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 2000 Ford Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Ranger. The contact stated after a short drive at approximately 30 MPH, the contact parked the vehicle at his residence. The contact heard a loud bang and observed through his residence window that the vehicle was on fire that was confined to the engine compartment. The flames eventually spread to the passenger cabin. The fire department was called. The fire was extinguished with chemicals. The fire marshal wrote a report and advised the contact that the fire could be related to a NHTSA Safety Campaign. The contact's vehicle shows one open recall associated with NHTSA Safety Campaign Number: 05V017000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Two times on 3/2/12 I took my foot off the gas to stop at a stop light and when I started to brake the truck accelerated. The first time was on wet roads so I could slow it down enough with the brakes while the tires were burning to get it into neutral and then got it stopped. Later the same day it happened again this time the road was dry and no matter how hard I pushed the brakes I could not get the truck to stop before hitting a car stopped in front of me before I got it into neutral. I am scared to drive the truck! I called a dealer and asked if they knew of any issues or recalls that would cause this and they said they did not. From what I have read on this site and other sites there are other owners having the same issue. Of course they advised I could bring it in for an inspection that cost a large fee regardless if they find and resolve the problem or not.
Engine fire in 2000 Ford Ranger 4x4 parked in my driveway with the engine turned off occoured dec 31st 2006 approx. 4:00 pm. I have reported this incident to Ford customer service and they said they would get me a response letter in 7-10 days. I did not have full coverage as the vehicle was paid for w/ 131K miles but planned on driving the truck 100K more. I believe that this was caused due to the cruise control switch I have found out about on the web but due to not having full coverage would have to pay for an investigation myself that I can not afford.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the cruise control failed to operate without warning. In addition, the contact stated that the brake lights and the turn signals failed to illuminate when engaged as the brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle caught on fire. No injuries were reported. The contact called the fire department, who inspected the vehicle and stated that the fire was caused by the cruise control function. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
I experienced sudden, uncontrollable acceleration while driving at approximately 15 MPH on a suburban street. The accelerator pedal went to the floor and was seemingly disconnected from its linkage. I was able to stop the vehicle by turning off the ignition, thankfully before encountering another vehicle, pedestrian or obstacle. My vehicle is a very well maintained 2000 Ford Ranger xlt with about 68,000 miles. The vehicle was towed to a local garage who repaired it promptly. I reported the incident to my local Ford dealer who basically shrugged his shoulders, seemingly uncaring that there May be a potentially serious safety issue. He gave me a toll-free phone number to call Ford motor company, but after several attempts to reach that line, and being put on hold through an automated system for up to 40 minutes at a time, I have become frustrated enough to report this to NHTSA.
With all this attention being paid about Toyota,I think its about time I mention the problem with the accelerator on my Ford Ranger.twice it has stuck on me and I was very lucky it happened on rural roads.both times the RPM"s shot up to 5000,and I lost my brakes completely.I was able to control the situation by turning the key off and letting the vehicle roll to a stop after going thru a stop sign.that first time I let the truck sit for a few minutes,I didn"t know what to do ,and it settled itself down,because it seemed fine,ran good.the second time was the same senerio,but this time I had to have the vehicle towed because it would not settle down.my mechanic didn"t give me a very good explanation of what he did to fix the problem.I did stop at three different dealers to explain the problem,and they looked at me like I had two heads.they didn"t seem to care.
Cruise 'control devices on numerous Ford vehicles have been recalled. Ford is disengaging the devices and does not have adequate parts to repair them, consumers are not advised of this until the device has been disengaged. At which point - in my case with a 2000 Ford Ranger I was advised the parts would not be available till December - I have now been advised that the parts will now "possibly" be available mid-March. Ford is obviously ill prepared to deal with this recall and as word gets out that your cruise control will be disabled - many consumers will choose not to have the recall work done until parts are available. This is not only a dangerous situation it is abusive to the consumer.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Ranger. The contact received NHTSA recall notice number 07V336000 (vehicle speed control). The notice stated that the parts for the repair would be unavailable until November of 2007. In February of 2007, he smelled something burning under the hood of the vehicle. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 85,000. Updated 01-15-08. The consumer was informed the parts were not available. Updated
While driving there was unwanted acceleration. The consumer states it becomes very violent upon coming to a stop. When the consumer stopped using the auto speed control the surging did not occur until early 2005. There was a banging noise coming from the rear when braking due to the rear speed sensor and the brake pump, it made the vehicle feel as if it were being hit in the back.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch May, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected…
Acceleration complaints in other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2000 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 55 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2000 Ford Ranger, 8% of the model year's 670 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Ranger acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-336 (vehicle speed control, Aug 3, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Ranger acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 3 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.