Ok...Just purchased my 2003 Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 at an auction. 160,000 + but overall the vehicle looks and drives like new. OK...fast forward a week after purchase, while parking the vehicle I slowly applied the brakes, and much to my surprise the vehicle tried to accelerate..Originally I thought I must have hit the gas pedal as well since this vehicle is new to me... Just today 7/21/16 the same problem happened again, and I'm 100% sure there was no way I hit the gas. Luckily both instances happened at low speeds and I was able to apply more brake pressure to stop the vehicle. I've seen quite a few instances on the internet regarding this problem, but as you can expect FORD will not admit to a problem.

I was driving my Ford Ranger XLT with automatic transmission in a long, slow-moving single lane of traffic, coasting slightly downhill at about 10 mph, with my foot resting on the floor, NOT on the gas pedal. The area is very familiar to me and well known for traffic congestion. Both hands were on the wheel and I was paying full attention. I was comfortably trailing a Porsche Cayenne SUV, maintaining about 2 car lengths of space behind the SUV. The SUV stopped and I immediately braked.

As I hit the brake, my Ranger engine temporarily revved up to a high rpm -- as though someone had stomped on the accelerator! I was flabbergasted! The truck's speed briefly increased despite my braking action. I turned hard to the right, trying to avoid hitting the SUV. I was unable to miss it. My left front bumper and headlight assembly glanced off the the right rear of the SUV, shattering its tail light and causing other damage. My engine stopped revving as quickly as it had started, and I quickly came to a stop. A few things worth noting: 1) the truck's brakes were in very good condition, having been replaced at 174K miles; 2) I bought the truck used and had driven it only 400 miles, so had not experienced this problem prior to the crash; and 3) previously, the transmission has been very hard to shift, especially to slide it into "park". The mechanic at the small lot where I picked up the truck has improved the shifting problem, but says the unexpected acceleration I experienced is a Ford problem, not his shop's responsibility. Fortunately no one was injured... but the repair costs to both cars will run well into the thousands.

Update from Sep 13, 2016: I was driving the Ford Ranger XLT with automatic transmission in a long, slow-moving single lane of traffic, coasting downhill at about 10-15 mph, with my right foot resting on the floor, NOT on the gas pedal. The roadway is very familiar to me and it is well known for traffic congestion. Both hands were on the steering wheel and I was paying full attention to the task of driving. My truck was trailing a Porsche Cayenne SUV, maintaining about 2 car lengths of space between the SUV and the truck. The SUV stopped and I immediately braked.

When I hit the brake, the Ranger engine temporarily revved up to a high RPM – as though someone had stomped on the accelerator! I was flabbergasted! The truck briefly increased speed despite my braking action. I turned hard to the right, trying to avoid the SUV. I was unable to miss it. My left front bumper and headlight assembly glanced off the right rear of the SUV, shattering its tail light and causing other damage. My engine stopped revving as quickly as it had started, and my Ranger quickly came to a stop. Fortunately, no one was injured. I expect repair costs to both cars to run well into the thousands of dollars.

A few things worth noting: 1) the truck’s brakes were in very good condition, having been replaced at 174,000 miles by a previous owner; 2) I bought the truck used in June 2016, had driven it less than 400 miles, so had not experienced this problem prior to the crash; and 3) the transmission has been very hard to shift, especially to slide it into “park”. The mechanic at the small lot where I purchased the truck has improved the shifting problem, but said the unexpected acceleration I experienced is a Ford Motor Company problem to address, not his shop’s responsibility to fix. The shop could not reproduce the unintended acceleration.

fast acceleration then smoke. no warning signs

This vehicle was purchase in August 2003 brand new with a bent axle which I was never told by the repair shop considering they have been rotating the tire as part of the up keep of my truck. although Gene Evans ( then) Auto Nations now has been servicing the vehicle since day one. none of them never said a word, on top of that the container that holds the axle was never checked to see if there were enough oil in it to keep the axle turning properly. when it was checked by a mechanic shop in Riverdale Georgia there was a very small amount. the mechanic stated the cover has never been removed at all, and checking it is a very big part of the maintaince care. now the truck decided to go fast for no reason and smoke started coming from the hood with no warning. I looked under the hood and it sounded like my truck was frying food within the engine. the coolant had filled up in the container which had blew open, the coolant was running out all over the place. there was a recall on the ford ranger edge in the year 2009 which I never knew until right now. the dealerships tried everything they could to keep the truth about the problem with my truck with the bent axle and not to fix it they told me the parts are no longer made, and they could not find a used one either. they sent me away with the problem that they should have taken care of in 2003 and now this new problem that is there's to correct. we know they won't unless someone there has gotten a conscious. Mike Fitzpatrick had charged me to diagnosis my truck and was not able to and to tell me to never come back because a certified mechanic called him out for the deceitfulness of charging for services they did not perform.

Bought the 2003 Ranger in 2006. It's been a great truck. In Sept. 2014 it accelerated drastically on its own going forward on an open stretch of road and I was able to control the truck until it stopped accelerating. I turned it off and a little while later restarted it and it ran normally. A few times since then and now a milder version of this occurred while driving in traffic and I was able to control it with the brakes. On 12/30/15 I was backing up in a driveway when the throttle stuck wide open causing it to go full throttle into a tree. It started up afterwards and ran as though nothing was wrong. My machanic drove it to his shop the next morning where it resides now. The insurance company is going to look at it on Tuesday.