Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Ford Taurus submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 30 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 30, in the owner's own words
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for an inspection, the dealer advised him to stop driving the vehicle due to corrosion of the subframe, caliper, steering arm, brakes, and a hole in the catalytic converter. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled however, she was able to pull over and stop the vehicle. The contact stated that she noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the engine temperature gauge was indicating that the engine was overheating. The contact observed that white smoke was coming out from under the hood. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to her residence. An independent mechanic went to the residence to diagnose the vehicle. The independent mechanic determined that the head gasket had blown and the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
I WAS DRIVING 55 MPH WITH A TRUCK CLOSE BEHIND, WHEN IT JUST DIED. I HAD NO POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ETC. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH THINKING I WAS GOING TO BE HIT BY THE TRUCK BEHIND ME. I WAS IN A CURVE, AND THANKFULLY THERE WAS A STORE. IT TOOK ALL MY STRENGTH TO TURN THE CAR IN, AND SOMEHOW I WAS ABLE TO COME TO A STOP. I HAD NO WARNING, NO LIGHT CAME ON AND MY SON CAME TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. HE SAID IT WAS OVERHEATING. WE HAD IT TOWED HOME AND WHEN HE CHECKED IT THE OIL WAS CREAMY , WHITISH. HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. WE RESEARCHED IT, AND FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE CYCLONE ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO THE WATER PUMP FAILING, WHICH IS INSIDE THE ENGINE ALONG WITH THE TIMING CHAIN!!! I WAS SHOCKED! WATER PUMPS GO BAD, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. WHY WOULD ANY COMPANY PUT A WATER PUMP INSIDE THE MOTOR?!?! I NEVER WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT IF I HAD KNOWN BECAUSE IT IS JUST WRONG. THEN I FOUND OUT FORD HAD BEEN USING THAT ENGINE FOR OVER 10 YEARS, EVEN WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS AND I WONDER HOW MANY ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES AND DEATHS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THIS. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!!!! WHY IS THERE NO RECALL? I CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE A NEW ENGINE PUT IN, I'M 63 AND DISABLED. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO. WITH ALL THE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURES DUE TO THIS, I AM SHOCKED THAT FORD HAS NOT HELPED US OUT. THEY MUST HAVE A LOT OF LAWSUITS. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN, I AM SICK ABOUT IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHEN REVERSING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND THEN DIMMED. ON ONE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE STALLED IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE CONTACT CALLED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 43,000.
1. AFTER BEING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE TRANSMISSION WILL START TO SLIP. I TRY TO PRESS THE GAS AND GO NOWHERE, LIKE I AM STUCK IN 1ST GEAR, I COAST TO A SAFE PLACE AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK START BACK UP AND IT WILL ACT COMPLETELY NORMAL AFTER THAT UNTIL ANOTHER 3 MONTHS DOWN THE LINE. 2. ONCE IN ABOUT 5/6 MONTH I TURN OUT INTO THE STREET AND THE 'ANTI SLIP' FEATURE TURNS ITSELF ON AND IT STOPS ME DEAD IN MY TRACKS. IT SOUNDS HORRIBLE, AND AFTER I RELEASE THE GAS IT WILL STOP. RIGHT NOW THE VEHICLE IS AT THE SHOP AND I REALLY HOPE THEY CAN FIND THE CAUSE OF THIS
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. *TT
2008 FORD TAURUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE POWER FOLDING EXTERIOR WINDOW SWITCH ISSUES. CONSUMER HAS PREVIOUS CORRESPONDENCE WITH 2 DIFFERENT VEHICLES WITH DIFFERENT ISSUES. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED ACCORDING THE VEHICLE'S DESCRIPTION THE VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE HAD A POWER FOLDING EXTERIOR MIRRORS, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH THIS FEATURE. THE ENGINE KNOCKS AND SHIFTS HARD ON TAKE OFF AND SLOW DOWN. THE BREAK BOOSTER SQUEAKS WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE FUEL INDICATOR DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. LASTLY, DURING LONG PERIODS OF RAIN THE CEILING LIGHTS LEAK ONTO THE CONSOLE. *JS
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 VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. PRIOR TO EACH FAILURE, ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. FUTURE FORD IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND REPLACED THE FUEL INJECTOR AND THE FUEL INJECTION SENSOR, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED THROUGH DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, ONE OF THE ENGINE CYLINDERS MISFIRED AND THE SPEED DRASTICALLY REDUCED TO 35 MPH. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THE IGNITION COIL WAS MELTED UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER STATED THAT IF THERE WAS NO MISFIRE ON THE COIL, IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE COIL BUT, MOMENTS LATER, THE NEW COIL OVERHEATED AND MELTED THE PCM. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY DID NOT THINK IT WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 174,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT DROVE AND STOPPED AT THE INTERSTATE WHERE SHE NOTICED A STRONG BURNING ODOR COMING FROM THE VEHICLE, WHICH CAUSED BREATHING ISSUES. THE CONTACT HAD TO OPEN THE WINDOWS WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT FAILED TO TURN ON. ONCE THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COIL PLUGS, PCM, AND COMPUTER BURNED OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,197.
I HAVE SEEN MANY MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE. THE WRENCH SYMBOL LIGHTS UP ON DASH WHEN DRIVING AND ENGINE REVS AS IF IT IS IN NEUTRAL, LOW GAS MILEAGE SYMBOL LIGHTS UP AND INSTEAD OF SAYING HOW MANY GALLONS UNTIL EMPTY, THERE ARE JUST 3 DOTS ( ---). I PULL OVER, TURN CAR OFF AND PUTTING IT IN PARK OR ANY GEAR, IT JERKS AND IS LOUD. IT SEEMS AS IF EVERYTHING ON THE CAR IS JUST SHUTTING DOWN, YET STILL WORKING. THE WRENCH SYMBOL HAPPENS MORE OFTEN, AND ALL THE OTHER SYMBOLS ARE ONLY SOMETIMES. I JUST SPENT $1000 ON THE TRANSMISSION GETTING REPAIRED SO IT SHOULDNT BE THAT. IT ALSO SAYS " TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR FAULT" WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THE CAR IS VERY JERKY AND JERKS FORWARD. DOESNT SEEM VERY SAFE. AFTER PULLING OVER AND TURNING THE CAR OFF, IT SEEMS OK IF I LET IT SIT FOR 10 MINUTES OR SO. SOMETIMES, NOT ALL THE TIME THOUGH. I NEVER KNOW.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PCM SENT EXCESSIVE ENERGY TO THE COIL PACK CAUSING IT TO MELT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 178,516.
WAITING AT A FLASHING RED ARROW TO TURN LEFT. TRAFFIC CLEARED, I ACCELERATED, GOT BARELY INTO INTERSECTION, CAR CHOKED, WOULD BARELY MOVE. SEMI TRUCK PUT UP HUGE PLUMES OF BLUE SMOKE FROM TIRES BURNING ON DRY PAVEMENT. TRUCK BARELY STOPPED BEFORE T-BONE IN MY DRIVERS DOOR. CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. COIL PACK ON CYLINDER #2 BURNED OUT, ALSO BURNING OUT PCM COMPUTER ON BOARD. REPAIRED AND REPLACED BOTH. CYLINDER #2 COIL PACK BURNED OUT 2 MORE TIMES SINCE. CYLINDER #4 COIL PACK BURNED OUT ONCE SINCE. PCM COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE MORE SINCE ORIGINAL INCIDENT. FORD HAS HAD A TECH BULLETIN OUT SINCE 04/2011 ON THIS PROBLEM. THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WITH NO PRIOR WARNING IS GOING TO GET PEOPLE KILLED. I WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS RIGHT NOW, IF THE SEMI WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING A LITTLE FASTER, OR WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE CLOSER. GOOGLED PROBLEM...VERY, VERY COMMON, AND MOSTLY ON CYLINDER #2. FORD MOTOR COMPANY UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING. SPOKE BY PHONE 06/09/2015
2008 FORD TAURUS. PARKED IN DRIVEWAY WITH FOOT ON BRAKE...ALL OF SUDDEN THE ENGINE ACCELERATES RAPIDLY AND I PROCEED TO HIT THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. THE NEXT DAY WAS JUST SITTING AT STOPLIGHT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE ENGINE FOR NO REASON ACCELERATES TO OVER 4000 RPM. *TR
2008 FORD TAURUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE STALLING PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED EIGHT TIMES, SINCE HE PURCHASED IT NEW IN APRIL OF 2009. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE STALLING, WITHOUT A CODE. *JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,000.
STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, SUDDENLY ENGINE SURGED, RACING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO TAKE OFF. I STAYED ON THE BRAKE, THEN PUT THE CAR IN PARK, IT CONTINUED TO SURGE. MOVED IT BACK TO DRIVE AND WITHIN A FEW SECONDS THE SURGING STOPPED. I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ON WITHOUT INCIDENT. MY MECHANIC CHECKED THE VEHICLE OUT WITHOUT FINDING ANYTHING. I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER. THEY WENT OVER IT, TOOK IT OUT ON THE ROAD FOR A TEST, NOTHING SHOWED. MY CONCERN IF IT SHOULD OCCUR WHEN I DIDN'T HAVE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED AS THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF ACCELERATION WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE REPLICATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
AT A COMPLETE STOP, CAR LURCHED FORWARD AT FULL THROTTLE. I HAVE HAD THE CAR IN FOR THIS PROBLEM PREVIOUSLY. THE DEALERSHIP SAID NO CODES WERE STORED AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE CONCERN. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
AT HIGHWAY SPEED, VEHICLE SUDDENLY, WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS, STOPS RUNNING, RESULTING IN LOSS OF ALL POWER ASSIST TO MANEUVER VEHICLE TO SAFETY. UNABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE. TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP. PROBLEM DETERMINED TO BE FAILURE OF "COIL ON PLUG" IGNITION COILS, WHICH SHORTED OUT PCM/PROCESSOR ASSEMBLY (MAIN COMPUTER). ADDITIONALLY, THIS MIS-FIRING RESULTED IN PARTIAL LOW EFFIENCY IN CATALYTIC CONVERTER, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY IMPAIR VEHICLE'S ABILITY TO MEET EMISSION STANDARDS. TOTAL REPAIR COSTS: IGNITION COILS (6), SPARK PLUGS (6), AND PCM REPLACEMENT - $2,314.14, CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT - $1,589.95, FOR A TOTAL OF $3,904.09 FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST 2010, AND HAS ISSUED TWO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. *TR
AT A COMPLETE STOP, AND WAITING TO TURN, ENGINE REVVED UP AND LURCHED FORWARD FOR NO APPARENT REASON. (UNINTENDED ACCELERATION). FOOT WAS ON BRAKE AT THE TIME. THIS OCCURRED TWICE WITHIN AN HOUR ON THE SAME DAY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD TAURUS. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. UPON RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE RESUMED AS NORMAL. THE SIMILAR FAILURE OCCURRED THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
IT BEGAN WITH ONLY THE WRENCH LIGHT GOING ON AND THE RPM WOULD GO UP AND THE CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD. I WOULD RESET IT WITH A CODE CHECKER AND I WOULD NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM AND THE LIGHT WOULD EVENTUALLY RETURN. IT WAS RECOMMENDED TO CHANGE THE AIR FILTER, THE AIR FILTER WAS CHANGED AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS. NOW NOT ONLY MY WRENCH LIGHT BUT MY ENGINE LIGHT ALSO GOES ON AND IT RETURNS EVERY DAY AFTER RESETTING IT. AFTER I LOOKED UP THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT THE PROBLEMS SEEMS TO APPEAR IN OTHER FORD MODELS. I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT THIS IS NOT A RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND EVENTUALLY SOMEONE WILL GET HURT OR KILLED BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *KB
2008 FORD TAURUS, ENGINE DIES UNEXPECTEDLY. DIED THREE DIFFERENT TIMES WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN. ALMOST GOT HIT WITH ON-COMING TRAFFIC TWO TIMES, ALSO DIES AT STOP SIGNS AND WAITING FOR LIGHT TO CHANGE. IT IS VERY DANGERIOUS BECAUSE DIFFICULT TO STEER WITH ENGINE DEAD. HAD IN SHOP 2 TIMES BUT NO HELP. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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