2008 Ford Taurus X problems
The 2008 Ford Taurus X has 210 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (20%) concerns steering. After that come drivetrain & axles (16%) and cruise control (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 210 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 61,000 miles 187 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 31 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 26 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 29 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 31 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 23 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 20 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 9 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 187 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 61,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 71,000 miles (40 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 2 injuries reported.
It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford taurus x. The contact stated that the fuse heat sensor failed and spontaneously caused the seat to catch fire. All of the components that operate the seat heater failed. There was a hole the size of a fist that burned through the seat. Ford motor company stated that this was a manufacturer defect. They further stated that they would replace the seat under warranty and that if the contact wanted another vehicle, it would have to catch fire two more times to qualify for the lemon law.
Vehicle in park and running/idling on slightly inclined driveway, facing upwards. 'driver', outside and beside vehicle on passenger side, opened front passenger door to reach across and remove key from ignition (shut off the engine), and the second she shut it off, vehicle started rolling backwards, with both of driver's feet still on the driveway and with the passenger door open immediately next to her, pulling her in the direction of the downward slope of the driveway.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford taurus x. While parked the contact was standing underneath the lift gate when the lift gate warning was sounding and the lift gate suddenly slammed down with force striking the contact. The contact sustained a headache, stiff neck and back pain after the failure occurred but did not seek medical attention. The contact also attempted to manually open the lift gate and it slammed down on its own. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing.
Driving on highway from milwaukee wi, to oshkosh, wi. After driving around an hour at freeway speed with cruise control set at 70, car suddenly accelerated on its own and RPM went up too. Took car off of cruise control and continued driving. The car did it again after a few minutes, accompanied by a loud 'thunk' noise. Immediately got off freeway, turned off car and waited till driving again. Problem did not reoccur then. But happened again next day on way home. Since then it has occurred numerous times.
Backing out of driveway- I noticed that steering column was not locked prior to inserting key. Inserted key, turned to start and no response from ignition. Kept turning steering column and decided to engage transmission from park to drive several times. I returned to park-ing the car and removed the key. Initially, steering column was not locked, then I turned the steering wheel several times and then the column locked. Turned the key and the ignition hesitated- the dials were jumping.
Other model years of the Taurus X
- 2009
- 2008