By Steven Symes 
We’ve heard some people claim the Dark Horse Mustang tends to catch on fire, something one unluck owner experienced himself. Even worse, the fiery end of what was once a dream car for the guy was the end of a back-and-forth process with Ford as the owner claimed his Dark Horse was one problem after another.
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That owner, Dominick Joseph Tullo, said he had the recall work done on his pony car. In the summer of 2024, Ford issued a safety recall for all manual-equipped Dark Horse Mustangs and other 2024 Mustangs with the stick shift.
The problem was a misrouted clutch pressure line that can touch the hot exhaust system, melting it so fluid leaks. That can cause the loss of gear shift control. But even worse, the fluid can hit hot engine parts, sparking a fire.
We don’t know if that’s what happened with Tullo’s car, but he claims the recall work was done on his five days before it burned to a crisp.
It sounds like there were multiple problems with the transmission, with a Ford dealer replacing the transmission, lines, flex plate, clutch, and several wiring harnesses. In other words, his issue might have gone beyond the scope of the recall, but the dealer also performed the recall work on it.
On top of that, Tullo claims the Dark Horse Mustang had “tons of electrical issues” so it went back to the dealership service department multiple times.
Adding to the frustration of losing a car with just 3,600 miles, he said the service he received at the dealer was less than stellar. For example, once the dealership returned the pony car with 250 additional miles, claiming that was done as part of the diagnosis and testing after repairs were made.
Another time, he claims the Ford muscle car was returned to him with flat tires.
The guy claims to have been in the middle of pursuing his state’s lemon laws. He also says after the fire nobody at Ford bothered to reach out to him. It sounds like a true nightmare situation.
Images via Dominick Joseph Tullo/Facebook