IllustrationDRIVING THE CAR, AND LOST THE ABILITY TO TURN THE CAR LEFT. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND DISCOVERED THE RACK AND PINION DEAR FAILED INTERNALLY. SOMEHOW A GASKET BECAME INTERTWINED WITHIN STEERING COLUMN. REPAIRS TOTALED $860.91. *TR
2008 Ford Taurus X
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Taurus X 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
280–25K
2525–50K
2750–75K
2275–100K
22100–150K
13150K+
137 reports with mileage · 16 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.
- Steering. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports4 fire reports2 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
6 reportsMY 2008 TAURUS X HAS LURCHED FORWARD ON MORE THAN 1 OCCASION. IN ALL THE EVENTS I HAVE BEEN GOING VERY SLOW, ALMOST JUST ROLLING TO A STOP SIGN OR STOPLIGHT. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL IT BY STOMPING ON THE BRAKE. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN, AND THERE ARE NO OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES I CAN RECALL. *TR
MY CAR LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING AND STALLED IN TRAFFIC. MY MECHANIC HAD IT FOR TWO WEEKS AND TESTED REPEATEDLY AND COULD NOT FIND A REASON AND COULD NOT MAKE THE EVENT REOCCUR. I DRIVE IN A RURAL AREA WITH YOUNG CHILDREN.
SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE STOPPED IN 2008 FORD TAURUS X. *TR
VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER, INCLUDING BRAKES AND STEERING TWICE. ONCE AT APPROX. 8,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT APPROX. 8,660 MILES (MAY 2009). VEHICLE MADE LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND BECAME VERY SLUGGISH WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 15 MPH. AT APPROX. 15,900 MILES TWICE WITHIN 1/4 MILE (NOV.2009). DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE ANY OF TH…
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VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER, INCLUDING BRAKES AND STEERING TWICE. ONCE AT APPROX. 8,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT APPROX. 8,660 MILES (MAY 2009). VEHICLE MADE LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND BECAME VERY SLUGGISH WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 15 MPH. AT APPROX. 15,900 MILES TWICE WITHIN 1/4 MILE (NOV.2009). DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE ANY OF THESE EVENTS OR FIND A REASON THAT THEY MAY HAVE OCCURRED. OBVIOUSLY, I AM NOT COMFORTABLE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AS I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO (OR NOT DO) NEXT. THERE HAS TO BE A REASON FOR THESE EVENTS AND I'M AFRAID THAT I MAY BE IN A SITUATION WHEN THE NEXT ONE HAPPENS THAT MAY CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY SO FAR IN THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STEER THE CAR OFF THE ROAD WHEN THESE EVENTS HAVE HAPPENED AS EACH TIME I HAVE BEEN POINTED IN A DIRECTION THAT ALLOWED ME TO STOP THE CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC. THE INCIDENT DATE REFERS TO THE FIRST INCIDENT. THERE HAVE BEEN THREE TO DATE (12/1/09). *TR
I HAVE A 2008 FORD TAURUS X WITH APPROX 8000 MILES AS OF THIS WRITING. APPROX. ONE MONTH AGO, I WAS DRIVING ON A VERY NARROW 2 LANE ROAD AND MY ENGINE FAILED. I NOTICED BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN AND BRAKES WERE DIFFICULT TO APPLY. I PULLED TO THE SIDE AND STARTED THE CAR. IT STARTED RIGHT UP. THIS PAST WEEK,…
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I HAVE A 2008 FORD TAURUS X WITH APPROX 8000 MILES AS OF THIS WRITING. APPROX. ONE MONTH AGO, I WAS DRIVING ON A VERY NARROW 2 LANE ROAD AND MY ENGINE FAILED. I NOTICED BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN AND BRAKES WERE DIFFICULT TO APPLY. I PULLED TO THE SIDE AND STARTED THE CAR. IT STARTED RIGHT UP. THIS PAST WEEK, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE SAME ROAD. THIS TIME I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND STARTED IT, THEN PUT IT IN DRIVE. I AM AFRAID OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE NOW DUE TO THE POTENTIAL DANGER. I TAKE MY GRANDCHILDREN FREQUENTLY AND FEAR I WILL NOT ALWAYS BE IN A STRAIGHT ROAD DRIVING SITUATION IF THIS OCCURS AGAIN. MY DEALERSHIP SEEMS VERY CAVALIER ABOUT THIS ENTIRE PROBLEM. THEY SAY THEY CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM AND THAT IT MAY NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. *TR
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