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 2002 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and attempting to pass a slower vehicle, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal suddenly extended to the floorboard causing the vehicle to immediately accelerate faster than intended. During the failure the speed increased to over 75 MPH before the contact shifted the transmission into neutral and the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure on two other occasions and the cruise control feature was never activated during the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 94,000.
Got home from work parked my vehicle in my carport available space in my apartment. Turn off the truck completely, nothing left on or anything suspicious to cause a incident. When to my apartment unit took a shower and not more than 20-30mins was alarmed that my vehicle was caught on fire. I immediately ran outside to the carport saw the engine on fire, tried to stop it with anything that I could find (water holes) or extinguisher. My neighbors called 911 as I saw the flames getting higher and stronger the fire moved into my daughters vehicle which was parked next to our other carport space and caught on fire as well. Overall, there are two vehicles completely destroyed. There was also two other vehicles involved that have some burning damages. As well as property damages into our available parking spaces. Some windows from the lower apartments were cracked. …
This is follow up assessment to my 9/22/2019 claim [redacted]- where I found myself in a very dangerous vehicle run away situation that resulted in a rear end accident with another vehicle. My mechanic's first observation when turn ignition key, the engine raced at full throttle out of control. After quickly shutting down engine the symptoms lead my mechanic to test the idle air control valve. Having never seen this dangerous symptom from a bad iacv, he continued to do further test on the iacv only to determine the part was indeed defective. After diagnosing the problem, the defective iacv part was quickly replaced. The engine is now running good again. If you need to contact my mechanic: dugan auto service, narvon pa - doug miller [phone]
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-150. The contact stated that an explosion occurred under the hood and the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle only had liability coverage; therefore, the failure was not covered by the insurance company. The vehicle was taken to metro Ford inc (2860 s noland rd, independence, mo 64055, [phone]), but they could not assist. The dealer suggested having an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control), which could have caused the fire. The failure mileage was 204,000.
Car was on the highway doing 65 MPH. When I took my foot off the accelerator, the car continued to accelerate on its own. When I applied the brakes I was able to slow it down and control the car. When I got off the exit ramp and tried to bring the car to a stop, the engine was running at high rpms and I couldn't completely stop car until I rear ended another vehicle. I've tried to start the car after that, but the engine immediately starts racing as if I have my foot pressed on all the way down on the gas.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 Ford f-150. While the vehicle was parked in front of the contact's house, it caught fire without warning. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries. The fire was not heat related. The vehicle was totaled. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was 150,000.
The recall ie an inline fuse on speed control deactivation switch did not work it just caught on fire and ruined my master cylinder and brake system.it wont hold brake fluid now because the switch melted into it.Ford says oh well recalls been done
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford f-150. The contact's vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 05V388000 (vehicle speed control) in 2005. Four years later, while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle speed control spontaneously engaged itself followed by a period of immobility. One week later, when attempting to enter the vehicle, the contact noticed flames erupting from the engine compartment. Within minutes, the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames and the fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was completely destroyed. It has not yet been determined what caused the failure. He called the dealer and was referred to the manufacturer. The contact called the manufacturer and is currently waiting for a response. He has copies of the fire report and pictures of the failed incident. The failure and current mileages were 100,000. …
In 12-14 and 1-10-2016 the butterfly in the throttle body stuck and vehicle wouldn't slow down. 1st incident -10f, came from warm garage, interstate, cruise control in use, in about 15 minutes of driving eventually speed got to 85mph on its own, cruise shut off and vehicle maintained 85 MPH, once stopped throttle and cruise cable were checked and free, butterfly was stuck partially open when manually moved and broke free, problem went away; 2nd date -5f came from warm garage, interstate, cruise on, 20 minutes into trip, similar results, weather clear low humidity, vehicle would not slow down, cruise shut off, no-load engine speed over 5000 RPM, vehicle speed 65mph on level with no throttle input, cables when checked were free, brakes would barely slow vehicle, engine operated normally once butterfly was broke free but problem reoccurred about 30 minutes later. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford f-150. The contact stated that while exiting a parkway to get on the highway while driving 55 MPH he applied the brakes to yield and the vehicle accelerated without driver intent. He was forced to drive the vehicle on a sidewalk in order to get out of traffic which caused him to lose control of the vehicle and crashed into an embankment. He tried to put the vehicle in neutral but it went into reverse instead. The vehicle accelerated on it's own in reverse and crossed a six lane highway before crashing into a light pole, which finally stopped the vehicle from accelerating. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a storage lot. The state police responded to the scene and filed a report which is available. The vehicle was not repaired. Ford was contacted and could not offer assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 82,200. …
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 F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2002 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 86 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2002 Ford F-150, 10% of the model year's 821 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford F-150 acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-388 (vehicle speed control, Sep 7, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford F-150 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 45 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.