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 1999 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V388000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle was repaired. After the repair, while the vehicle was parked, it caught fire underneath the hood. The fire department extinguished the fire and a police report was filed. There were no injuries. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 Ford Expedition. The contact was informed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. It was unknown if a police or fire report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 220,033.
My Expedition started acting like it was starving for fuel misfiring loss of power and there's a ticking sound coning from under the dash board the door lock unlock the lights flicker and horn beeps by its self I parked it and a couple days later it wouldnt it trying to crank but its sound I dont believe battery is dead if it was then lights wouldn't come on now and again also when I use my key ring lock to lock the door there's a clunk cluck sound I've spent a lot of money trying to find out what's wrong with lamont that's my expeditions name and nobody knows last repair shop had it 9 days total on the 7th day I called them they said they had no idea and on the 9th I went in and they said I needed a new motor costing 2600 and charging me 220 to tell me that. The shop before that cost me 350 saying the truck itself were the plugs go in was stripped and they needed a special tool. …
The vehicle was parked inside the garage of the owner's home. At 9:30 pm fire was coming out of the engine compartment. The fire department was notified. The owner was able to push the vehicle out of the garage and the vehicle exploded outside the home. The fire department put the fire out and the vehicle was a total loss. The fire was comimg from the drivers side toward the middle. The fire was more towards the windshield. No problems with the vehicle before the fire. The ac would blow hot air in the fron and cold in the back. The vehicle had cruise control but was only used once or twice. The last time it was used was nearly a year before the fire. A cd changer was added to vehicle before purchased. Owned vehicle around 3 years. The fire did spread to the house. Photos sent to NHTSA. The vehicle was insured by rodney young located in dallas, tx who sent out a fire investigator. …
Tl* - the contact stated the 2001 Ford Expedition would not go into gear. The contact had the vehicle towed to a repair shop. The contact stated the vehicle caught on fire the day after it was towed to the repair shop. The repair shop extinguished the fire. The contact stated no work had been performed on the vehicle by the repair shop. The fire damage was to the harness and brake fluid reservoir, all of which melted. The contact was informed by the repair shop that there was a recall on the vehicle for the gear shift. The contact stated he never received recall letter. The contact called the Ford corporate office on 1/15/07. The contact stated they sent a recall letter on January 18, 2007 that was dated December 2006. …
Two years ago we purchased a 1999 Ford Expedition. Vehicle has run exceptionally well with no problems until about two months ago when cruise control stopped working altogether. I had my husband check the fuses, but they were alright. We don't use the cruise control very often so we did not have it looked at. This morning at about 2;30 am our daughter awaked to flames outside of her bedroom window. She alerted everyone in the house. We got the kids out as the Expedition was burning, mostly in the engine compartment. In a few minutes the whole car was engulfed and totally burned. Vehicle had been sitting in the driveway since 4:00 the previous afternoon, almost 12 hours. Some friends heard of this problem, and after we looked into it on the internet we found that we should file a complaint with your administration. Please help. Thank you.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford Expedition. The vehicle had been parked since May 28, 2008. The contact and her two children had been away from the house for several days and when they returned, they noticed that the vehicle had caught fire. The fire occurred on May 30, 2008. The fire department left a notice in the door to inform the contact of what happened while they where away. After checking the mailbox, she was able to locate a recall notice sent by Ford to identify the possibility of a fire related defect in her vehicle, pertaining to the vehicle speed control. A police report was filed. The Ford manufacturer stated that they could not provide reimbursement or a rental vehicle. The insurance company currently has the vehicle. The recall number was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.
Dt: contact owns a 1999 Ford Expedition . Vehicle caught on fire on August 16, 2005 at 1:00 pm. The consumer parked the vehicle in parking structure at approximately 7:30 am, after driving about 30-45 minutes. The fire started underneath the hood on driver's side. The fire department stated it looked as though it was an electrical fire. There were no indications that there was a problem with the vehicle. The consumer had not been using the cruise control because there had been problems engaging the cruise control. Th a police and fire department report were taken. The consumer did not have pictures of the vehicle after it caught on fire. There was structural damage to the parking area and to the vehicle parked next to the vehicle that caught on fire.
Dt: the contact stated 1999 Ford Expedition caught on fire on 8-30-05. The car was parked in the front yard, close to the porch. The fire originated from under the hood. The fire was put out with a water hose. She took vehicle to a dealer, and the dealer replaced the scds at a cost of $357.27. And they told her the vehicle was not covered under the recall at that time. Since then, recall 05V388000 was issued. The dealer told her they could not reimburse her until Ford motor company reimbursed them.
I bought 1999 Expedition and 12 hours later the keys were not in the vehicle 2 cables were sparking and flying by drivers side tire in 5 min the vehicle was gone and on top of that it melt my house. Ford doesn't respond to me after I turn in report. Ford tells me the lady on my case is the only person that talk to me and she won't return my phone calls what can I do? I am a single mother with 5 kids. I don't know if I can live with my depression. Ford are killers my kids could of been in there!
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 1999 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 59 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1999 Ford Expedition, 6% of the model year's 946 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 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 1999 Ford Expedition acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 27 fires and 16 injuries 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.