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 1997 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt: the consumer stated 1997 Ford Expedition. Caught on fire. The fire started under the hood, and was in the cruise control area. The vehicle was parked and turned off. The driver exited the vehicle about three minutes earlier. There was no smoke before this. The driver had not used the cruise control that day. The truck had driven fine earlier. The vehicle was moved from the fire location by the Ford dealership. The vehicle is currently at the Ford dealership. The consumer has a fire report which stated that there was no leakage. There was no insurance on the vehicle. No injuries were reported. Everything on the dashboard was normal. The consumer thought that it was the cruise control because of the fires location and the wheel well. Also, the vehicle was regularly maintained . While on fire bystanders that took pictures. …
Dt:the contact stated vehicle caught fire while driving. He received recall 05V388000 concerning vehicle speed control:cruise control. Smoke was coming from the air vents. He stopped the vehicle, tried to put the vehicle into park and it would not go. He put the vehicle in neutral, turned vehicle off, and then was able to put into the park position. The automatic door locks would not work . The contact had to break the window and unlock the door with the key to get out of the vehicle. He was able to pull the hood latch, and when the hood opened, there was a big cloud of black smoke and then flames. The fire department was called and a report was taken. The Ford investigator determined that the extent of the fire was severe. However, they could not determine the cause of the fire. The manufacturer will not offer any restitution.
I know for a fact there was a massive recall on the model. The cruise control malfunctions and catches on fire when the key is not in the ignition. Most of the f-150 engine fires were traced back to a faulty cruise control. The vehicles usually burned when the vehicle has 160-180,000 miles on the speedometer. My 2000 Ford Expedition burned caught my home on fire and nearly killed three people and several pets. The vehicle in question belongs to a good friend. They mentioned in passing that the cruise control is malfunctioning. This vehicle is exhibiting the exact same symptoms that my Expedition did just before it caught fire. I unplugged my friends Expedition cruise control. I am shocked this vehicle is no longer on the recall list. If this vehicle was repaired during the recall it would not be malfunctioning now.
On November 11, 2005 driving my Ford Expedition on highway 410 and jones maltberger in the city of san antonio texas. My car was on fire in the front hood. I believe it got caught on fire because it has a defective speed control causing on the vehicle control deactivation switch because it overheated and smoke and burning under the hood happened. I contacted Ford and they don't want to be responsible to make repairs. Ford sent an inspector on January 4, 2006, who was in charge of the case from consumer affairs. He sent a letter, and concern was reviewed and was not able to verify it as a manufacturer's defect. Also, could not offer assistance at this time. Updated 4/6/2006 - updated on 05/16/2006-
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Expedition. The contact awakened to find his vehicle engulfed in flames at his residence. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. An investigator from the fire department stated that the fire appeared to have originated from the cruise control, but more conclusive evidence was needed to support that hypothesis. The vehicle was completely destroyed and the contact's home sustained severe property damage in excess of $100,000. The manufacturer did not provide any assistance. The contact has pictures. The VIN was verified, but appears to be invalid. The current and failure mileages were 160,000.
Dt: contact owns a 1997 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire last night. She had driven the vehicle approximately 1 hour prior to the vehicle catching on fire. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle the consumer smelled an electrical odor. There was a fire underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a service dealer. They informed the consumer that this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN. The consumer searched the NHTSA website to see whether there was an open investigation for this vehicle's make/model, and year.
When examining my vehicle which supposedly had a recall on the cruise control sensor on brake master cylinder, found that Ford only added a fusable link to prevent fire as the sensor May not have been leaking at the time. It has since leaked and the added bit of wire with the blue tag has blown it's fuses but I believe the cruise control has now disabled my horn durring operation. I am requesting my vehicle be serviced properly as the recall was not done correctly to my understanding. I was looking online and just realized this so I looked at my vehicle and saw it is the old design.
On 13 July 2005, I parked my 1997 Ford Expedition at a co-workers home. We left for work in his vehicle. 45 minutes later, I received a telephone call from his spouse. She stated my vehicle was on fire and the schertz fire department had responded. The vehicle was a total loss. The deputy fire marshall, terry aikman, opined the ignition point of the fire was at the cruise control circuits. I contacted Ford motor company who responded with a letter. The letter said Ford regretted my loss but could not help because the vehicle was not currently on their recall list.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Expedition. The vehicle caught fire after being parked for ten minutes. The vehicle was in the off position and the keys were not in the vehicle. Prior to the fire, the vehicle had only been driven one mile. The siding on the neighboring home was burned completely. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. The manufacturer is expected to send him information in the next few business days. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.
Dt: consumer drove vehicle and parked it outside of his house about five minutes later it was in flames. Consumer contacted Ford, and was advised not to move the vehicle because they were going to send someone to inspect it. However, Ford did not as of yet inspect vehicle, and case was closed. Vehicle is still sitting in front of house. According to Ford customer hotline the cnn story was off base and NHTSA was also off base.
Related recalls
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.
Acceleration complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1997 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 79 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1997 Ford Expedition, 9% of the model year's 853 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford Expedition acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-388 (vehicle speed control, Sep 7, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford Expedition acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 27 fires and 9 injuries and 2 deaths 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.