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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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15,000 miles · Sep 23, 2014
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

THIS CAR HAS ONLY ABOUT 16,000 ON IT. I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN I STARTED GETTING THIS HARD JERK AND THEN THE CAR SPEED WENT DOWN TO ABOUT 30 MPH. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, THE SPEED WILL PICK BACK UP FOR ABOUT A MILE OR 2. THE HARD JERK WILL COME AGAIN AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT CHANGE OUT PROPERLY. THIS COULD HAVE …

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THIS CAR HAS ONLY ABOUT 16,000 ON IT. I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN I STARTED GETTING THIS HARD JERK AND THEN THE CAR SPEED WENT DOWN TO ABOUT 30 MPH. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, THE SPEED WILL PICK BACK UP FOR ABOUT A MILE OR 2. THE HARD JERK WILL COME AGAIN AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT CHANGE OUT PROPERLY. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSE AN ACCIDENT ON THE INTERSTATE, SO I GOT OFF THE INTERSTATE AND STARTED TRAVELING ON THE BACK ROADS TO MAKE IT HOME. BY THE TIME I GOT HOME, I COULD HAVE HARDLY MAKE IT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CALLED THE FORD COMPANY, BUT SAID IT WAS NOT A RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ORDEAL, SOMEONE COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT FROM THIS SITUATION. THE HARD JERK, THE SPEED DROPPING WHILE THE TRANSMISSION TRYING TO CHANGE OUT. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. I AM SURE THIS HAS HAPPEN TO OTHERS, BUT HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10638316

118,557 miles · Jun 2, 2014
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

STARTED DRIVING AND CAR WOULD JUST JERK AND THEN WOULD GO AGAIN AND NOT GO INTO GEAR.ONLY COULD GET SPEED UP TO 20 OR 40MPH. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATE I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. CALLED FOR AND THEY CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT AND STILL OWE ON IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10595602

180,000 miles · Oct 30, 2013
Electrical SystemPower Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATE 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE COMPUTER WAS PROVIDING INCORRECT CODES TO THE TRANSMISSION, RESULTING IN A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO S…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATE 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE COMPUTER WAS PROVIDING INCORRECT CODES TO THE TRANSMISSION, RESULTING IN A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO STATED THAT THE COMPUTER REQUIRED A PROGRAMMING REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

NHTSA ODI #10550142

56,000 miles · Oct 4, 2013
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WHEN THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000.

NHTSA ODI #10546732

41,000 miles · Jul 30, 2013
EnginePower Train

AT A COMPLETE STOP, CAR LURCHED FORWARD AT FULL THROTTLE. I HAVE HAD THE CAR IN FOR THIS PROBLEM PREVIOUSLY. THE DEALERSHIP SAID NO CODES WERE STORED AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE CONCERN. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10532730

36,000 miles · May 28, 2013
Power Train

THE AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTER HAS A RUBBER MAT UNDER THE METAL PLATE WITH THE PRNDL GEARS LISTED. IT IS DIFFICULT TO SHIFT OUT OF P AND THEN YOU REACH R AND D THE MAT HAS BUNCHED UP SO MUCH THAT THE METAL PLATE TELLING YOU WHAT GEAR YOU'RE IN POPS OFF. THIS IS AN EXTREME HAZARD, AS I BACK INTO THE ROAD AND THEN TO PUT IT IN D, NOT…

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THE AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTER HAS A RUBBER MAT UNDER THE METAL PLATE WITH THE PRNDL GEARS LISTED. IT IS DIFFICULT TO SHIFT OUT OF P AND THEN YOU REACH R AND D THE MAT HAS BUNCHED UP SO MUCH THAT THE METAL PLATE TELLING YOU WHAT GEAR YOU'RE IN POPS OFF. THIS IS AN EXTREME HAZARD, AS I BACK INTO THE ROAD AND THEN TO PUT IT IN D, NOT KNOWING WHERE D IS BECAUSE THE PLATE POPS OFF, I COULD BE HIT. I ALSO HAVE A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED FORD AND THEY ACTED AS IF THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS ISSUES. THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT TRUE. THIS WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR FATALITY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10513755

36,000 miles · Mar 18, 2013
Power Train

WHEN AMBIENT TEMP IS BELOW 20 DEGREES, HARSH 2-1 DOWNSHIFT WITH IMPACT AFTER STOPPING AND RESTARTING. THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SEEM TO BE IN ANY GEAR UNTIL MOVEMENT STARTS THENNA HIGH IMPACT BANG OCCURS JUST AS THE CAR BEGINS TO MOVE. AFTER ABOUT 1 MILE, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY UNTIL NEXT COLD START UP. FORD DEALER STATED THEY REP…

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WHEN AMBIENT TEMP IS BELOW 20 DEGREES, HARSH 2-1 DOWNSHIFT WITH IMPACT AFTER STOPPING AND RESTARTING. THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SEEM TO BE IN ANY GEAR UNTIL MOVEMENT STARTS THENNA HIGH IMPACT BANG OCCURS JUST AS THE CAR BEGINS TO MOVE. AFTER ABOUT 1 MILE, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY UNTIL NEXT COLD START UP. FORD DEALER STATED THEY REPLACED VALVE BODY BECAUSE OF STICKY VALVES. PROBLEM STILL THERE. RETURNED TO DEALER AND THEY CONTACTED FORD. FORD SERVICE TECH(FORD SERVICE REQUEST #106142903) SAYS PROBLEM IS NORMAL. THIS PROBLEM NEVER OCCURRED THE LAST 2 WINTERS I HAVE HAD THE CAR AND FORD LOANER CAR I HAD WHILE THEY WORKED ON MY CAR DID NOT HAVE THIS HARSH DOWNSHIFT. THIS TRANSMISSION IS A JOINT DEVELOPMENT WITH GM AND I KNOW A BUICK OWNER WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINT AND BUICK COULD NOT REPAIR THE PROBLEM-HE TRADED CARS. WARRANTY WILL END FOR MY CAR THIS COMING JULY AND I THINK I WILL HAVE A HUGE REPAIR TO BE MADE ON THIS TRANSMISSION NEXT WINTER AS THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN STEADILY WORST SINCE LAST FALL (2012 WINTER SEASON) BUT ONLY WHEN TEMP IS 20 DEGREES OR COLDER. PLEASE INFORM FORD OF THIS COMPLAINT. I WOULD LIKE A REPAIR OR EXTEND MY WARRANTY TO FEB 1, 2014 TO COVER MY COMPLAINT-THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ODI #10503512

91,000 miles · Jan 25, 2013
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN JERKING VIOLENTLY. THE ENGINE RPMS ALSO INCREASED EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN JERKING VIOLENTLY. THE ENGINE RPMS ALSO INCREASED EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

NHTSA ODI #10494712

33,000 miles · Dec 19, 2012
Power Train

WE PURCHASED A 2008 FORD TAURUS LIMITED AWD NEW FOUR YEARS AGO. WE HAVE HAD FOUR (4) SEPERATE TIMES WHEN THE TRANSAXLE WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. CAR WILL BE IN DRIVE, BUT VEHICLE WILL BARELY MOVE. VEHICLE WILL BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO IS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM, SO WE ARE SENT HOME WITHOUT ANY "FIX." LATEST EVENT…

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WE PURCHASED A 2008 FORD TAURUS LIMITED AWD NEW FOUR YEARS AGO. WE HAVE HAD FOUR (4) SEPERATE TIMES WHEN THE TRANSAXLE WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. CAR WILL BE IN DRIVE, BUT VEHICLE WILL BARELY MOVE. VEHICLE WILL BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO IS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM, SO WE ARE SENT HOME WITHOUT ANY "FIX." LATEST EVENT OCCURRED ON 12/17/2012. DEALER'S RESPONSE: "CUSTOMER STATES VEHICLE STARTS, BUT WHEN PUT INTO GEAR IT DOES NOT MOVE. THROTTLE WILL NOT DO ANYTHING COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONCERN. ROAD TESTED MULTIPLE TIMES, CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL COULD NOT VERIFIED [SIC] CONCERN." THIS WEBSITE, AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS ON-LINE, SEEMS TO VERIFY THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH FORD'S TRANSAXLE. WE WONDER WHY NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS OBVIOUS PROBLEM. SITUATION COULD BE QUITE DANGEROUS. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT THERE IS NO "COMPUTER CODE," AND THEREFORE CANNOT OFFER ANY SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10489311

13,000 miles · Nov 13, 2012
EquipmentPower Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED ABNORMALLY WHILE ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED. THE FAILURE WAS LOCATED AT THE AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER. THE AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. TH…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED ABNORMALLY WHILE ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED. THE FAILURE WAS LOCATED AT THE AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER. THE AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO JERK WHEN ACCELERATING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 106,556.

NHTSA ODI #10484536

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