The man who saw his new Dark Horse burn to a crisp obviously wasn’t very amused by Ford’s gift that arrived via mail
- A Mustang Dark Horse buyer paid over MSRP before the car burned down months later.
- Now, one year after the incident, the owner says Ford never reached out in any capacity.
- Instead of a response, the automaker mailed a welcome kit to the owner of the lost car.
When the latest Mustang Dark Horse rolled out, it wasn’t just another flashy trim level with a dramatic name. It was introduced as the most track-capable, street-legal version of the iconic pony car to date. Even now, it holds a place as a halo car for die-hard enthusiasts, offering serious performance without the eye-watering price tag of the GTD that sits above it in the Mustang hierarchy.
But for one owner in New Jersey, the Dark Horse story took a turn that was anything but triumphant.
Read: A Karma Dealer Allegedly Sold Exotics Twice For Millions Then Vanished
They willingly paid over MSRP for the privilege of early ownership, only to watch their Dark Horse go up in flames less than four months later. Now, nearly a year after that fiery breakdown and months of silence from Ford itself, they just received something in the mail: a Dark Horse welcome kit.
The Fire, the Silence, and the Fallout
“Since the incident, I have not been contacted by anybody from Ford,” the owner wrote in a now-viral post last year. “Only heard voicemails, and emails that were not responded with… Now I can’t even insure a new car under my name.”
All of this comes after a short but harrowing drive with the car, where the owner lost clutch pressure and their car caught fire and burned to the ground. While we don’t have forensic confirmation, the issue could be tied to a Dark Horse recall involving a clutch line that could burn through and cause a fire.
After accepting the insurance payout, the owner attempted to go after Ford in court but says he only managed an $800 payout. He didn’t expect Ford to break its silence, but it happened anyway.
A Welcome Kit, a Year Too Late
“Well, it’s been almost a year since my car burnt down, and to my surprise today I had a strange package come from FedEx,” they wrote. “Sure enough, it’s this from Ford. This feels like they’re rubbing it in my face.”
Inside the package was the official Dark Horse welcome kit, which included a development booklet, marketing brochure, two posters, a chassis-numbered badge, paperweight, shift knob cover, and a USB drive loaded with nearly 230 images.
“Would be a whole lot cooler if I still had the car,” said the owner. Well, he may not have the car anymore, but he sure does have a sense of (dark) humor…
We’ve reached out to Ford again about the situation and are waiting to hear back. It’s worth noting that this alleged silence seems strange given its record. In June of last year, another Dark Horse burned up, and Ford went above and beyond to care for that owner. Seems strange that they let this one slip – could it all be some misunderstanding on their part?
Either way, a welcome kit sent a year too late probably isn’t the closure this owner was hoping for.
