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2008 Ford Taurus

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Ford Taurus do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 318.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

162 reports with mileage · 13 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

19 crash reports7 fire reports9 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

4 reports
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60,000 miles · Mar 15, 2015
Exterior LightingStructure

A RIGHT SIDE LICENSE PLATE LIGHT BURNED OUT. THERE IS A LEFT LAMP, ALSO. I NOTICED IT WHEN I WALKED AROUND THE VEHICLE FOR A GASOLINE REFILL. THERE IS NO DASH BOARD PROMPT FOR THIS LAMP BURN OUT. WHEN I WENT TO REPLACE THE LAMP A COUPLE DAYS LATER, I NOTICED RUST SPOTS BETWEEN A PLASTIC TRIM PIECE AND THE TRUNK LID. I MONITOR …

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A RIGHT SIDE LICENSE PLATE LIGHT BURNED OUT. THERE IS A LEFT LAMP, ALSO. I NOTICED IT WHEN I WALKED AROUND THE VEHICLE FOR A GASOLINE REFILL. THERE IS NO DASH BOARD PROMPT FOR THIS LAMP BURN OUT. WHEN I WENT TO REPLACE THE LAMP A COUPLE DAYS LATER, I NOTICED RUST SPOTS BETWEEN A PLASTIC TRIM PIECE AND THE TRUNK LID. I MONITOR THE LICENSE LAMPS NOW. I HAVE NOT HAD A LICENSE LAMP BURN OUT UNTIL I NOTICED THE RUST ON THE METAL PANEL. I QUESTION THE COINCIDENCE OF THE LAMP BURN OUT AND THE RUST. A POSSIBLE SHORT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10694352

98,000 miles · Jul 15, 2012
Exterior LightingFire

MY WIFE HAD A KOHL'S BAG IN THE TRUNK. SOME HOW THE CENTER STOP LIGHT WHICH IS A HIGH INTENSITY BULB CAME LOSE WHICH LET IT DROP DOWN ABOUT 8" CAUGHT THE BAG ON FIRE. IT SMOLDERED ALL NIGHT AND WAS NOT NOTICEABLE UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING. WE OPENED THE DETACHED GARAGE DOOR BUT DID NOT SUSPECT ANYTHING FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR AFTER I …

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MY WIFE HAD A KOHL'S BAG IN THE TRUNK. SOME HOW THE CENTER STOP LIGHT WHICH IS A HIGH INTENSITY BULB CAME LOSE WHICH LET IT DROP DOWN ABOUT 8" CAUGHT THE BAG ON FIRE. IT SMOLDERED ALL NIGHT AND WAS NOT NOTICEABLE UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING. WE OPENED THE DETACHED GARAGE DOOR BUT DID NOT SUSPECT ANYTHING FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR AFTER I OPENED THE DOOR. MY WIFE WAS IN TRAFFIC ON THE WAY HOME THE DAY BEFORE WHEN THE STOP LIGHT MUST HAVE BEEN GOING OFF AND ON. SHE SAID SHE NEVER NOTICED THE BULB HANGING DOWN. THE CAR WAS NOT DAMAGED EXPECT FOR THE REAL THINK SMOKE DAMAGE TO THE WHOLE CAR. I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED SO I AM NOT SURE IF THE BULB WAS EVER REPLACED.THE LIGHT WORKS FINE AFTER FIRE BUT THE BULB PUTS OFF SO MUCH HEAT THAT YOU CAN NOT TOUCH IT WHEN YOU STEP ON THE BREAK. I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10465690

Mileage unknown · Mar 25, 2011
Exterior Lighting

NEED A CHANGE TO DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS ON AUTOS AND TRUCKS. THEY NEED TO HAVE THE TAIL LIGHTS ON ALSO. BETTER YET, HAVE ALL NEW VEHICLES HAVE HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS THAT COME ON WHEN VEHICLE IS STARTED. SO MANY STATES HAVE LAWS THAT YOU NEED THE LIGHTS ON IN RAIN, FOG, DAWN & DUSK. ITS REALLY A PROBLEM WHEN OTHERS WON'T…

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NEED A CHANGE TO DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS ON AUTOS AND TRUCKS. THEY NEED TO HAVE THE TAIL LIGHTS ON ALSO. BETTER YET, HAVE ALL NEW VEHICLES HAVE HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS THAT COME ON WHEN VEHICLE IS STARTED. SO MANY STATES HAVE LAWS THAT YOU NEED THE LIGHTS ON IN RAIN, FOG, DAWN & DUSK. ITS REALLY A PROBLEM WHEN OTHERS WON'T PUT THEIR LIGHTS ON WHEN ITS RAINING OR IN THE FOG. SO THE PROBLEM COULD BE ELIMINATED BY HAVING THE LIGHTS COME ON ANYTIME THE CAR IS RUNNING LIKE MOTORCYCLES ARE REQUIRED. SOME AUTOS HAVE DAYLIGHTS WHEN RUNNING BUT NO TAIL LIGHTS. THEN THEY FORGET TO PUT THEIR REGULAR LIGHTS ON AT NIGHT OR IN THE FOG/RAIN. I THINK THAT THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY AND HAVE IT GO INTO LAW ASAP. NO INCIDENTS TO REPORT BUT I BET THEIR ARE ALLOT OUT THERE, NEAR MISSES AND ACCIDENTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10392913

52,000 miles · Dec 10, 2010
Exterior LightingVisibility

THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER/WIPER CONTROL INTERMITTENTLY ACTIVATES THE WIPERS AND / OR THE WASHERS WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL IS USED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10369856

Official recalls

1

16V247000 · Air Bags:frontal

Apr 26, 2016

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE08060 · Tire Valve Cracking

Opened Oct 14, 2008 · Closed Apr 9, 2009

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Tires:valve

ON OCTOBER 14, 2008, ODI OPENED PE08-060 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF CRACKED AND LEAKING SNAP-IN TIRE VALVES IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2007 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY.THE VALVES WERE SUPPLIED TO FORD BY TOPSEAL AUTO-PARTS, A SUBSIDIARY OF THE SHANGHAI BAOLONG AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION IN CHINA.VALVES MADE BY TOPSEAL FOR AFTERMARKET SALE WERE THE SUBJECT OF TWO RECENT SAFETY RECALLS BY TECH INTERNATIONAL (08T-018) AND DILL AIR CONTROLS (08T-028), THE LATTER OF WHICH WAS INVESTIGATED BY ODI IN PE08-036 AND EA08-022.THE DEFECT CONDITIONS ADDRESSED BY THE AFTERMARKET TIRE VALVE RECALLS BOTH INVOLVED INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE SUPPLY OF ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS TO TOPSEAL FOR A PERIOD FROM JULY TO MID-NOVEMBER 2006.THE AFTERMARKET VALVES WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A BLEND OF EPDM AND NATURAL RUBBER, USING A RELATIVELY LOW PERCENTAGE OF EPDM (EPDM PROVIDES INHERENT RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING).HENCE, THE NEED FOR ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS AND THE PROBLEMS WITH CRACKING WHEN THOSE CHEMICALS WERE MISSING OR OUT OF SPECIFICATION IN SOME LOTS OF VALVES.BOTH RECALL CAMPAIGNS INVOLVED INSPECTION PROGRAMS TO IDENTIFY AND REPLACE VALVES WITH VISIBLE SURFACE CRACKING.ALTHOUGH THE TOPSEAL VALVES SUPPLIED TO FORD ALSO APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE ANTI-OZONANT SUPPLY ISSUES IN MID TO LATE-2006, FORD INDICATED THAT ITS VALVES WERE MADE AT A DIFFERENT TOPSEAL PRODUCTION LINE AND WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF EPDM RUBBER TO MEET MORE STRINGENT SPECIFICATIONS FROM FORD.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA PROVIDED BY FORD SHOWED THAT PROBLEMS WITH CRACKED TIRE VALVES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR MY 2007 VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007.FORD RESPONDED BY IMPLEMENTING CHANGES IN ITS MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SNAP-IN RUBBER TIRE VALVES AND ALSO INCREASING THE QUALITY AND ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS FOR VALVES IMPORTED FOR USE IN ITS VEHICLES.WHILE THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY CLAIM RATES ARE ELEVATED FOR SUBJECT VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007, THE RATES OF LEAKING VALVES ARE WELL BELOW ONE PERCENT OF PRODUCTION FOR EACH OF THE PEAK MONTHS FOR ALL OF THE AFFECTED MODELS.A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS (TPMS) WHICH WARN THE DRIVER WHEN ANY TIRE PRESSURES DROPS BELOW 25 PERCENT OF RECOMMENDED INFLATION PRESSURE. AS OUTLINED IN A LETTER TO ODI DATED APRIL 6, 2009, FORD HAS AGREED TO SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS OF CERTAIN MY 2007 AND 2008 FORD, LINCOLN AND MERCURY VEHICLES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRACKING CONCERN. LETTERS WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS OF VEHICLES BUILT FROM NOVEMBER 2006 THROUGH MAY 2007.OWNERS CAN OPT FOR A FREE DEALER INSPECTION.VALVES EXHIBITING SURFACE CRACKS OR AIR LEAKAGE RELATED TO OZONE ATTACK WILL BE REPLACED BY FORD UNDER ITS NORMAL WARRANTY TERMS.FORD EXPECTS TO SEND THE LETTER BY APPROXIMATELY MID-MAY 2009. BASED ON THE USE OF TPMS IN THE MAJORITY OF SUBJECT VEHICLES AND THE RELATIVELY LOW RATES OF REPAIRS ASSOCIATED WITH LEAKING VALVES AND RESULTANT TIRE DAMAGE, ODI BELIEVES THAT THE ACTIONS FORD HAS AGREED TO TAKE WILL PROVIDE EFFECTIVE AND EXPEDITIOUS RESOLUTION FOR VEHICLES THAT WERE BUILT DURING THE PERIOD WHEN VALVES WITH INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING WERE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN USED IN VEHICLE PRODUCTION.FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS MATTER WOULD NOT BE AN EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO