Most common 2008 Ford Taurus X problems
Share of the 153 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Taurus X complaints by model year
2008 Ford Taurus X recalls (1)
Air bags › Frontal
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.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2008 Ford Taurus X:
Tire valve cracking
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…
What 2008 Ford Taurus X owners say
Steering all 42 →
As I was out running errands and backing in to park my 2008 Ford Taurus x, it became very difficult to turn the steering wheel in either direction. The steering was very stiff and required a good bit of effort. I immediately called the dealership repair shop and was instructed to bring in the car for evaluation. Ford determined that I needed to replace the steering column (rack & pinion) as well as the power steering pump & reservoir. Prior to the initial complete power steering failure in December of 2014, I had complained to Ford numerous times about the steering and had had the rack & pinion unit & power steering pumps replaced (at 100268 miles) in February of 2013! In December 2014 they quoted an astronomical price to again repair my car, at which point, I took it elsewhere and ordered the parts on-line. …
Experienced intermittent "shudder" in steering system when cornering and/or maneuvering into parking spaces; this condition progressively got worse and finally, there was a sudden total loss of power assist to the steering system almost resulting in loss of control of the vehicle. Noticed large puddle of atf/power steering fluid under vehicle when parked. Upon inspection, discovered that power steering reservoir was empty and the steering rack housing had leaking seal where main steering shaft entered housing leading to catastrophic failure of the steering rack assembly. This is the second time the steering rack catastrophically failed on this vehicle (see: NHTSA id number: 10468922; date complaint filed: 08/02/2012; date of incident: 07/30/2012; component(s): steering). Brought vehicle in to Ford dealer (brondes Ford, maumee, oh) for service. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 41 →
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 suddenly clunked , steering wheel jerked , vehicle lost power - I had my 2 children in the vehicle and I was pregnant. We had to pull over immediately . After sitting side the road for a few , it crunk up and we rode out . Only for it to happen 2 more times. And this is not the only thing effected by this . Not long after I got it , I started noticing a hard shift / clunk / slam when going into gear and especially when the vehicle has just tried to downshift and I pressed the gas again . Due to this , I'm unable to tell when and if we can pull out into traffic and such. …
Ongoing transmission upshift problems. Upon leaving the driveway first thing, or soon after coming to a stop and trying to accelerate again the transmission at times refuses to up shift then slams into gear at high RPM. Dealer/other mechanics have not been able to duplicate although there are 2 TSB on these 6f50 transmissions. Worse in colder months and somewhat random. Besides the cumulative damage this is doing we are worried that the transmission May fail entirely at the exact wrong time (waiting to turn left in an intersection, waiting to enter highway etc) resulting in serious injury. Researching online, this is a common problem for this transmission type ( see http://www.fordtaurus.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=15703&start=80 ) and especially the 2008 Taurus x model year. The 2008 Ford Taurus x was a design refresh of the Ford freestyle, which was later dropped by Ford in 2009. …
Speed control & acceleration all 26 →
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 suddenly clunked , steering wheel jerked , vehicle lost power - I had my 2 children in the vehicle and I was pregnant. We had to pull over immediately . After sitting side the road for a few , it crunk up and we rode out . Only for it to happen 2 more times. And this is not the only thing effected by this . Not long after I got it , I started noticing a hard shift / clunk / slam when going into gear and especially when the vehicle has just tried to downshift and I pressed the gas again . Due to this , I'm unable to tell when and if we can pull out into traffic and such. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus x. While driving 65 MPH merging into traffic, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact also stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact placed the vehicle in the neutral position and was able to slow down. The contact was able to stop the vehicle; however, the engine revved to an excessive RPM. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.
2008 Ford Taurus X engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 24 / 19 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Ford Taurus X a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the Taurus X to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 153 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Ford Taurus X?
The steering — 42 complaints, 27% of all complaints for this model year, most often about rack and pinion. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (41) and speed control & acceleration (26).
How many recalls does the 2008 Ford Taurus X have?
There is 1 recall for the 2008 Ford Taurus X, the most recent from April 26, 2016 (frontal). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do 2008 Ford Taurus X problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 61,000 miles; 39% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.