Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt had failed to unbuckle and was previously repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously rear-ended on several occasions, and the air bags did not deploy. The contact had sustained severe back injuries that had become permanent. The contact had received medical assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene on each occasion. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH, the vehicle experienced sudden and unintended acceleration. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle responded as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. …
Purchased vehicle in feb 2010. Driven to take children to and from school and back home approx total mileage round trip daily is 6 miles at most. First instance happened when approaching a stop sign and slowing down by pressing the brake but the motor accelerated rpms instead as if I were pressing the gas. Lasted few seconds and began doing as it should. Next instant happened couple months later when pressing the brake to stop after returning home from taking children to school. Tried to stop in my driveway when I reached the house and the motor accelerated instead and had to turn the switch off to make it stop making the acceleration noise. This has happened several times with each time a little more intense. Most recently, while taking my son to a travelball tournament I slowed to stop at a stop sign and it briefly revved the motor. …
I was pulling out of a parking lot, stopped and on the brakes waiting for an opening in traffic when all of the sudden my car tried to surge me forward, revving up very high. It sounded as if the car May blow up. I had to stomp on the brake pedal with both feet and fight to keep from the car throwing me out into traffic. I put the car in park and it stopped. I immediately went to the nearest service station, where they looked at it & took it for a drive. It didn't happen while they looked at it so they told me they have no way of knowing what went wrong with it. My husband called Ford and they claim they have never heard of that and we were the first ones that had that go wrong with their Ford Taurus. I'm very frustrated, I saw numerous complaints on the internet about the exact thing happening to other people. …
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. …
The Ford Taurus sel has 237,836 miles on it. Two times while driving the vehicle on the interstate highway then on a county road the dash showed all zeros and the car lost power. The check engine light came on. The car exhibited slow acceleration and unusual shifting. I took it and had the OBD code read. The code indicated that it was a speed sensor in the transmission (p720). The code was reset and the car is currently being driven. It happened twice within a two-week period. I own two 2008 Ford Taurus and it happened on the same day to both of them. I will be filing incident information on the other vehicle too.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. While driving at low speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate properly. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and drove very slowly when the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The vehicle would then rapidly accelerate and almost cause the driver to lose control. The vehicle was taken to mouw Ford (1245 north main ave, sioux center, ia) where it was diagnosed that the throttle body was faulty. The throttle body was replaced, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000.
This has happened about 3 times in the last 2 yrs but while sitting at a light my car suddenly went forward. It didn't go.to far. Maybe a ft or 2 but was enough to scare me. My foot was on the brake. It will also get stuck in gears and lose power on the road. No check engine light is on as of now. One light did come on today while sitting at a light and without notice my car would not go. It was the power throttle/transmission light. I turned the car off and then back on and it drove fine all the way home. It did jerk once. The gear shifting and loss of power happens when I am driving on the highway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while stop at traffic light the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into the proceeding vehicle rear end. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who repaired the vehicle front end damage. However the sudden acceleration failure was not investigated. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000 and the approximate current mileage was 42,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the brake and accelerator pedals were too close in proximity, causing her to depress both pedals simultaneously. The contact mentioned that on one occasion, the driver crashed into another vehicle as a result. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage was 50,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 73,000.
Acceleration complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Ford Taurus, 18% of the model year's 175 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 Ford Taurus acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2008 Ford Taurus, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Ford Taurus acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.