Acceleration complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Accident Statement - Instrument Panel Cluster Failure & Collision While driving my 2025 Ford Outerbanks, the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) screen suddenly went completely black without warning. At the time of the malfunction, I was attempting to merge into traffic on my left with my left turn signal activated. Simultaneously, an 18-wheeler in the lane beside me was merging to his right. The sudden loss of my IPC screen meant I could not see my speedometer, warning indicators, safety messages, or any visibility cues needed to safely judge traffic speed and spacing. This created an immediate hazardous situation and made it extremely difficult to manage both my own speed and the surrounding traffic patterns. As I recognized the danger, I attempted to brake and avoid a collision. …
I was driving the vehicle on high mountain pass roads in Colorado. Anytime I would approach approximately 11,400 feet of elevation. The vehicle would instantly lose all power with no warning lights of any kind. All gauges were in the normal operating range. Vehicle would barely move 2 mph. Created a very unsafe condition on narrow steep dirt roads in the mountains. As soon as I turned around and descended approximately 100 feet in elevation the power came back instantly and vehicle operated normally. This happened on three occasions. The roads we were on were narrow, off-road vehicle mountain roads, and it created an extremely dangerous situation. I contacted Ford and they have not heard of this issue and there are no recalls associated with it. …
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that with the cruise control activated, the brake pedal failed to respond as needed with the "Check Brake System" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was forced to disengage the cruise control or depress the brake pedal to the floorboard. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
On rare but recurring occasions, perhaps twice a month, powering on the adaptive cruise control results in one of two issues: 1. The ACC will engage, but set itself for 15 MPH, even if driving at highway speeds. When this occurs, the ACC either cancels itself out, or remains on until it detects a malfunction, and then cancels itself out. 2. On rare occasion, the autonomous breaking will, upon powering on of the cruise control, seem to detect a phantom vehicle that is not there and attempt to aggressively brake. The Ford Bronco ACC is unique in that it attempts to set the ACC on when the system is powered on, unlike other vehicles where the driver must power it on and then set it.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while driving. The lane departure feature also steered the vehicle in the opposite direction while there was construction on the road. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000. The VIN was not available.
1. Vehicle Issue. -At approximately 2k miles while driving through severe weather in the Rocky Mountains my New Bronco lost ALL electronic driving systems that controlled driving modes including 4 wheel drive modes(GOAT) along with safety systems such as traction control, sensor systems, and cruise control. I was forced to drive through a white out in Rocky Mountains with 2 wheel drive due to the electronic GOAT modes failing. This was a dangerous situation as the systems I was relying on failed me when I needed them most. These systems failed off and on for the next three months before mysteriously subsiding. 2. Attempts to resolve. - Took vehicle to Ford dealer to identify issue and they said there was no record of these failures in the code system which is extremely concerning. …
Cruise control and brake lights quit working. Replaced fuse and it blew and still no brake lights or cruise. The problem is the brake pressure switch that controls the cruise goes bad and causes fuse to blow and cruise does not work and brake lights will not work. After finding the problem I replaced the switch with a new one from moses Ford. Within two weeks fuse blown again and switch was bad again. When switch goes bad it allows brake fluid through switch and onto the wiring leaching up harness and to a larger harness and the fluid caused a short which melted harness. I fortunately saw it had melted and have left harness unplugged since. Now because of the two defective switches it ruined cruise servo and harness. I was totally unaware of brake lights being out until my wife followed me home one night I thought it was just cruise problem. …
While cleaning my 96 Bronco I noticed smoke coming out of the left side of the hood. After opening it, I saw the cruise control box to be smoking heavily. I poured water on it and cooled down the superheated device. Except for the cruise control not working, I did not encounter any other problems. Lately I've been reading about investigations into potential systematic defects of the cruise control of Ford trucks and extensive recalls due to that problem. The symptoms described are matching what happened to my car - I seem to just have been lucky to be present. I reported the incident to my car dealer and to Ford but both denied a claim because there was no recall on my kind of vehicle. There have been recalls on Ford f150 trucks but I could not find any regarding the Bronco model which is surprising since both cars are essentially the same except for the flat bed.
Related recalls (1)
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch May overheat, smoke, or burn.
Remedy: By letter dated September 12, 2005, owners were instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Bronco years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1996 (22), 1995 (14), 2022 (7), 2021 (5) and 2025 (5) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 27% of all complaints for the 1996.
Is there a recall for Ford Bronco acceleration problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-388 (vehicle speed control, Sep 7, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Bronco acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 130,000 miles; 4% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the cruise control (17 mentions).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.