Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford f150. The contact was driving approximately 30 MPH when the brakes were applied and the vehicle began to surge. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis on several occassions yet, the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. The manufacturer was not made aware of the unintended acceleration failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000.
1997 Ford F-150: sudden unintended acceleration
18 of the 2,746 complaints about the 1997 Ford F-150 describe sudden unintended acceleration.
- owner complaints
- 18
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 10 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Sudden unintended acceleration by model year
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford f-150. The contact stated while he was driving, another vehicle cut him off which caused him to apply extreme pressure to the brakes in order to stop the vehicle. Upon depressing the brakes, he noticed that the seat belt latch was very loose, and caused him to lunge forward into the steering wheel. The manufacturer stated they were unable to offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 166,000 and the current mileage was 168,000. Updated 08/31/2011 *ln
The RPM's increased and the consumer experienced sudden acceleration while on the road to 80 MPH while it was down hill. The driver had to stomp on the brakes several times in order to stop the vehicle. Manufacturer was notified by consumer.
The consumer activated the cruise control and with out warning the vehicle suddenly accelerated uncontrollably. The consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle by turning the cruise control off. Afterwards the incident happened repeatedly. The consumer tried to reset the cruise control, however the problem still continued. The consumer drove to the dealer for an inspection. The mechanic could not duplicate the problem. Please provide additional information. Jb
Gas pedal got stuck, causing sudden acceleration. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over to the shoulder. Consumer had vehicle towed to the dealer for analysis, and the mechanic replaced the speed sensor.
While driving engine check light illuminated, indicating a malfunction within the system, vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. Brakes failed to stop vehicle. Vehicle taken to dealer 8 times, but unable to find the cause. *ak
Vehicle been experiencing problem with sudden acceleration whenever vehicle came to a stop. Vehicle been in/out of three different dealer shops, and problem still occurring.
My gas pedal stuck. I had just quit using my cruise control as I approached a junction at the freeway. Then rounded the bend, my truck just sped up. I tapped the brakes to make sure the cruise control was disingaged. The truck surged forward again, although this time it really took off like I had mashed the gas pedal full force. Luckily enough I was on a freeway and not in a normal neighborhood. By sheer determination, two good legs, low traffic, and god, I stopped that truck. Something is wrong with my truck. Please tell me what should be fixed.
While driving vehicle suddenly accelerated due to a stuck throttle. This could have caused a crash. Please provide further information.
I had the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor while passing another car. After passing, the accelerator was stuck at full throttle. I tried pressing the brakes, and that didn't work. I tried to put it in neutral, and I accidently put it in either park or reverse and then the tires squealed. I was finally able to get to the side of the road (avoiding running into a schoolbus), and put it in park and put the emergency brake on. The pedal was still all the way down at full throttle. I reached down with my hand and pulled the accelerator up to 'unstick' it. I do not believe that the floor mat had anything to do with this, or that a floor mat is capable of holding the pedal all the way down at full throttle. The ford dealer is currently investigating the problem, but after 1.5 days they say that they can't find anything. But, the ford dealer manager has the identical truck, and said that this happened to him also, but he just thought it was the floor mat. I told him to demonstrate how that could happen, and I think he will tomorrow if they do not find anything wrong with the vehicle. He also said that he doesn't know what to look for as far as the 'sudden acceleration' complaint.
While driving at 25 to 30 MPH on icy roads uphill the vehicle suddenly accelerated unexpectadly. The accelerator pedal went to the floor by itself. I stomped the pedal but it would not decelerate. I did not touch the brakes because of the icy conditions. I was already out of control so I shifted to neutral and tried to recover the truck. No recovery was possible and a accident involving the truck rolling over occured. Thankfully I was the only person involved or hurt.
Sudden acceleration after shifting in gear and pressing down on the gas pedal. Vehicle commenced to accelerate and took off while front brakes locked up. Dealer notified and informed consumer to call the federal safety agency and manufacturer.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) rough idle or no start when cold vehicles equipped with dedicated...
- A condition may exist, where throttle sticking may occur on a few vehicles in very cold ambient...
- Some vehicles equipped with a 4.6L, 5.4L, or 6.8L engine may exhibit a rough idle / miss after start-up in...
- Some vehicles may experience an idle vibration
- Information on vehicles exhibiting vibration at cruise over 50 mph
- Subject regarding vehicles exhibiting vibration at cruise over 50 mph
- Concerns with hesitation, stumble, surge, miss, rough idle, stall at idle
- Inoperative or erratic cruise control operation along with harsh transmission shifts
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.
- Risk
- A fire at the switch could occur.
- Remedy
- By letter dated september 12, 2005, owners were instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected. Owners who have had their speed control deactivated are being notified that parts will be available and advised to make an appointment to reconnect the speed control beginning in february 2006. Owners who did not have their speed control deactivated are being notified to have their system remedied beginning in february 2006. Owners are urged to avail themselves of the free disconnect service as soon as possible because of the significant risk of fire. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. (note: also see recalls 05v017 and 06v286)
Recall number 05V388000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with a 4.2l engine and originally sold or currently registered in one of the following states: alaska, montana, north dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, new york, vermont, new hampshire, maine, michigan, idaho, wyoming, south dakota, colorado, nebraska, kansas, iowa, missouri, illinois, indiana, ohio, pennsylvania, and massachusetts. The throttle is unable to return to idle due to ice forming in the throttle body when the temperature ranges from -10 to -40 degrees fahrenheit.
- Risk
- Increased brake pedal efforts or some increase in stopping distance could result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a revised pcv system on these vehicles.
Recall number 98V007000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the following states: alaska, montana, north dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, michigan (upper peninsula), new york, maine, vermont, and new hampshire. Operation at highway speeds during extreme cold, northern climate winter conditions, can result in ice forming in the throttle body of the engine.
- Risk
- This ice can cause the throttle plate to remain in the highway cruising position after the accelerator is released or the speed control is deactivated. Under such conditions, the vehicle stopping distances would be increased possibly resulting in an accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a foam insulating sleeve on the line from the pcv to the hose fitting on the throttle plate.
Recall number 96V251000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Ford F-150 sudden acceleration
Is sudden unintended acceleration a common problem on the 1997 Ford F-150?
18 of 2,746 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford F-150 (1%) mention sudden unintended acceleration. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Ford F-150?
There are 3 recalls and 10 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Ford F-150
Fire or smoke 210Tire blowout 127Engine failure 121Adaptive cruise 118Knocking 81Overheating 71Ball joint 69Wipers 62No deployment 60ABS 53Brake failure 51Fuel leak 51Power steering loss 36Stalling 32Check engine light 31Grinding brakes 21Misfire 20Water leak 18Door locks 17Won't start 17Pulling 16Hesitation 14Won't shift 14Headlights 13Fuel smell 12Seat belt 12Airbag light 11Harsh shifting 11Transmission failure 11Coil spring 10Jerking 10Steering noise 10Steering lock-up 9Loss of power 8Premature wear 8Rollaway 5
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