Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 Ford Taurus X, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Steering42
- Power train41
- Vehicle speed control26
- Structure15
- Electrical system10
- Suspension9
- Unknown or other9
- Service brakes7
- Engine6
- Engine and engine cooling6
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 19 2008 Taurus X vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 8 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2008 Ford Taurus X failed the safety check 3.81% of the time — 54% more often than the average 2008 passenger car (2.48%). Median odometer at inspection: 142,505 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 12.4–13.3 L/100 km (about 18–19 mpg US), CO₂ 285–306 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taurus X · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.4 | 9.9 | 12.4 |
| Taurus X AWD · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 15.2 | 10.9 | 13.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2008 Ford Taurus X.
| 2016186 26 Apr 2016 | Airbag Certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 - Occupant Protection in Frontal Impacts. Due to an as… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 2008 Ford Taurus X: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10254138 | 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 vehicles owner during initial delivery. Unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad, the accessory keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the vehicle using a diagnostic scan tool. If the wallet card for an accessory keypad is lost, follow these steps to recover the code. Dealer Key Code access is granted through the Dealer Program Enrollment System (DPES); dealership managemen |
| 10190489 | 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 problem is not corrected, the product will be unusable. |
| 10039155 | FORD: THERE MAY BE A ROUGH IDLE OR MISSES WHILE THE MALFUNCTION LIGHT IS ON. THERE ARE MUTLIPLE POSSIBLE TROUBLE CODES STORED. *RM |
| 10039053 | FORD: IF THERE IS AN INTERMITTENT LACK OF POWER, SURGE, OR HESITATION WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKES WILL OVERRIDE ACCELERATION. *RM |
| 10032244 | 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 AND/OR HARSH ENGAGEMENTS, NO UPSHIFT, FIFTH GEAR ONLY, COULD HAVE AN INTERMITTEN SHORT IN THE OSS OR TSS SENSOR. *PE |
| 10032237 | 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 |
| 10032234 | 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 |
| 10023436 | 6F50 TRANSAXLE EQUIPPED VEHICLES WHEN STOPPED ON A HILL IN DRIVE OR REVERSE WITHOUT SERVICE BRAKE APPLIED MAY ROLL (WON'T HOLD). *NJ |
| 10021280 | 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 |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
TIRE VALVE CRACKING
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation