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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.

About this comparison →

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

Power Train complaints

44 reports
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78,682 miles · Jan 21, 2010
Engine And Engine CoolingPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

I WAS ENTERING I 70 EAST IN COLUMBUS OHIO OFF THE JAMES ROAD EXIT, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO THE OUTSIDE LANE. I SPED UP TO ADJUST MY SPEED, AS A VEHICLE WAS IN THE SAME LANE. WHEN I ACCELERATED, THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY TOOK OVER AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND REVVED UP HIGH AND FAST. MY FIRST REACTION WAS TO HIT THE BRAKES,…

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I WAS ENTERING I 70 EAST IN COLUMBUS OHIO OFF THE JAMES ROAD EXIT, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO THE OUTSIDE LANE. I SPED UP TO ADJUST MY SPEED, AS A VEHICLE WAS IN THE SAME LANE. WHEN I ACCELERATED, THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY TOOK OVER AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND REVVED UP HIGH AND FAST. MY FIRST REACTION WAS TO HIT THE BRAKES, I DID, BUT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT DEPRESS OR BRAKE. I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF EVERYTHING TO DO AND MONITOR THE CARS AROUND ME, AS WELL. I TRIED HOLDING DOWN THE BRAKES HARD AND TAKING OFF WHILE THE CAR WENT FLYING BY TWO EXITS, I KNEW I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT BECAUSE I COULDN'T STOP. I CONTINUED WITH TRYING TO LOCATE THE FLASHER AND THINKING ABOUT HITTING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BUT, I DIDN'T BECAUSE I WAS UNSURE WHETHER IT WOULD COME TO A QUICK STOP. I KEPT PUSHING DOWN AND UP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. SUDDENLY, THE REVVING BEGAN TO SETTLE DOWN (A FAST DOWNWARD REVVING SOUND) AND I WAS ABLE TO BRAKE THE CAR. I WAS UNSURE WHETHER TO PULL OVER SO I DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO MY DESTINATION WHICH WAS ONLY 3 EXITS AWAY. I PARKED AND LOOKED AT THE CAR AND ESPECIALLY THE AREA NEAR MY FEET, THERE WAS NOTHING INTERFERING WITH THE BRAKES OR THE ACCELERATOR. I PANICKED ALL THE WAY HOME, NOT KNOWING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN SO I STAYED OFF THE FREEWAY, BELIEVING THE FREEWAY SPEED WOULD CAUSE A SIMILAR ISSUE. AS SOON AS I GOT HOME, I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND FOUND SOME SIMILAR INSTANCES WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. I WILL CALL THE DEALER TOMORROW. I HAD A PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRANSMISSION STOPPING ON THE FREEWAY AND DISENGAGING WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN I STOPPED. WHEN I WOULD PULL OVER AND SWITCH THE GEARS, THE CAR WOULD MAKE A LOUD DROPPING SOUND. AND IT WOULD BE DIFFICULTY TO SWITCH GEARS. THE CAR SHIFTS AT TIMES AND KICKS BACK. THE DEALER REPLACED A SENSOR BUT, IT HAS NOT RESOLVED THE ISSUE COMPLETELY. I'VE TAKEN IT BACK AND THEY FOUND NOTHING. I HOPE THEY WILL FIND SOMETHING, AS I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR AFTER TONIGHTS EXPERIENCE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10301812

11,937 miles · Jan 8, 2010
Power Train

ON 8/10/2008 I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON HIGHWAY 41NORTH WITHIN THE CITY OF GREEN BAY, WI. AS SHE ENTERED THE PASSING LANE AND A TRUCK WAS FAST APPROACHING FROM BEHIND, SHE QUICKLY ACCELERATED TO GET INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL APPEARED TO BE STUCK WITH THE CAR NOW ACCELERATING UNCONTROLLABLY AND AT A VER…

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ON 8/10/2008 I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON HIGHWAY 41NORTH WITHIN THE CITY OF GREEN BAY, WI. AS SHE ENTERED THE PASSING LANE AND A TRUCK WAS FAST APPROACHING FROM BEHIND, SHE QUICKLY ACCELERATED TO GET INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL APPEARED TO BE STUCK WITH THE CAR NOW ACCELERATING UNCONTROLLABLY AND AT A VERY FAST RATE. SLAMMING THE BRAKES HAD LITTLE EFFECT AS THE VEHICLE WAS NOW ACCELERATING. SHE CONTINUED TO DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL NUMEROUS TIMES FOR A FEW MILES UNTIL IT FINALLY RELEASED ITSELF. SHE THEN GOT OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT AND CALLED HER HUSBAND WHO CALLED AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH BROADWAY FORD. ON 8/11-14, 2008, THE CAR WAS SERVICED AT BROADWAY FORD. THEY INDICATED TO US (AS DETAILED ON INVOICE # FOCS207273) THAT THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND HAD REPLACED THE THROTTLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE. CINDY HAS NEVER FELT SAFE IN HER CAR SINCE, BUT WAS HOPEFUL THAT IT WAS AN ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT. ON 12/28/09, HE WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON HIGHWAY 41 NORTH ALSO WITHIN THE CITY OF GREEN BAY, WI. HE WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND NOTICED A CAR WAS VEERING OVER TO HIS LANE FROM THE RIGHT ENTERING FROM WAUBE LANE TO HIGHWAY 41 NORTHBOUND. HE ACCELERATED TO MOVE FORWARD AND OUT OF THE OTHER CAR'S WAY AND AGAIN THE ACCELERATOR STUCK. ONCE AGAIN THE BRAKES DID LITTLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE SINCE IT WAS ACCELERATING AGAIN UNCONTROLLABLY AT A VERY FAST RATE. AFTER GAINING SOME COMPOSURE, HE PUT THE OUT-OF-CONTROL VEHICLE FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL AND HEARD THE ENGINE RACE AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ONCE AGAIN OPERATE NORMALLY. WE AGAIN BROUGHT THE CAR INTO BROADWAY ON 1/5/10. PAUL CAVAIANI (SERVICE ADVISOR AT BROADWAY FORD) CALLED JIM AROUND NOON ON 1/5/10 TO ADVISE HIM THAT THEY WERE WAITING ON A CALL FROM FORD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10298670

35,603 miles · Nov 19, 2009
Power Train

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, MY 2008 FORD TAURUS' TRANSMISSION SLAMMED, THEN ALL THE PANEL LIGHTS LIT UP AND THE SPEEDOMETER RESET TO ZERO, STAYING THAT WAY UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. BECAUSE I WAS IN THE CENTER LANE OF TRAFFIC, ON INTERSTATE 75, IN ATLANTA, I WAS NOT ABLE TO MOVE TO THE FAR LEFT OR RIGHT. THOUGH IT WAS APPROXIM…

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WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, MY 2008 FORD TAURUS' TRANSMISSION SLAMMED, THEN ALL THE PANEL LIGHTS LIT UP AND THE SPEEDOMETER RESET TO ZERO, STAYING THAT WAY UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. BECAUSE I WAS IN THE CENTER LANE OF TRAFFIC, ON INTERSTATE 75, IN ATLANTA, I WAS NOT ABLE TO MOVE TO THE FAR LEFT OR RIGHT. THOUGH IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 4:30 IN THE MORNING ON A WORKDAY, THE TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY AND FAST. I WAS AFRAID THAT THE CAR WOULD STOP RIGHT THERE BUT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE TO WORK BECAUSE I DID NOT DO ANY SUDDEN BRAKING OR SPEED SHIFTING. I KEPT DRIVING UNTIL I GOT TO WORK, WHICH WAS THE ONLY SAFE STOPPING POINT FOR ME AT THAT TIME OF DAY AND ON THE PATH THAT I WAS DRIVING. I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE IT AGAIN AND HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE MECHANIC WHO WORKED ON IT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE AND HAD TO ORDER A REPLACEMENT OSS SENSOR. I HAVE MY CAR BACK BUT AM VERY NERVOUS ABOUT DRIVING IT. IT STILL DOES THE SLAMMING(ON A SMALL SCALE) BUT EVERYTIME IT DOES THIS, I WORRY. WHEN THE INITIAL PROBLEM STARTING, I HAD ~500 MILES LEFT TO MY WARRANTY. NOW I AM OVER THE WARRANTY AND WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND COULD POSSIBLY STALL A CAR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, WITH NO ABILITY TO MOVE TO A SAFER LOCATION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10292877

25,000 miles · Aug 30, 2008
Power Train

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A USED 2008 LIMITED TAURUS HAD 24000 MILES AND CURRENTLY HAS 26,000. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IDLING IN PARK A LOUD HUMMING NOISE COMES FROM THE TRANSMISSION ABOUT 95% OF THE TIME, BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. BUT THE CAR STILL DOES IT. FORD HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10240327

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