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2008 Ford Taurus transmission problems

44 complaints (25% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 83,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints
44
of this car's complaints
25%
typical mileage
83,000
crashes
1
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Automatic transmission
    5
  • Driveline
    2
  • Driveline: constant velocity joint
    1
  • Automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Ford Taurus transmission problems in other years

1990199520002005201020152018

Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Ford Taurus transmission

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Jerking 19Harsh shifting 8

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2008 Ford Taurus owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Nov 16, 2023 · Transmission · 85,367 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle became inoperable. The contact shifted into park and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated while reversing, she heard an abnormal sound. The check engine and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the power train not being connected to the solenoids. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,367.

Filed Oct 16, 2020 · Acceleration, Transmission · 157,087 miles · TX

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.

Filed Mar 11, 2019 · Brakes, Transmission · 123,000 miles · FL

Transmission clunks into each gear when driving slow. When brake pedal is pressed to move shifter from park, there is an alarm that is fairly loud coming from the dash. The brakes seem to work well and I have maintained my own vehicles, so there is no reason this should be wrong with the car. It has very low miles for the year and has mostly highway driving. It has been this way for months, getting progressively worse.

Filed Jul 6, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 49,456 miles · OH · crash

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. Mileage display disappeared and, instead, car showed that car was empty of gas (I had filled the tank night before and was showing "full" prior to this sudden change with vehicle.) barely made it home and car did not accelerate enough to go up the slightest incline of driveway apron. Repair was made to transmission speed sensor. Less than a week later, I am noticing the same sudden power surge/sudden loss of power. I try to convince myself that it's just because I was so scared driving home that night. Less than a month, the car is doing the same thing and I am having it towed back to dealership. From complaints I've seen on internet, this is a common problem and this should be subject to a recall. I believe the replacement parts are also defective. The older woman I bought the car from was told she was at fault for an accident that I now believe was completely this problem! She was been told she is not allowed to drive (which is why she sold me her car) and it is the fault of the car!!!!!

Filed Jun 22, 2018 · Transmission · 114,000 miles · TN

The A/C condenser which holds the transmission fluid on the top has a crack in it and it is leaking transmission fluid

Filed May 4, 2018 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · AL

On 5/4/18. I had backed out put 2008 ford taurus in drive and pulling forward in traffic the cars RPM rev up loadly and car moved slowly forward with on coming traffic coming up behind me and several cars going around me. I pulled to left turning lane and stopped. I put the car in neutral then reverse felt a jerk then park. I sat there a few seconds. The wrench light appeared on dash. I put car in drive and proceeded home. While driving home the rpms rev up again twice. I pulled in my drive way as I put the car in reverse the car made aloud clunk sound and again in park the same loud clunk. In regards to recall for 2008 ford taurus. Website http://www.revbase.com/bbbmotor/tsb/download?pdfid=139970 and id=147402 respectively.

Filed Jan 24, 2018 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 94,000 miles · AL

On 1/23/2018, my 2008 ford taurus experienced, for the first (and so far, only) time, the same powertrain symptoms described at ford tsb numbers 07-21-11 and 08-26-13 (found at http://www.revbase.com/bbbmotor/tsb/downloadpdf?id=139970 and http://www.revbase.com/bbbmotor/tsb/downloadpdf?id=147402, respectively). Specifically, while idling at a stop light in preparation for a turn, my vehicle shifted out of gear with no input from me. I noticed this when, as I attempted to slowly accelerate into the merge lane, the vehicle did not move. There was no sound or other sign that the vehicle had shifted out of gear spontaneously. I shifted the vehicle into reverse, and the vehicle rolled back as it should. When I shifted back into drive, there was a small clunk. The vehicle did not respond to the accelerator, up to around 1,500 rpms. I put the car in park, and heard/felt a larger clunk, and noticed that the yellow wrench icon on the dash illuminated. I turned off the engine, waited 30 seconds, and restarted the engine. The vehicle then operated normally from that point forward with no signs of transmission or shifting issues. The yellow wrench light did not reappear, and no check engine light has illuminated since that time. I have driven approximately 100 miles and 6 drive cycles since that time with no symptoms. My research into this issue identified the above tsbs and I contacted ford directly about the issue. They told me that, while those tsbs do apply to the same model and year of vehicle, my VIN was not included on the list. They said I needed to have my vehicle inspected by the federal safety agency so that it can be added to this list.

Filed Oct 4, 2017 · Acceleration, Engine · 237,000 miles · IN

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.

Filed Apr 6, 2017 · Electrical, Engine · 85,197 miles · NE · fire

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.

Filed Mar 6, 2017 · Electrical, Fuel system · 135,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford taurus. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the fuel, pressure sensor fault, and throttle control transmission warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shifter required excessive force when attempted to shift out of park. In addition, the contact stated that the speedometer gauge failed to provide the accurate reading. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

Questions about the 2008 Ford Taurus transmission

Does the 2008 Ford Taurus have transmission problems?

Owners have filed 44 complaints about the transmission of the 2008 Ford Taurus, 25% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.

At what mileage do 2008 Ford Taurus transmission problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 83,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2008 Ford Taurus transmission?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Ford Taurus have bad transmission?

The Ford Taurus model years with the most transmission complaints are 1995 (393 complaints), 2003 (316 complaints) and 1994 (265 complaints).

Other 2008 Ford Taurus problems

Steering 35Acceleration 32Engine 30Airbags 15Brakes 15Electrical 13Suspension 10Fuel system 8Driver assistance 7Body 5Lights 4Seats 3Seat belts 2Visibility 2Wheels 2Tires 1

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