Wrench light

What do I do now

I fought with multiple local Ford dealerships about the exact same issue. I purchased a used 2014 Ford Mustang (at 16k miles) in 2015. Less than a year later, my car would routinely stall and display an orange wrench icon on the dashboard. The gas pedal did not function when this occurred. The car would have just enough momentum in light traffic to make it to a shoulder or emergency lane. The brake could be used to make it to an emergency lane. I was stalled on multiple occasions on a busy, traffic intensive, high speed expressway and in construction zones. This happened to me once at the bottom of a hill on an expressway, where traffic traveling towards me behind me could not see that I was stalled until they almost hit me. Once the car lost momentum, the accelerator would not allow me to move the car any further. The vehicle was stalled but still on. The a/c, radio, horn, lights, blinkers, hazards, etc. still functioned. I would routinely travel in 70 mph highways only to have my car stall to an idle in seconds. I raised the issue with my local dealership which offered no remedy. They checked the powertrain control and transmission which was still under warranty. They claimed to have test driven the vehicle for 50+ miles to recreate the conditions I described. They claimed to have been unsuccessful in this attempt. I called corporate. They said many have reported similar issues. They collected my personal and vehicle information, and said they would put me on a list for notification if a recall was ever issued that pertained to my vehicle. After researching the issue on mustang forums online and discussing the issue with the South Texas Mustang Club (who reported to me that brand new 2019’s are being driven off the lot with the same issue), I decided to purchase an electronic throttle control from O’Reilly Auto Parts for about $100. I replaced the part myself in my drive way with the guidance of a YouTuber who performed the same replacement on his daughter’s mustang. I recalibrated the vehicle which basically flushes the vehicle of old electronic information from the stock electronic throttle body to make a clean slate for the new part. This process took about 20 minutes. The vehicle has not since stalled or displayed the wrench icon. I called corporate again to ask for monetary compensation of the faulty stock electronic throttle control. They obviously declined, which I anticipated, but I asked anyway because I wanted the issue and request to be recorded. Ford is aware of the faulty part and hasn’t fixed it. I read that an “extended Customer Satisfaction guarantee” was issued to cover the electronic throttle control, which is BS. This should have been a full blown recall. Ford vehicles are going from 75 to zero in a matter of seconds on busy streets. This is putting people’s lives in danger (both drivers/occupants of the vehicle and others on the roadway). There’s no reason why a dealership full of professionals couldn’t diagnose or resolve a mechanical problem with a vehicle they manufactured. I’m a 22 year old female. I diagnosed and solved the problem by myself. I did the research by myself. I purchased the part by myself. I installed and recalibrated the part by myself. I fought with the dealership by myself. This is BS. I suggest you repair your vehicle by replacing the electronic throttle control, and keep the stock part and receipt for the new part in case a successful class action or recall ensues.

I drive a 2013 Mustang V6 with 103,000 miles that I bought - special order - brand new. I had never had this problem (or any other major problems) until 3 days ago, when I experienced the same thing twice on two consecutive days - vehicle completely stalled after being placed in drive as I hit the accelerator. Wrench light came on. First time was on a residential street and it was easy to pull over. Second time was as I was pulling out across five lanes of traffic - fortunately there was no oncoming traffic and I was able to coast into the middle turn lane. Vehicle is now at dealership. I have a Ford Continued Service Plan. I will update with info I am provided by dealer. If this is a known and somewhat common issue, there needs to be a recall!

Thanks so much for that reply, Guru. That exact same thing happened on my morning drive today. I am in a rental 2019 ecoboost. The saving grace was that the car continued to drive. I work in a very remote location, and the drive has cell service dead spots. So glad it didn’t limp to a stop. It happened I cycled cruise control. During resume, I had left it in 10th gear, so it bogged down and threw up the spanner WCA. I was able to make it to work on time, checked the underbody and underbonnet for leaks, and found. I shut her down, restarted, and the WCA cleared. Thankfully. But now I hope I can make it back to town so I can trade it in for another. Thanks again for the info!

I’m posting again with an update on my 2013 Ford Mustang. Dealer diagnosed problem as a failure in the throttle body, and replaced it. I’m now having to argue with Ford Continued Service Plan because they claim my manufacturer extended warranty doesn’t cover this part because it is part of the fuel injector. That’s BS. It controls air intake and is an engine component located next to the manifold. My mechanic even argued with them. In any event FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM with a TSB or recall. If not I hope that plaintiffs attorneys have a field day with class actions.

I’m having the same issue I believe in a 2010 Gt. It had Code P1235 which is for the fuel pump driver circuit. I replaced the part and the mass airflow sensor and it is stuck in this “limp” mode where it won’t go above 3500 rpm. I’m not sure if it may be the throttle body or not.

wish i could contact GuruS3GVF because i have the same problem with my 2019 mustang only 12,500 miles on it. wrench icon would appear randomly and turn off next time i turn on the vehicle. transmission switching gears would feel very weird and not as smooth even before the light would appear.

I got my car 1 year a go - 6 or so Months ago it started do this not stalling but just When I put it in reverse to drive. Took it to ford — didn’t do it to them go home— today it did what you described but did not stall when I was on the road - the engine was very hot - hope they help me tomorrow — I took pics since my service light doesn’t usually come on.

I took your advice about the throttle control device. I bought it at O'Reilly Auto Parts for $100. Took me about 30 minutes to replace it. According to a couple of videos I watched on YouTube. Wasn't that hard. Anybody can do it. Thanks for all your help and advice

What do you ask for exactly that’s only $100 when I called O’reily’s they told me over $300

Any part numbers or youtube video links?

Coincidentally, I am also at 103k miles on my 2013 v6 stang. Car would stop accelerating in the middle of the highway, have a seizure rattling non stop with a yellow wrench icon popping up. Restart the car a minute later, icon would disappear. I’m going to look into replacing the part myself after seeing a couple of youtube videos

Here’s the throttle body and part number it’s only $100