IllustrationENGINE CRADLE ROTTING, MECHANICS SAID IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE MAKE AND MODEL
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Taurus years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
210–25K
4325–50K
2150–75K
3475–100K
32100–150K
11150K+
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
What owners actually said
175 reportsAPPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES AFTER TURNING ON THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM THE SEATBELT BEGAN TO TIGHTEN ON MY SON, THE DRIVER OF THE CAR. HE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AND TRIED TO LOOSEN THE SEATBELT BUT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL; THE CAR TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED TO TRY AND RESET THE SEATBELT BUT ALL ATTEMPTS FAILED. THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATB…
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APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES AFTER TURNING ON THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM THE SEATBELT BEGAN TO TIGHTEN ON MY SON, THE DRIVER OF THE CAR. HE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AND TRIED TO LOOSEN THE SEATBELT BUT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL; THE CAR TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED TO TRY AND RESET THE SEATBELT BUT ALL ATTEMPTS FAILED. THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT WAS PERMANENTLY LOCKED.
WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY CAR STARTED TO IDLE HIGH AND SPEED GAINED WITHOUT ME DOING IT. I TRIED TO PUSH ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW CAR DOWN BUT BRAKE WOULD NOT WORK, I GOT OFF FREEWAY AND PUSHING AS HARD AS I COULD ON THE BRAKE THE CAR SLOWED SOMEWHAT., THERE WAS A HILL WHICH CAUSED ME TO AGAIN GAIN SPEED AND I PUT CAR I…
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WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY CAR STARTED TO IDLE HIGH AND SPEED GAINED WITHOUT ME DOING IT. I TRIED TO PUSH ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW CAR DOWN BUT BRAKE WOULD NOT WORK, I GOT OFF FREEWAY AND PUSHING AS HARD AS I COULD ON THE BRAKE THE CAR SLOWED SOMEWHAT., THERE WAS A HILL WHICH CAUSED ME TO AGAIN GAIN SPEED AND I PUT CAR IN PARK AND TO STOPPED. I TOWED TO AUTO REPAIR AND WHEN COMPUTER TEST WAS RAN NO CODES CAME UP.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEPARATED FROM THE STEERING SHAFT WITHOUT WARNING. RON LEWIS FORD BEAVER FALLS (201 7TH AVE, BEAVER FALLS, PA 15010, (724) 843-1000) WAS NOTIFIED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MI…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEPARATED FROM THE STEERING SHAFT WITHOUT WARNING. RON LEWIS FORD BEAVER FALLS (201 7TH AVE, BEAVER FALLS, PA 15010, (724) 843-1000) WAS NOTIFIED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000.
CAR ACCIDENT AND BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY
I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 316 IN MY 2008 FORD TAURUS SEL AND I REAR ENDED A LARGE TRUCK AT A RED LIGHT. I WAS MOVING ABOUT 35-40 MPH. MY FRONT BUMPER AND HOOD WERE TORN APART VERY BADLY. BUT MY DRIVERS AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THIS MADE THE WHIPLASH ON MY NECK AND HEAD WAY WORSE THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
CAR WOULD SUDDENLY JOLT FORWARD EVEN THOUGH I WAS SECURELY STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN. SOMETIMES, IT FELT LIKE IT JOLTED FORWARD AS MUCH AS 4 FEET - EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE AT ALL TIMES. (I TRIED TURNING OFF THE A/C TO SEE IF THERE WAS A POWER SURGE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. A/C ON OR OFF MADE NO DIFFERENCE A…
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CAR WOULD SUDDENLY JOLT FORWARD EVEN THOUGH I WAS SECURELY STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN. SOMETIMES, IT FELT LIKE IT JOLTED FORWARD AS MUCH AS 4 FEET - EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE AT ALL TIMES. (I TRIED TURNING OFF THE A/C TO SEE IF THERE WAS A POWER SURGE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. A/C ON OR OFF MADE NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL.) THIS WOULD HAPPEN SO OFTEN, THAT I WOULD HAVE TO STOP MORE THAN A CAR LENGTH AWAY FROM ALL INTERSECTIONS OR OTHER VEHICLES ALREADY STOPPED SO I WOULD NOT HIT THEM WHEN THE CAR JOLTED. IT BECAME AN EXPECTED EVENT . BRAKES WERE NOT SUFFICIENT TO HOLD THE CAR BACK FROM THESE SUDDEN JOLTS - UNFORTUNATELY. COMING HOME ONE NIGHT, CAR STARTED ACCELERATING BEYOND THE AMOUNT I WAS PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL AND THEN IT SUDDENLY LOST POWER EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOW TRYING TO ACCELERATE. NEW DASH LIGHTS - WRENCH, AIRBAG, AND GAS ALL CAME ON. MILEAGE DISPLAY DISAPPEARED AND, INSTEAD, CAR SHOWED THAT CAR WAS EMPTY OF GAS (I HAD FILLED THE TANK NIGHT BEFORE AND WAS SHOWING "FULL" PRIOR TO THIS SUDDEN CHANGE WITH VEHICLE.) BARELY MADE IT HOME AND CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE ENOUGH TO GO UP THE SLIGHTEST INCLINE OF DRIVEWAY APRON. REPAIR WAS MADE TO TRANSMISSION SPEED SENSOR. LESS THAN A WEEK LATER, I AM NOTICING THE SAME SUDDEN POWER SURGE/SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. I TRY TO CONVINCE MYSELF THAT IT'S JUST BECAUSE I WAS SO SCARED DRIVING HOME THAT NIGHT. LESS THAN A MONTH, THE CAR IS DOING THE SAME THING AND I AM HAVING IT TOWED BACK TO DEALERSHIP. FROM COMPLAINTS I'VE SEEN ON INTERNET, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THIS SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO A RECALL. I BELIEVE THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE ALSO DEFECTIVE. THE OLDER WOMAN I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM WAS TOLD SHE WAS AT FAULT FOR AN ACCIDENT THAT I NOW BELIEVE WAS COMPLETELY THIS PROBLEM! SHE WAS BEEN TOLD SHE IS NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE (WHICH IS WHY SHE SOLD ME HER CAR) AND IT IS THE FAULT OF THE CAR!!!!!
THE A/C CONDENSER WHICH HOLDS THE TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THE TOP HAS A CRACK IN IT AND IT IS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHEN REVERSING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND THEN DIMMED. ON ONE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE STALLED IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE CONTACT CALLED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN COULD HAV…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHEN REVERSING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND THEN DIMMED. ON ONE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE STALLED IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE CONTACT CALLED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 43,000.
1. AFTER BEING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE TRANSMISSION WILL START TO SLIP. I TRY TO PRESS THE GAS AND GO NOWHERE, LIKE I AM STUCK IN 1ST GEAR, I COAST TO A SAFE PLACE AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK START BACK UP AND IT WILL ACT COMPLETELY NORMAL AFTER THAT UNTIL ANOTHER 3 MONTHS DOWN THE LINE. 2. ONCE IN ABOUT 5/6 MONTH I TURN OUT IN…
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1. AFTER BEING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE TRANSMISSION WILL START TO SLIP. I TRY TO PRESS THE GAS AND GO NOWHERE, LIKE I AM STUCK IN 1ST GEAR, I COAST TO A SAFE PLACE AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK START BACK UP AND IT WILL ACT COMPLETELY NORMAL AFTER THAT UNTIL ANOTHER 3 MONTHS DOWN THE LINE. 2. ONCE IN ABOUT 5/6 MONTH I TURN OUT INTO THE STREET AND THE 'ANTI SLIP' FEATURE TURNS ITSELF ON AND IT STOPS ME DEAD IN MY TRACKS. IT SOUNDS HORRIBLE, AND AFTER I RELEASE THE GAS IT WILL STOP. RIGHT NOW THE VEHICLE IS AT THE SHOP AND I REALLY HOPE THEY CAN FIND THE CAUSE OF THIS
Official recalls
116V247000 · 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
1PE08060 · 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