Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Ford Excursion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2000 Ford Excursion recall was never done. Allan Vigil Ford in Clayton County GA disconnected my airbag, horn, and cruise control. They stated that a part was on order to complete the recall. We checked up on this over and over and over, the part was always "on order". This part was never installed/replaced on my car and the three things that were disconnected were never re-connected. Yet, they reported it as competed. This was 2010 I believe. Ford shows this recall as "complete", however it is not. We called Allan Vigil Ford recently, however no one will return our calls.
On 26jan06 I took my 2000 Ford Excursion limited edition to eddie yalklin Ford dealership in kingsville texas for a safety inspection of my SUV due to the fact that I had a fire and smoke coming from under the hood of the Excursion after a trip. When I took the Excursion and they inspected it they could see where the fire had started, it was coming from a switch that is located on the brake master cylinder body area. I told them that the only way I was able to stop the smoke and fire from starting was to disconnect the electric wire connector which was from the cruise control switch from the brake master cylinder system. After going over all this with the service rep. They told me that this was not a problem and that there were no recalls at this time. …
My cruise control malfunctioned and about 3 months later a fire broke out while parked for 5 minutes. My wife smelled something coming from SUV and saw smoke start to come from driver side of engine compartment, immediately after she saw the glow on street from fire break out (9:00 pm). Fire dept was unable to open hood because of cable damage due to fire. The fire dept said it was some type of electrical failure. I now know that the cruise control switch mounted on brake master cylinder caused a fire to start. I previously noticed while toping up my fluids there was moisture around the pressure switch and it was brake fluid. I hope Ford is held responsible and repairs my vehicle, and every one else who is going through this rolling fire hazard.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Ford Excursion. While driving, the contact noticed smoke coming from the front driver's side floorboard. The driver was not aware of any warning indicators illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road where it caught fire and burst into flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not driveable and was towed to the driver's residence. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The driver believed the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 09V399000 (vehicle speed control); however, she never received a notification. The failure mileage was unknown.
Dt: the consumer states that the cruise control on his vehicle caused the vehicle to catch fire. This occurred on June 28, 2005. The vehicle had been parked in the driveway for approximately two hours. The consumer was mowing his lawn and noticed the smoke coming from the engine and was able to put it out. He then drove it to the Ford dealership and was told it was because of the cruise control. The dealership told him to call the manufacturer and they told him there is not a recall and there is nothing they can do. Just the cruise control was damaged. The fire department did not respond.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire while parked in a parking lot at a university. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the fire. The fire occurred in the engine compartment and the fire department determined the fire was electrical. There was no warning prior to the fire. The vehicle was parked for two hours prior to the fire. A police and fire report were taken. The contact had pictures of the incident available. There was NHTSA recall #05V388000 (Ford recall #05s28) regarding vehicle speed control. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.
Tl- the contact owns a 2000 Ford Excursion. While coming to a stop sign driving approximately 10 MPH the vehicle engine stalled as he engaged the brake. He tried to restart the vehicle and it would not restart. He pushed the vehicle off the road and notice that fire was coming from under the hood. The contact had water in the vehicle and put the fire out. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Ford dealer. The vehicle was at the dealer at the time of the report. He referenced recall NHTSA campaign id number: 09V399000, vehicle speed control. The failure and current mileage was 267,500. Vwb
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked and unoccupied. The fire originated in the engine area. The contact was able to extinguish the fire by disconnecting the battery and determining that the cruise control deactivation switch failed and caused an electrical fire. The contact repaired the vehicle. The cruise control Smart switch harness was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileage was 168,000.
On 3/24/06 while driving my Excursion the cruise control & speedometer stopped working , the check engine and ABS light came on and the overdrive indicator light started flashing. On 3/26/06 while watching tv with my wife, a local off duty firefighter stated pounding on my front door, when I opended the door I noticed my dream truck in flames in my driveway. The truck was a total loss, also have damage to my deck, the siding on my house and the wheels on my bbq grill melted.
After parking the vehicle for 20 minutes, then, while walking to the vehicle, the consumer smelled smoke coming from under the hood. The hood would not open. The fire department responded, and the fire was put out. There was minimal damage. The cruise control module was the cause of the fire. Per the invoice, the wiring going to the cruise control de-activation switch caught fire. The deactivation switch and harness was replaced.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
Vehicle speed control
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch May overheat.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2006. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. (note: also see recalls 05V017 and 05V388)
Acceleration complaints in other Excursion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2000 Ford Excursion?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2000 Ford Excursion, 6% of the model year's 533 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Excursion acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-399 (vehicle speed control, Oct 13, 2009); NHTSA recall 06V-286 (vehicle speed control, Aug 1, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Excursion acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 17 fires and 1 injury to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.