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 F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 1999 Ford F-150. The contact stated that he had parked the vehicle and was standing outside of the vehicle, between the driver's side door and the vehicle; however, the vehicle reversed independently at 5-7 MPH onto the highway. The contact's back was slammed against the pole of a speed limit sign and he hit his face against the door. The contact stated that he was crushed between the driver's side door and the speed limit sign. The contact was released by emergency units and was transported to the hospital by air ambulance. The contact was diagnosed with a partly broken face, broken nose, broken eyes socket, broken teeth on the left side of the face, fractured skull, right and left clavicle fracture, 4-5 ribs fracture, which led to lung failure, hematoma in the abdomen, spinal damage. Additionally, the contact was on life support for four months. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-150. The vehicle caught fire while parked at the contact's residence. The failure occurred without warning. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police and a fire report were filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was approximately 116,080. Updated 02/02/16 updated 05/18/18
Dt: Ford f150 1999. Before the fire, there was a problem with fuses starting on 6/9/05. There was no turn signal. The turn signals returned after replacing the fuse/brake lights, hazards, owner thought it was fuse #23 or 20. The vehicle caught on fire while sitting in the driveway. The fire occurred in the wires going into the master cylinder under hood. There was a smell coming from under the hood the same day of fire at about 12:30 and then fire happened at 6 pm. When outside owner smelled a strong odor like smoke. Then smoke came from under hood. The owner opened the hood and there were flames about 6 inches high coming out. The fire was put out by hose and then owner tried to start vehicle. Started it and didn't smoke, but there was a blown fuse that governed the hazard lights, etc. Owner believed it was an electrical fire. The fire department was not called nor police. …
My 1998 Ford f-150 xlt truck was sitting in my driveway for 12 hrs. When a fire started under the hood on the driver's side near the mastercylinder. The fire dept. Was notified immediately and on site within 10 minutes. The truck is totalled by fire. I have just paid it off 2 months ago, and was planning to keep it for at least 8 more years. There was damage to my homne from the fire, and the inside of my home is still getting damaged by plastic sooty mess. I drove my truck from louisiana to west virginia the prior week. At the beginning of the trip, the cruise control malfunctioned and quit working. I planned on taking it to Ford for repair after the holiday. The truck caught fire on 4th of July night before I had a chance to repair. I heard of the Ford recall on the cruise control malfunction / fire after the fire. I contacted Ford about this with my VIN #. …
Dt: the contact owns a 1999 Ford f150. At 3 am while sleeping the contact woke up to the sound of the anti alarm system going off. Went out and found that the hood melted and the fire was coming out of the front of the vehicle. Called 911. In the meantime the contact's husband tried to put the flames out with an extinguisher. The vehicle burned completely except for the back bumper and the back tires. Then , basically the fire department came and put the fire out. After the fire was put out the contact called the insurance company, and they investigated the fire, and found out that the fire was started due to the alternator. Two days prior to the vehicle catching on fire the contact received manufacturer's recall 05528 concerning cruise control deactivation switch. Never changed the alternator or the wires. The contact's boat and home were damaged .
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f150. The vehicle was parked for a couple of hours in the driveway and it caught on fire. The vehicle was totally destroyed. The vehicle was towed to the Ford dealer, who the dealer stated that due to the damage they were unable to diagnose whether recall 06e056000 concerning fuel system, gasoline was the cause. The contact stated that the incident with this vehicle happened on July 30, 2005, and the recall notice was received in September 2005. The current and failure mileage was 80,000. This is not a fuel system recall, but a cruise control recall. The dealer sent digital pictures to Ford and they rejected the customer's claim. Updated 4/9
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-150. The contact noticed smoke under the hood. The contact opened the hood and discovered that there was a fire. The fire was extinguished by the contact. A police/fire report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the speed control switch in front of the master cylinder burned. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 05V388000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 208,885.
Cruise control stopped working. Cruise light on panel would light up and turn immediately off and cruise control would not come on. Noticed smokey smell once or twice, but never really bad. Went out to lunch and left truck it was fine came back later to the smell of smoke. Drove 4 miles to dept. Store smell got stronger. Thought it would be OK with truck shut off, came back out to leave and smoke smell was greater than ever. Open hood and touched around master cylinder and defective switch smoke began again but alot worse. Unplugged switch from master cylinder and smoke stopped.
While backing out of a parking space at 8 MPH the vehicle suddenly accelerated backwards up to 60 MPH. The shifter was moved drive and the vehicle continued to accelerate forward. The brakes would not stop the vehicle. As a result the vehicle slammed into an embankment. Vehicle was taken to the dealer where the replaced the mass air glow sensor and throttle assembly. The bed of the truck was pushed outward on the passenger side. The dealer cleaned and lubed the latches. The passenger side striker was shimmed and adjusted.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford f-150. While driving 60 MPH with the cruise control activated, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle continued to move. The vehicle began to roll and landed in a ditch. He noticed flames coming from the hood and he exited the vehicle before it became engulfed in flames. The contact was injured. The fire and police departments arrived at the scene and filed a report. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current mileage was 67,000 and failure mileage was 66,000.
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 › Cables
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks. A speed control cable May not have fully seated into the accelerator bracket at time of installation. If the cable is not fully seated into this bracket, the cable could separate from the bracket.
Remedy: Dealers will add a retaining clip to the speed control cable fitting at the accelerator bracket.
NHTSA investigations
Blow back during refueling
There is no summary currently available
Acceleration complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1999 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 79 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1999 Ford F-150, 8% of the model year's 1,044 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (27 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford F-150 acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-388 (vehicle speed control, Sep 7, 2005); NHTSA recall 98V-192 (cables, Aug 24, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford F-150 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 23 fires and 9 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.