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 2005 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford f-150. While reversing at 50 MPH, the vehicle accelerated on its own and crashed into the front of one vehicle and the driver's side of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the crash scene to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.
I was going to meet my husband on the side of the highway to pick up my son. I started slowing down from highway speed of 90kms/hr quite a ways back. I slowed the truck to about 30kms/hr about 40 feet behind his pickup. All of a sudden the truck I was driving gave a couple of lurches, sped up and slammed into the back of my husbands truck. I did not remove my foot from the brake the whole time. There was nothing I could do to stop the truck. On the ground beside the truck there was evidence of something strange going on with the passenger side rear tire. Like it had revved up, braked, revved and braked again. The salesman that sold us the truck came out to the scene and said that he believed something went terribly wrong and spoke to the service manager at lacombe Ford. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Ford f150. While slowing down to a complete stop, the vehicle rapidly accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal again to make sure that she depressed the correct pedal, and the vehicle jerked, continued to accelerate, and the engine revved. The vehicle only stopped when the passenger placed the gear into park. The contact struck the preceding vehicle and the bumper sustained minor damages. The contacts vehicle was towed to the dealer because she was afraid to drive it again. A police report was filed. She filed complaint number 0405860938 with Ford. She was informed that it would be at least two weeks before she would hear from their legal department. There is currently an open investigation number pe08001 (service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum. Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford f-150. The contact stated he was traveling at speeds of 50 MPH with the cruise control activated. Upon depressing the brake pedal, the cruise control would not deactivate and the vehicle proceeded to accelerate without driver intent, crashing into a street sign. The vehicle continued to maintain activation of the cruise control and the contact utilized the emergency brake in order to bring the vehicle to a stop. The contact did not report any injuries. A police report was not filed. The dealer could not duplicate the failure and stated that the vehicle was operating as designed. There were no prior warnings and the current and failure mileages were 23,000. The consumer stated he was unable to stop the vehicle and consequently, he drove off the road and hit a sign post and side swiped the back of another vehicle. Updated 04/23/10.
Dt*: the contact stated after attempting to apply sudden brake pressure, the vehicle struck another vehicle in the rear resulting in minor damage. The brakes stopped the vehicle, however not before the point of impact. No injuries were sustained and the police were not notified. Afterwards, the contact discovered the brake pedal was too close to the accelerator pedal. It was suspected that due to the design this could be unsafe, although the placement of the accelerator pedal was not a factor in the accident. The dealer was notified. A manufacturer representative inspected the vehicle. It was determined the placement of the accelerator and brake pedal met federal motor vehicle safety standards and no corrections were made.
Driving on interstate doing 70 MPH (in fast lane) when truck stopped/stalled and I guess from research went into "limp mode". I was unable to press the gas pedal, it just shook three times each of which slowed it down incredibly, the check engine light was on and a wrench showed up, but the radio still worked. While trying to pull over almost wrecked (memorial day weekend and I was in fast lane). Finally able to pull over to side of road hysterical, shut off and waited a minute and it started. Drove rest of way home *100 miles* with check engine light on and ABS light on. I am scared to death to drive again. Not fun having a vehicle stall/quit whatever on interstate in rush hour traffic.
While approaching a stop during a heavy rain shower I brought the vehicle to a complete stop about 10 feet from the vehicle in front of me. Suddenly, the vehicle accelerated forward. I pressed harder on the brake and the vehicle jerked and shuddered violently. My first thought was that I was struck from behind by another vehicle. I was issued a violation from louisiana state police for following too closely. My belief is that the shuddering was the effect of the anti lock brakes activating. The damage to both vehicles was relatively minor. The vehicle was checked for a defect but none could be found.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the accelerator pedal became stuck to the bottom of the floorboard and there was a sudden acceleration failure. The contact mentioned that the brakes were depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a boulder in a river. A police report was filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure and current mileage was 86,000.
Truck was bought and I replaced all spark plugs and even had to replace a clinoid because was told that was the problem. Its not... There is a ball valve in the transmission that keeps the truck from building enough pressure to be able to shift which throws a code and says misfire on 6 been replaced twice now so clearly not the problem. This is a major issue.. Truck feels as if fixing to fie then check engine light will come on start flashing but throw no codes and you cant speed back up because it feels like your truck is about to die and you don't want to blow your motor.
Truck began ticking very loudly, then began a knocking noise, and now the engine shakes the truck when idling. Cam phasers broke apart causing damage to the timing chain. Sudden loss of power to the engine as well as inability to maintain speed while ascending an incline is frequent. The loss of speed and power has caused us several close-call accidents. Truck will simply not accelerate while pressing the gas pedal. Additionally, it also feels like the truck cannot catch gears while in motion.
Acceleration complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2005 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2005 Ford F-150, 5% of the model year's 1,112 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford F-150 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2005 Ford F-150, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Ford F-150 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 37% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 2 fires and 0 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.