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 Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Ford sent out recall notices for faulty texas instruments speed control deactivation switch. My 2001 Ford Ranger was included in the recall. I took my 2001 Ford Ranger to a certified Ford dealership. I picked up my 2001 Ford Ranger from the dealership, and now the truck stalls out in hot weather. If I use A/C, it stalls out. One day it stalled on a city street, and I was forced to drive into a iron fence. Please help. [redacted]. [redacted]
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Ranger. While driving 50 MPH with the cruise control activated, the passenger compartment of the vehicle became engulfed with smoke. The contact passed out and the vehicle ran off the road and into a house. The vehicle was destroyed. The air bag deployment caused cuts and bruises on his body. He was the only occupant in the vehicle and was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash. A police report was filed. There was a recall notice in 2007 for the cruise control, in which the dealer performed the repairs. The Ford manufacturer has not yet been notified. The VIN and NHTSA campaign id number were unknown. The failure mileage was 91,000.
S10 direct reply - a letter addressed to president trump regarding an incident with a stuck acceleration pedal on a 2001 Ford Ranger. The consumer stated the accelerator pedal stuck to the floor causing the vehicle to crash through 2 buildings and into a brick wall. The consumer attempted to depress the brake pedal but, it did not slow the vehicle down. The vehicle's accelerator pedal remained stuck to the floor after the crash ended. The consumer suffered multiple injuries that required emergency surgery.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Ranger. While driving 35 MPH, the contact noticed a burning smell followed by flames coming from the steering column and engine compartment. The vehicle was destroyed. As of September 28, 2007, the dealer and manufacturer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact received a recall notice for the vehicle speed control (NHTSA campaign id number 07V336000). She felt that the vehicle speed control caused the fire. The current and failure mileages were 85,000.
Driving along in first gear I have to hold brake, truck wants to go faster, when I clutch it RPM goes to 1400. When in low range 3rd gear it does same thing.when starting cold RPM goes to 2100-2200. When up shifting @2500-3000 & I clutch it RPM stays @ that RPM. I can also shift to "n" ,let clutch out & coast, RPM stays @ whatever it was when shifting to "n" until I slow down or coast down to about 1-2 MPH.
I was driving approx. 40 MPH when my vehicle suddenly sped up and the RPM went from 1.5 to 4.0 without my pushing harder on the gas. I tapped my brakes and it took a few moments to disengage. In the course of 40 minutes it did this 5 times. I checked to make sure the floor mat had not gotten pushed under and it was not. The vehicle just sped up on its own.
When putting on brakes, while driving the gas pedal exhilarated. Truck crashed into telephone . I had the Ford Ranger 2001 towed to body shop, manager says it is a total loss to my insurance company.
I received a letter dated August 2007 from: frank m ligon Ford motor company. Po box 1904 dearborn, michigan 48121 re: 2001 Ford Ranger the letter said that Ford motor company has decided that a defect which relates to motor vechicle safey exists in certain 1992-2004 vechicles equipped with speed control. I visted my dealer on October 8th 2007. The service advisor was steve doyle and the dealer's addresd is below: day Ford 3696 william penn highway monroeville, pa 15146 phone: [phone] or (412) 242-9900 fax: [phone] the invoice number was 195792 and description on the invoice was: a perform recall 05s28 - cruise modification cause: recall wip recall 05s28 - disconnect cruise 8207 w94 0.00 disconnect cruise de-activation switch as per recall. The dealer did not have the part to fix the cruise control but disconnected the cruise control to prevent engine fire. …
I sent in a hard copy letter and an e-mail to Ford service in June of 2009. Upon stopping at a party store with my foot applying pressure to the brake pedal, my Ford 2001 Ranger v6 xlt 4x4 motor suddenly accelerated nearly going into the store. I tried to stop it by shifting into neutral but it was too late. The only thing, which prevented me from crashing into a wall and possibly severely injuring myself or someone else, was a protective post which stopped the vehicle the Ranger went over the top of the cement post and was wedged between the bumper and frame. I turned off the ignition to stop the engine.. Needless to say, severe bumper and front-end damage was done. The range has 35,000 miles. This is the third incident of this dangerous condition. I was stopped at a traffic light at gill and freedom in the spring of 2003 when all of a sudden the Ranger accelerated through a red light. …
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Ranger. After the contacts vehicle was repaired under the speed control recall, the transmission began to fail. While driving between 50 and 55 MPH, the transmission automatically shifts into neutral and the engine revs. The vehicle also shifts into neutral whenever the cruise control is engaged. The vehicle has been to the dealer twice regarding this failure. The dealer stated that the speed control recall repair was not the cause of the transmission failure. They stated that he needed a new transmission, which will cost $1,300. The NHTSA recall id number for the speed control was unknown. The current mileage was 66,100 and failure mileage was 65,800. Updated 09/25/07
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
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 2001 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Ford Ranger, 11% of the model year's 515 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Ranger acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-399 (vehicle speed control, Oct 13, 2009); NHTSA recall 07V-336 (vehicle speed control, Aug 3, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Ranger acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 2 fires and 4 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.