2000 Ford Expedition: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Jul 2, 2026 · Acceleration · UT · fire

On XXX my 2000 Ford Expedition caught on fire at around 2am. It had not been driven or turned on since XXX, and was sitting parked that whole time. It was parked in the parking lot of my apartment building, right outside of my unit. I was woken up by a loud pop which I believe was the tire exploding, and the flames were tall enough to see outside my second story bedroom window. My entire apartment building was evacuated by the fire department, and some doors were kicked in by them, including mine. After they put the fire out, the fire inspector looked for two hours to determine a cause and were only able to determine that the fire started under the hood, on the drivers side, close to the dashboard area. The vehicle was completely totaled in the fire, and my other car parked next to it was damaged from the fire as well, and the apartment building had a lot of damage from the fire and heat spreading to it. Multiple residents were displaced for a few days at the advice of the fire department, to let units air out from the carcinogenic fumes. The vehicle has been towed and signed over to AutoMoto Salvage yard. I was researching what could have started this fire and found this article where the federal safety agency investigated over 600 spontaneous Ford vehicle fires including year 2000 Ford Expeditions, caused by cruise control deactivation switches, which are located in the same place under the hood that the fire department determined my fire originated. [XXX] My vehicle was not listed in any recall, but that article states that over 200 vehicles that caught fire were not either. I'm unsure if the salvage yard still has it available for inspection. It has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. It was inspected by the fire department and police department - insurance did not do their own inspection. There were no warning signs and the vehicle was running like normal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 15, 2019 · Electrical · 258,000 miles · TX · fire

My expedition caught on fire parked in my driveway at least 30 minutes after driving it. I was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher and a water hose, but the plastic parts were were melted on the driver side. The battery was disconnected and I was told by a mechanic that it was the cruise control relay.

Filed Mar 6, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 201,000 miles · MD · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford expedition. While the vehicle was undergoing an oil change, the cruise control switch underneath the hood that was connected to the brake master cylinder caught on fire. The contact stated that the ignition was off at the time. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was not filed. The contact, a certified mechanic, stated that there was brake fluid coming out of the cruise control switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 201,000.

Filed Jan 23, 2018 · Engine · 280,000 miles · AZ

I was driving on a highway in my expedition and I went to disingage my cruise control and my engine just shut off it's been 4 weeks now and I can't get anyone to tell me what's wrong. My vehicle is a no crank no start now

Filed Jan 5, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 251,000 miles · MN

Throttle feels like its sticking. The breaks feel like they get harder the longer you drive or use them. Its been extremely cold the last few weeks (air temp of -28f lows to -3f for highs). You let off the break from a stop sign or stop light and it will suddenly accerlerate by itself. Seems to happen anytime after 40mph, even if you slow back down to 10-15mph it will accelerate back up on its own, up to as fast as 65mph!) I need to downshift and ride brakes (which are hard as a rock!!!) to keep it from excelling though town and to try to keep the rpms at bay. When coming to a stop and turning its hard to steer and it makes jumpy/jerky movements forward when brakes are applied. When vehicle comes to a stop the rpms skyrocket until you shut down the engine. If you havn't given it enough time before you start it again, the engine and rpms soar up again. Things we've tried with no luck are, disengaging the cruise control, replacing the spring under hood where the throttle cable is. Thought maybe it was stretched and not depressing fully to alow deceleration. After that we replaced the throttle body itself. Again, no luck on test drive. You can hear a click/ping in the pedal and see it come up once truck is in park, give it time. Pedal seems to be partially depressed and there is play. Have tried to stick foot under the pedal to try and get it to disenge. Worked the first few times that's also why thought it was the spring. No longer works to do that. Can seem to hear a difference either in motor or trany, acting as if it's working harder when it seems to take control of itself. Started happening 12-24-17. Been to the shop many times with no answers as to why this is happening. It's very scary and dangerous! After reading about all the others this is happened to its hard to imagine that there hasn't been a recall or at the very least an answer yet!

Filed Jul 22, 2015 · Acceleration · 130,000 miles · LA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2000 ford expedition. While stationary, the vehicle erupted into flames. The contact was alerted of the fire by neighbors. The fire department was contacted to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was destroyed. An investigator assessed that the failure was due to a defective cruise control deactivation switch which was related to an unknown manufacturer recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Apr 16, 2015 · Brakes · 178,000 miles · NC

Anti-lock brake system activated while driving on interstate with cruise control set at 65 MPH, causing uncontrolled stop in moving traffic without warning. Never had any previous problems with ABS system. The ABS warning light was not on (and is still not on). Ford's customer relations center suggested I take my vehicle to a ford dealership for to determine the cause of this problem. They also said there are no warranties, recalls or programs that would provide coverage for this critical safety issue with the ABS system. Before I do anything else to my vehicle I wanted to notify the federal safety agency first.

Filed Jun 21, 2012 · 107,000 miles · GA · fire

Car caught on fire in the middle of the night, reason unknown but apparently it had to do with a recall on the cruise control switch . We never received any letter's or notices of the following recall. Vehichle was destroyed and we also had property damage to carport and house totalling $40,000.

Filed Jul 14, 2011 · Acceleration · 210,000 miles · TX · fire

2000 ford expedition was totaled due to a faulty cruise control switch.

Filed Apr 17, 2011 · Acceleration, Body · 150,000 miles · NV

Well first it was the horn that has been replaced several times and now all of the sudden cruise control doesn't work. I was annoyed about the horn, but now the cruise control... Seems like something is wrong with that horn and cruise control set up.... And I was wondering about the paint because it is also pealing like crazy...

Filed Oct 5, 2010 · Acceleration · 163,000 miles · LA · fire

2000 ford expedition caught on fire sept 24 2010. Mechanic said it was due to cruise control device that I never received a recall for. Master solenoid and plastic coating under hood are all melted, SUV is totaled.

Filed Jun 13, 2010 · Acceleration · 165,000 miles · NE · fire

I drove the expedition yesterday afternoon and returned home approximately 5:45 pm cst. Approximately 11:15 p.m. He heard popping noises and attributed it to early fireworks in the neighborhood. At 11:30 p.m. The fire department knocked on our front door to ask if our vehicle was on fire in the back. Our 2000 ford expedition was engulfed in flames and the fire department was putting the fire out. It was brought to our attention several times since last night that the vehicle may have been under a recall for the cruise control system and similar fires.