2008 Ford Taurus X problems & reliability
153 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Ford Taurus X, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2008 Ford Taurus X vehicles were involved in 19 fatal crashes with 8 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 42 | 27% |
| Power Train → | 41 | 27% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 26 | 17% |
| Structure → | 15 | 10% |
| Electrical System → | 10 | 7% |
| Suspension | 9 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 9 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 5% |
| Engine | 6 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 64,000 miles (middle 50% between 35,500 and 100,487 miles), based on 131 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“This has happened since we purchased the car. when driving down the road out of the blue the wrench light on the dash turns on and the car loses all power!! Dangerous! So dangerous. i have spoken with other foes tauras x owners and they too have the same issue. When it happens i pull over and shut the car off and wait…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Sep 5, 2022
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus X. While the contact’s daughter was driving approximately 40 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, the steering wheel became difficult to turn, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's daughter was able unable to pull over but was able to restart the vehicle and…”
Electrical System · filed Dec 16, 2021
“I bought this vehicle used from a lot. It had 2 previous owners and came with all the service history. I first noticed the vehicle seemed like it didn’t want to go into overdrive . It would get to about 70 mph which would have the rpm’s at 3k! The 2nd time or so that we got it to these speeds (on interstate) the…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Oct 20, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- TIRE VALVE CRACKING
Preliminary Evaluation PE08060 · opened Oct 14, 2008 · closed Apr 9, 2009
Technical service bulletins
10 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2008 Ford Taurus X.
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the…
SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2024
This SKU is a Control Arm. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the bushing orientation. If the bushing orientation is incorrect, it will prevent installation of the product. If the…
RFI20210317_810- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 17, 2021
Ford: if there is an intermittent lack of power, surge, or hesitation while driving the brakes will override acceleration. *rm
AS-21769 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2011
Ford: there may be a rough idle or misses while the malfunction light is on. There are mutliple possible trouble codes stored. *rm
TSB-10-16-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2010
Ford/mercury/lincoln: some vehicles equipped with a 6f50 transaxle , with any output shaft speed (oss) sensor or turbine shaft speed (tss) sensor diagnostic trouble code(s) (dtcs) p0715, p0717, p0720, p0721, p0722…
TSB-07-21-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
Ford/mercury: vehicles may exhibit a non-metallic rubbery grunt from the front end at low speeds, most noticeably while turning into/out of a driveway. Engineering is aware of this concern and is investigating. *pe
SI-20016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
Ford: some multiples vehicles replacements may require revised as built data. The new level sjb service part introduced between 10/07 and 02/08 will require entry of as built data. *pe
SI-20010 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
6f50 transaxle equipped vehicles when stopped on a hill in drive or reverse without service brake applied may roll (won't hold). *nj
20003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
6f50 transaxles built prior to 1/1/07 - dtc p0715, p0717, p0718, p0720, and/or harsh engagement, no upshift, fifth gear only. *kb updated 2/6/08. *nj
07311 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2008 Ford Taurus X has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2008 Ford Taurus X?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 64,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.