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 1998 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 Ford f-150. The contact was not notified by the manufacturer that NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control) was issued on January 27, 2005. The speed control function failed to properly shut off pertaining to the speed control deactivation switch and the contact was unaware that the vehicle could overheat, smoke, or burn because of the failure. While the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, it caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was notified and provided a case number. The dealer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 225,000. . Consumer stated when engaging speed control, the engine would missfire so bad, that I would cut the speed control off before the engine would stall. …
Dt: the consumer stated that the 1998 Ford f-150 caught on fire and burned. This happened on September 27, 2005. The vehicle was parked in the garage and had been turned off for around six hours. The cruise control had not been used the day of the fire. There were no malfunctions on the truck. Everything was in working order. The consumer was awakened by a neighbor who spotted that the garage was on fire. The fire department was called to put out the fire. The fire consumed the garage, the truck and another vehicle. The garage and the vehicle were completely destroyed. There were no injuries to report. There was a fire investigator on hand to examine the cause of the fire. The investigator stated that the fire started under the hood of the truck. This was before the consumer received NHTSA recall 05V170000 concerning the scds on September 30, 2005. …
Tl contact owns a 1998 Ford f-150. The vehicle began smoking underneath the hood while parked. The contact lifted the hood and noticed that flames were present. He attempted to extinguish the fire with a hose. When the police and fire departments arrived, they finished extinguishing the fire. The fire department stated that the cruise control caused the failure. A fire and police report was filed. The contact called the local dealer and they asked for the VIN. The dealer then confirmed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign id number 05V388000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle would not start and was towed to the dealer for repair. The contact never received a recall notice. The dealer does not want to repair the vehicle for free due to the recall; however, they offered to deactivate the cruise control switch. …
Around feb 2002 my 1998 f-150 burned up while off in my driveway of my florida home. I had just come in and turned off the vehicle 3 or 4 minutes before when I had come outside to of all things use the garden hose and looked over to see my the right side (when viewed from t he front) of the hood on fire. I tried to put the fire out as I called 911. I was able to keep it to just the front of the vehicle until the fire fighters arrived. The investigators were unable to determine the source of the fire and we moved on with our lives. Only recently did I learn of the recall that relates to the cruise control of this vehicle type. I realize that at this point I probably have little recourse against Ford except to help the government take necessary action against them. Apparently according to the wsbtv.com website (abc in atlanta) Ford knew about the problem in 1999 and did nothing about it. …
Underhood fire on 1998 Ford f-150 while truck was parked in driveway. Truck had been parked several hours prior to fire. Was awaken by fire department stating they put out fire. Two days after fire we received a notice on a speed control deactivation switch. Everything letter states is identical to what happened to our vehicle. We submitted claim to Ford motor company and they failed to acknowledge our claim stating "that due to extensive amount of damage to the vehicle they were unable to verify a manufactures defect. They made this determination by observing pictures that we sent via email to them. We asked how they could make this determination without someone inspecting the vehicle and only looking at pictures and they stated that they could not determine the cause on most all complaints made to them of vehicle fires of this nature and that our case was considered closed. …
My 1998 Ford f-150 started acting up when the cruise control buttons were set on. The car would hesitate and not want to pull. Once we got home we turned the vehicle off and did not think anything more about it. The following day we went for a drive and noticed what we thought was steam coming from underneath the hood. I pulled the vehicle over and lifted the hood to inspect it. When I lifted the hood I was engulfed in flash flames. I immediately dropped to the ground to put out the flames. When my friend helped me off the ground the truck was on fire under the hood. We immediately called for medical assistance and was transported to hospital via life star helicopter. I suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns on my face and forearms and hands. I suffered 3rd degree burns on my right arm and had to have surgery to remove the dead tissue and then had to have skin grafts to fix my arm. …
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire and burned. The vehicle was parked for 2 hours prior to the fire. The fire department stated in a written report the fire started in the engine compartment in the driver's side. Extensive property damage was sustained to the contact's house and personal property inside the vehicle. The insurance company investigated and deemed the vehicle a total loss. Additionally, a private fire investigator was hired to investigate the incident and came to the same conclusion as the insurance company. The contact received a recall NHTSA #05V388000 concerning the cruise control switch prior to the fire. Several dealerships were contacted to perform the recall remedy. The dealer's asked the contact not bring the vehicle in for service until the end of February when recall parts would be available. …
On Friday 1/23/09 and around 3 pm it was reported to me that my vehicle was in fire. There was a small fire in the back right area if you are standing directly in front of the car, which appeared to be caused by the cruise control module. The fire was put out w/ damage to the wiring in the area and destroyed the brake fluid canister. I called Ford customer service to report this issue and was informed I would hear something within 15 business days via mail. In late 2005 or early 2006 I brought the 1998 f-150 to sawgrass Ford in sunrise, fl to have the cruise control recall looked at. At that time I was told my vehicle was fine and they would call once the replacement parts were in stock. I never received a call and unfortunately I never thought anything of it again. …
Ford 150 had been sitting idle all day, last driven at 9 a.m. To go to grocery store. At approx. 5:15 p.m. On 10/14/06, a neighbor knocked on door and asked if that was my truck on fire. Person walking down street said he looked over and saw smoke coming out from under hood. By time I got outside to truck, flames were coming out of the hood. Fire department was called and fire extinguished. Entire engine, tires, windshield completely destroyed. Car towed to salvage yard. Fire dept. Informed me that Ford had issued a recall for some f150's and suggested I look to see if the model had been recalled. Ford website indicates that my VIN# is a recall. Ford closed at time of incident. Also, Ford closed on Sunday. Ford will be contacted Monday morning 10/16/06.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle had been sitting idle for approximately eight hours when it caught on fire. The fire department investigated and concluded that the fire was caused by a faulty wiring harness. A fire report was available. The contact stated that there was no warning or any type of burning odor from the vehicle prior to the fire. The fire department advised the contact that there was a recall for the failure under NHTSA campaign id number: 05V388000 (vehicle speed control) due to the cruise control deactivation switch failing. The vehicle was not been inspected at the time of the complaint. The contact did not confirm if the recall pertained to her specific VIN. The failure and current mileage was 117,000.
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.
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with a 4.2l engine and originally sold or currently registered in one of the following states: alaska, montana, north dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, new york, vermont, new hampshire, maine, michigan, idaho, wyoming, south dakota, colorado, nebraska, kansas, iowa, missouri,…
Remedy: Dealers will install a revised pcv system on these vehicles.
NHTSA investigations
Blow back during refueling
There is no summary currently available
Alleged loss of throttle control
The details of information and data evaluated during this investigation are stated in the engineering analysis closing report, dated September 30, 1999.a safety-related defect trend resulting from interference by the floor mat with proper operation of the throttle in the subject vehicles was not identified during the course of the ea, and the invrestigation has been closed.the closing of this investigation does not…
Acceleration complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1998 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 116 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1998 Ford F-150, 8% of the model year's 1,381 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (46 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford F-150 acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-388 (vehicle speed control, Sep 7, 2005); NHTSA recall 98V-007 (accelerator pedal, Jan 21, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford F-150 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 111,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 37 fires and 6 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.