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 Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2003 Ford Ranger suddenly accelerated upon attempting to park. I was pulling into my parking spot while apply the brakes when my vehicle suddenly accelerated, jumped a snow bank and hit a light pole. Independent witness reported the vehicle just took off, rear wheels rapidly started turning. I contacted Ford motor co. Who did not seem too concerned about the incident and had no interest to inspect the vehicle.
I have owned my 2003 Ford Ranger xlt since it was new, and have had all scheduled maintenance. I have had 4 incidents since March 2010 where the vehicle has accelerated when I was braking to stop, with 3 of those incidents within the past week. The first incident caused my truck to push thru a gate, damaging the gate and the front of the vehicle. In this case, the engine did finally drop to an idle. I thought the behavior must be a fluke, so didn't report the incident. The 2nd thru 4th incidents have occurred on a limited access road in omaha (Dodge street) at stop signs and at a gas station outside omaha, and as I was nearing a stop the engine started accelerating and pulling the vehicle forward. Maximum pressure on the brakes allowed me to stay stationary so no vehicles or pedestrians were hit, but caused my rear wheels to burn rubber. I turned off the engine to stop the acceleration. …
My husband was driving down the road and his 2003 Ford Ranger fx4 5-speed gave a small lurch and a "stutter". Since he was right there at his destination, he pulled into the driveway and shut the engine off. Thinking that it was just a glitch (like his foot slipped off the clutch, or something along those lines), he went into the house to get our son and take him home. He was inside the house no more than 5 minutes. As he was carrying our son out to the truck, he saw that there was smoke pouring out from under the hood. Of course, emergency services were called. The fire reached the inside of the truck within a couple of minutes and began spreading along the ground. After putting the fire out, the fire marshall indicated that he believed that the fire started towards the back of the engine compartment on the driver's side. The truck, of course, will be a total loss. …
Consumer requesting information on 2003 Ranger defects. A friend of the consumer's downloaded complaints that were similar to the problems the consumer experienced with his vehicle. While driving 55 MPH with the cruise control on the truck began to accelerate. The vehicle sped up to approximately 80 MPH before the consumer could get it to stop. Three months later while stopped at a traffic light the vehicle accelerated suddenly and struck several vehicles. This accident caused serious injuries to four people. The consumer was unable to prove that the vehicle caused the accident therefore he was sentenced to 70 months in jail.
I own a 2003 Ford Ranger I bought new. On November 26 2010 I pulled into the parking lot @ work and my clutch and brake pedals fell to the floor causing a minor crash. The pivot bracket that holds the steel pedals is made from cast aluminum. I have been a aluminum welder for over 10 years and in my opinion this bracket is very substandard. I searched the web and found that other people had the same thing happen on rangers and other trucks and Ford cars. If I was on the road this could have been much worse. I sent pictures and a piece of the bracket to a recall investigator. He said its not a common failure since he cant find any complaints.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the accelerator pedal became stuck. As a result, the vehicle accelerated independently and crash into a curb. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was not file and injuries were reported. The vehicle was not inspected and the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who stated that the contact needed to write a letter and mail it into Ford. The failure mileage was 72,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Ranger. While attempting to reverse, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning and crashed into a wall. A police report was filed and there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
Vehicle accelerates when brakes are applied. So far only has happened at slow speeds while parking the vehicle. I've seen a jump of 1,000 RPM's when it occurs, but if your pressing hard enough on the brakes you can control the acceleration
Cruise control on my 2003 Ford Ranger 4x4 appeared to disengage when I shifted the truck into neutral going down a steep hill. When my vehicle slowed, I shifted from neutral back into drive and the engine raced to redline(rev limiter) as the cruise was trying to immediately increase the speed without waiting for the transmission to engage fully. I shifted back into neutral and then I noticed that I had the cruise control on. I cut cruise control off, then shifted back into drive and everything worked correctly. If cruise control is supposed to disengage when shifted to neutral, it really should disengage not race to redline when shifted back into drive. I don't know what the affect would be if an engine at 6000 rpms suddenly engages the transmission at 65 MPH. I'd rather have the engine race when I first put the shifter in neutral than when I shifted back into drive!
Non injury momentary loss of engine control while driving up a moderate incline with my new Ford Ranger in cruise control & over drive on at about 65 MPH & 2500 RPM's. The engine kicked down twice in immediate succession and the engine ran away to 6000 RPM's+ and stayed there. Engine tach limit is 6000rpm's so I do not know the extent of the over rev. I took immediate action to disengage cruise control which lowered the RPM's and turned the over drive off which resulted in a normal RPM of about 3000 @ 65 MPH. I have traveled the same area before without any such occurrance. Also the engine has a erratic type misfire at idle which May contribute to the problem. This situation was very unsafe as when the engine "ranaway" I only glanced at the tack twice and do not know how fast it ended up before I disengaged the cruise control.
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…
Acceleration complaints in other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2003 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2003 Ford Ranger, 16% of the model year's 243 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Ranger acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-399 (vehicle speed control, Oct 13, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Ranger acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 40% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 1 fire and 19 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.