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Ford's multi-million-dollar Mustang mistake! Missing equipment for Mach 1 sparks cash-back offers and refunds

Ford's Mach 1 Mustang it missing some promised kit.

Early Ford Mustang Mach 1 buyers will be offered $5400 refund or a track day and free servicing package after discovering some of the performance equipment promised in the vehicle's brochure is either not fitted, or is entirely unavailable.

Some 700 examples of the Mustang Mach 1 are being offered in Australia, priced at a considerable $83,365 in manual or automatic, with Ford billing the halo model as the "most track-focused Mustang" to date.

Helping live up to that promise is an upgraded version of the Mustang’s 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine, now producing 345kW of power and 556Nm of torque.

The problem, though, links back to the Ford Mustang Mach 1 brochure, which promised a Torsen differential, radar cruise control and rear parking sensors – none of which appear on the production model, with the safety equipment not offered on any Mach 1 anywhere in the world.

The error was spotted and fixed on April 29, and all customers who ordered their vehicle before that date are eligible for the cash-back offer, or a free track day and complementary servicing package. Those customers are also eligible to return the vehicle for a full refund.

Anyone who ordered after April 29 will be offered three-years free servicing and a Ford Experience track day.

For those who choose to take the cash-back offer, the news is actually quite good - $5400 can buy a lot of performance components, or act as a bank for your next set of rear tyres.

Estimates put the number of vehicles sold before the error was rectified at around 400 units, meaning Ford will be paying out somewhere north of $2.1 million dollars for the mistake.

CarsGuide contacted Ford for a comment with a spokesperson responding: “Over the past few weeks we have contacted our Mach 1 customers who ordered prior to 29 April 2021 to advise them of the spec differences and to offer a special Ford Performance Experience and up to three years free scheduled servicing on their Mach 1, to help alleviate any disappointment resulting from our error. Now that we’ve had these discussions, over the next couple of days we’ll be writing to Mach 1 customers who ordered prior to 29 April to outline all options available, which now include: a cash payment of $5,400; or up to three years free scheduled servicing and a Ford Performance Experience; or a full refund of their deposit (or purchase price).

For those who ordered after 29 April 2021, we are pleased to extend a goodwill offer of up to three years free scheduled servicing and Ford Performance Experience. Those customers will also receive a letter outlining this, over the next couple of days.”