Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 11% | — |
| 2024 | 4 | 4% | — |
| 2023 | 2 | 11% | 38,000 miles |
| 2022 | 3 | 8% | 10,000 miles |
| 2021 | 8 | 7% | 5,000 miles |
| 2020 | 6 | 5% | 38,000 miles |
| 2019 | 12 | 4% | 6,000 miles |
| 2011 | 4 | 2% | 83,000 miles |
| 2010 | 4 | 3% | 3,000 miles |
| 2009 | 2 | 1% | 24,000 miles |
| 2006 | 5 | 2% | 95,000 miles |
| 2005 | 7 | 2% | 55,000 miles |
| 2004 | 19 | 5% | 55,000 miles |
| 2003 | 40 | 16% | 56,000 miles |
| 2002 | 51 | 15% | 65,000 miles |
| 2001 | 57 | 11% | 81,000 miles |
| 2000 | 55 | 8% | 85,000 miles |
| 1999 | 54 | 7% | 75,000 miles |
| 1998 | 71 | 12% | 85,000 miles |
| 1997 | 23 | 6% | 130,000 miles |
| 1996 | 34 | 8% | 109,000 miles |
| 1995 | 20 | 6% | 145,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The Ford dealership completed repairs on my vehicle and returned it by parking it in front of my garage. I have a long driveway and additional parking and needed to park the vehicle somewhere else (maybe 20-30 feet away). I reversed the truck ~20 feet and when I tapped the gas lightly to turn the car left to pull into the parking space it accelerated rapidly. I pressed the brakes repeatedly and the car didn't stop and barely slowed down after noticing that continuing to turn the steering wheel to the left did nothing. I tried cutting the wheel and the tires seemed unresponsive and the vehicle didn't stop until it hit a small tree on the right side of the parking area. Upon trying to move the vehicle back to the original parking space the vehicle seemed to only allow steering to the right and hit a tree on the right passenger front door. …
My 2025 Ford Ranger Lariat FX4 has experienced sudden and complete loss of accelerator pedal response while driving at low speed on at least 4 to 6 separate occasions. The engine continues to run normally, but pressing the accelerator produces no power and no vehicle response. The condition has consistently occurred while pulling into my subdivision, which has an inclined entrance. The truck also feels noticeably sluggish nearly every time I make this turn, even when full dropout does not occur. No warning lights, check engine light, or messages in the instrument cluster illuminate during these events. No diagnostic trouble codes have been stored that I am aware of. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. …
I am the original owner of this vehicle and the engine and controls have not been modified in any way. Yesterday while driving at approximately 30 mph on a surface street with dry road conditions in the "2H" setting on the Drive Modes Selection Dial my truck spontaneously shifted into four-wheel drive high and then attempted to switch into four-wheel-drive low - "Rock Crawl Mode." The rear differential locked, speed was suddenly reduced, and the steering became more difficult. Luckily, I was able to safely pull over. I captured a video at this time documenting the control settings and display image. It took multiple attempts, even in Park and Neutral, to get out of 4WD and back into the 2H setting. Once back in 2H, the truck drove normally. I have had similar experiences at least twice before in this truck with months between them. …
Several times while driving at highway speed, my vehicle transmission will shift all by itself into baha 4wd mode, or 4wd mode causing my truck to become a hazard on the road. Should someone be following me and my transmission implodes due to this issue, people could be seriously harmed or killed.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the brake pedal and accelerator pedal were too close together. While driving at various speeds, the contact's foot slid off the brake pedal onto the accelerator pedal and the vehicle lunged forward. While reversing, the vehicle automatically backed up, but after depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle jumped several feet. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
While driving my 2022 Ford Ranger, the transmission failed to engage Drive. I started my morning as usual, letting the vehicle warm up and the RPMs settle before leaving my neighborhood. As I pulled onto the main road, the truck began acting strangely-I noticed it wasn't accelerating normally and felt constant gear shifting without gaining speed. To avoid blocking traffic, I pulled over at a local store and shifted into Park. When I tried to shift back into Drive, the transmission would not engage. Pressing the gas felt like the truck was in Neutral. I turned the vehicle off for about a minute and restarted it, but the same issue occurred. I then called my local dealer, who suggested using Sport mode and manually selecting gear 2. This worked, and I was able to drive home safely since I was only about a minute away. After that, I contacted the warranty company and arranged for a tow. …
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while his wife was pulling into a parking space at approximately 5 MPH with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into the building. The contact stated that there was a camera view which showed that the brake lights were illuminated during the failure. The contact stated that the driver's side air bag deployed. There were no injuries sustained. The contact was concerned that the Forward Collision Avoidance System failed to operate as designed. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact was informed that the body damage needed to be repaired before a failure cause could be determined. …
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash due to unintended acceleration, which caused the contact to rear-end another vehicle. The vehicle had body and paint repairs performed; however, the vehicle later experienced jerking, and the transmission was seized while driving. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
Related recalls (3)
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…
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: certain 1997-1999 rhd explorer equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc engines and cruise control built from May 29, 1996 through March 4, 1999; 1998-1999 explorer/mountaineers equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc or 5.0l engines or 1998-1999 rangers equipped with 2.5l, 3.0l ffv/efi or 4.0l engines and cruise control built from…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the cruise control cables. At the present time, the replacement cables are not available. Customers are being advised not to use the cruise control system until a replacement can be made.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Ranger years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (71), 2001 (57), 2000 (55), 1999 (54) and 2002 (51) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 12% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Ford Ranger acceleration problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 09V-399 (vehicle speed control, Oct 13, 2009); 07V-336 (vehicle speed control, Aug 3, 2007); 99V062001 (vehicle speed control, Mar 30, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Ranger acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles; 38% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (57 mentions), followed by the cruise control (51).
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.