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 2003 Ford Mustang owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt: the consumer stated that the accelerator stuck on 2003, Ford Mustang. Consumer was parked in a parking lot when he put the car into reverse and backed up. The motor started racing , and the accelerator stuck while the driver was backing, and he crashed into a moving car. The police came and wrote the consumer a ticket for improper backing, but did not write a police report on the accident. The owner had no prior problems with the vehicle, but the owner has only owned the car since April 10.. Consumer was still driving the car. The owner has not had the car checked for any malfunction. Consumer has not talked to the dealership, or the manufacturer. Also, here was no insurance report on the accident. The owner was traveling at a 10 MPH when the accident happened. Owner planned to have the car looked at today for cosmetic damages, and the accelerator checked. …
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the cruise control was activated. After the activation of the cruise control, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The vehicle reached speeds of 80 MPH and above. The contact tried depressing the brake pedal, shifting the vehicle into neutral and shutting off the engine. These attempts to deactivate the cruise control failed. The contact drove onto an on ramp to the interstate while still attempting to deactivate the cruise. The contact was able to dial 911 for assistance of the state police, who provided verbal instructions for stopping the vehicle safely. The contact placed both feet on the brakes and both hands on the emergency brake to get the engine to stall and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was pulled safely to the side of the road where it was then towed to the dealership for inspection. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the cruise control intermittently would not deactivate when the brakes were depressed when driving at speeds of at least 65 MPH. The contact would have to downshift in order to get the stop the cruise control. The dealer stated there were no recalls for the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 67,000. Updated 8/2/10 the consumer stated whenever he used the control, the vehicle would surge and increase in speed. He would have to downshift in order to slow down. Updated 08/09/10
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford Mustang svt cobra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the pedal became stuck. A police report was filed for wreckless driving. The contact reviewed recall 06V108000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal) which was directly related to the failure but the dealer stated that there was no recall for that problem. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 38,900. The current mileage was approximately 40,000.
I was heading west on coliseum blvd and went to accelerate to pass a slow moving vehicle when my accelerator pedal got stuck on the carpeting!!! The engine was bouncing off the rev limiter before I even realized what was going on. This car should have never been released to the public like this since there is obviously a defect with the carpeting since all of my friends with 03 cobra's have all had the same incident occur. Something needs to be done to address this problem because it's going to get people killed.
Accelerator caught on the carpet of car, holding the accelerator down. I was able to get it to come back up by banging on the accelerator, however several seconds passed. This happened while merging onto I-69 near charlotte, mi. No modifications have been made to this car. This is the second time this has happened, but my first report. This is a Ford Mustang cobra convertible. These are not listed under vehicle.
I am having the same problem as recorded in the current ntsa investigation number pe05038 where accellator pedal stuck wide open due to carpet interference for Ford 2003 Mustang convertible gt. This happened on 7/22/05 and 7/13/05 and once in 2004 on 8/17/04
I have a 2003 Ford Mustang cobra that had the throttle get stuck in a wide open mode that could only be stopped by turning the key to the off position. This was extremely scary as I almost rear end another car.
Gas pedal catches on vehicle carpet preventing deceleration. The hinge of the gas pedal lodges underneath the lip of the carpet keeping the vehicle accelerator depressed during driving conditions.
While driving on the turnpike the cruise control system got stuck causing the car to continue accelerated. I had to hit the gas pedal several times before the system desengaged, avoiding rear ending the vehicle in front of me by just a few feet. I got off the highway in the next exit to get a coffee, put the car in "park" and the transmission got stuck in "parking" cruise control has not operated since.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
On certain mustang cobra passenger vehicles, the rear surface of the accelerator pedal May come into contact with floor carpeting during heavy throttle application. The unique surface profile of the accelerator pedal May catch in the cutout on the floor carpeting behind the accelerator pedal.
Remedy: Dealers will install a shield over the cutout in the carpet behind the accelerator pedal. The recall began on April 26, 2006. Owners May contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA investigations
Accelerator pedal interference
Pe05-038 was opened on July 7, 2005, with 11 consumer complaints to odi alleging incidents of throttle sticking due to accelerator pedal interference with the carpet.odi has received an additional 24 complaints since the pe was opened.during pe05-038, Ford supplied complaint and warranty information regarding 86 additional incidents of accelerator pedal interference in model year 2003 to 2004 mustang cobra…
Accelerator pedal interference
On April 3, 2006, Ford motor company submitted a defect information report to NHTSA concerning a defect condition that could result in interference between the accelerator pedal and floor carpeting in approximately 19,140 model year 2003 and 2004 mustang cobra vehicles (Ford recall no.
Acceleration complaints in other Mustang years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2003 Ford Mustang?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2003 Ford Mustang, 9% of the model year's 231 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Mustang acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 06V-108 (accelerator pedal, Apr 7, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Mustang acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 15,000 miles, and 71% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 2 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.