assemblies will be replaced under warranty

Ford has launched a safety recall for 2015 to 2017 model years of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R over issues pertaining to potential oil leaks brought about by defects in the assembly of the engine oil cooler. According to the company, affected vehicles may have "insufficient crimps" on the hose of the engine oil cooler tubes, which in turn could lead to the hose separating in some fashion, resulting in oil leaking out of the car. You don't need to be a car wizard to ascertain that such a scenario could lead to an engine failure or worse, an actual fire in the event the oil leaks in the presence of an ignition source.

Approximately 8,026 vehicles are affected by the problem including 6,523 models in the U.S., 957 in Canada, 346 in Mexico, and another 59 in federalised territories. Fortunately, no accidents or injuries have been reported pertaining to the issue, but regardless, Ford is still issuing the safety recall as a pre-emptive strike to fix the issue before this problem manifests itself in any one of the 8,000-plus affected models.

It must be noted that the recall comes directly from Ford itself and that the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has yet to make its own recall announcement. This is important to remember because owners looking to see if their models are affected can only do so by contacting their local Ford dealerships and have their VIN numbers run to check for their respective status. Running the vin number in the NHTSA's vin checker will yield no results.

In the event a specific model is included in the list of recalled units, owners are encouraged to inform their dealerships immediately. The dealers will take care of everything, including replacing the engine oil cooler tube assembly at no cost to the Mustang owner.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Recalls are always tricky, especially when it comes to performance models. It's one thing to make a recall for a car like the Fusion or the Fiesta, but a Mustang is a different story altogether because of the owner's propensity to be driven at higher speeds. You don't want to be that Mustang owner who's stretching the capabilities of your muscle car, only for something to wrong at the worst possible time.

That's a big reason why owners of the Mustang Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R should pay heed to this safety recall announced by Ford and make sure that where their models stand relative to those that are affected the faulty engine oil coolers. It's just not worth it to take that risk, knowing what the car could be susceptible too. If a scenario like a fire that leads to a crash can be avoided, it's best to do due diligence to make sure that it doesn't happen to you and your Mustang. Besides, Ford's taking care of the whole thing anyway so there's no reason to worry about the potential costs that come with it.

I know that it's a hassle. Trust me, I’ve felt it too because I’ve had to go through the process too. But the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term inconvenience. So go ahead and look for more information about the recall and if your Mustang is affected, get it fixed as soon as Ford makes it possible.

Read our full review on the Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang here.

Read our full review on the Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang here.

Today, Kirby's focus has shifted toward following industry news, and he has a sincere passion for one-off and tuned vehicles, car toys (especially LEGO brand,) and anything else even closely related to cars. You can also, on occasion, catch him playing Need for Speed – old and new as he still loves to play NFS: underground 2 – and he's recently found a love for Forza Horizon 4 after putting off trying it for months. Kirby joined the TopSpeed team way back in 2009 and has since written more than 12,000 articles and has been featured on a number of other outlets thanks to his die-hard dedication and ability to reach out and obtain exclusive information that you can't find anywhere else but TopSpeed.com.