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 2001 Ford F-250 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford f-250. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle crashed into a pedestrian bridge. The driver was fatally injured. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pedal was bent and overlapped the accelerator pedal. This issue May have caused the crash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000. Updated 04/04/17 lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford f-250. While the vehicle was stationary in a parking lot, the contact noticed smoke underneath the hood. The contact exited the vehicle, opened the hood, and noticed flames. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with water and noticed that an unknown plug related to the cruise control was melted. No police or fire reports were filed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was able to be driven. The contact's VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle was taken to el cajon Ford (located at 1595 e main st, el cajon, ca 92021, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the unknown plug related to the cruise control needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f250. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway with the engine turned off, the owner heard a loud popping noise. He went outside and noticed flames underneath the hood of his vehicle. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The siding melted off of the house and some of his work materials and trees next to the house were burned. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a salvage yard. NHTSA campaign id number 06V286000 (vehicle speed control) was discovered; however, the manufacturer would not disclose whether or not the vehicle was included. The owner was informed that an investigator May inspect the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford f-250. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, a fire was detected coming from underneath the driver's side wheel. The contact also mentioned that the driver side of the vehicle exploded. A police report was filed. The fire was extinguished by the local fire department. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not taken or towed to a dealer or independent mechanic for a diagnostic test or repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was included in the NHTSA campaign number: 05V170000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was idle, a fire erupted which was caused by a faulty electrical system. The fire originated from the engine compartment front underhood. There were no warning signals prior to the incident. Upon inspection, the cruise control deactivation switch and wiring for the electrical system was observed to be completely burnt to the ground. A fire report was taken# 06-017205. Also, the manufacturer was notified, but would not offer any resolution while this case was under investigation.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f250. Approximately fifteen minutes after parking the vehicle, the contact noticed flames underneath the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. Recall # 06V286000 (vehicle speed control) was found. As of June 6, 2007, the dealer has been unable to determine the cause of the fire. The current and failure mileages were 185,000. Updated 08/29/07
We were notified by police and fire department officials that there was a fire in our yard. Our Ford 250 was on fire and had not been driven for around 4 hours. Upon investigation the fire marshall indicated the location of where the fire began and presumed it was the brake pressure switch based on its location. The car has been totaled and caught another vehicle on fire next to it.
Dt*: the contact stated while unloading the vehicle parked in the driveway, smoke was observed coming from under the hood. When the hood was opened, the speed control system was observed to be on fire. The fire was extinguished by the contact. The dealership determined the VIN is not included in the recall # 05V388000.
Vehicle was parked in my garage and at 2:30 am smoke alarms went off and smoke was coming out of garage and my house burned down. Fire investigator told me was from faulty cruise control switch on Ford f250.
On November 22, 2004 at approximately 3 am, consumer's vehicle caught on fire. The cause of the fire was undetermined. Consumer was aware of similar incidents involving Ford trucks due to cruise control.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch May overheat.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2006. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. (note: also see recalls 05V017 and 05V388)
Acceleration complaints in other F-250 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Ford F-250?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Ford F-250, 10% of the model year's 220 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford F-250 acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 06V-286 (vehicle speed control, Aug 1, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford F-250 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 13 fires and 1 injury and 1 death 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.