Ford Taurus 2008–2009
5th generation (D3) — renamed Ford Five Hundred
NHTSA data through 13 August 2026317 complaints, 283 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 283
- Median of reported failures
- 63,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Transmission and driveline (15.5%)
- Recalls
- 1
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 31,375 and 106,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Ford Taurus 2008–2009 · 283 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 50 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 3 complaints (1.1%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 6,371
- 25%
- 31,375
- Median
- 62,556
- 75%
- 106,000
- 90%
- 145,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20,000 | 48 | 17.0% |
| 20,000–40,000 | 49 | 17.3% |
| 40,000–60,000 | 39 | 13.8% |
| 60,000–80,000 | 21 | 7.4% |
| 80,000–100,000 | 50 | 17.7% |
| 100,000–120,000 | 25 | 8.8% |
| 120,000–140,000 | 16 | 5.7% |
| 140,000–160,000 | 20 | 7.1% |
| 160,000–180,000 | 10 | 3.5% |
| 180,000–200,000 | 2 | 0.7% |
| 200,000+ | 3 | 1.1% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 317 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008–2009 Ford Taurus, and 283 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 31,375 and 106,000 miles. The median is 62,556 miles.
The most-reported areas are the transmission and driveline (15.5% of complaints, typically around 79,000 miles), throttle and speed control (13.2% of complaints, typically around 73,000 miles), the steering (11.7% of complaints, typically around 46,000 miles).
1 recall campaign cover this generation.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2008–2009 Ford Taurus last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2008–2009 Ford Taurus were filed by 63,000 miles and 90% by 145,000 miles — figures drawn from 283 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
3 reports (1.1%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Taurus reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2008–2009 Taurus: the 3-minute check
Generated from 283 mileage-tagged complaints, 1 recall campaign, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 1 campaign cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check transmission (6f50) on 2008–2009 cars. Early 6F50 torque-converter and internal solenoid complaints producing harsh shifts and shudder.
- Check nameplate boundary caution on 2008–2009 cars. The severe ZF CFT30 CVT failures associated with this body belong to the 2005-2007 Ford Five Hundred, which used the CVT; the Taurus-badged 2008-2009 cars do not have it. Do not attribute CVT failures to this generation.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 31,000 and 106,000 miles, with a median of 63,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the transmission and driveline and throttle and speed control are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Throttle and speed control in particular shows a median failure mileage of 73,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Ford Taurus 2008–2009
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Engine and its cooling system29 reports11,0004,000–45,000Engine and its cooling system: 29 reports, median 11,000 miles, middle half 4,000 to 45,000 miles.
- Steering37 reports46,00035,000–87,000Steering: 37 reports, median 46,000 miles, middle half 35,000 to 87,000 miles.
- Throttle and speed control42 reports73,00028,000–106,000Throttle and speed control: 42 reports, median 73,000 miles, middle half 28,000 to 106,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline49 reports79,00036,000–109,000Transmission and driveline: 49 reports, median 79,000 miles, middle half 36,000 to 109,000 miles.
- Engine26 reports85,00055,000–164,000Engine: 26 reports, median 85,000 miles, middle half 55,000 to 164,000 miles.
- Airbag system21 reports86,00058,000–130,000Airbag system: 21 reports, median 86,000 miles, middle half 58,000 to 130,000 miles.
- Electrical system17 reports96,00083,000–153,000Electrical system: 17 reports, median 96,000 miles, middle half 83,000 to 153,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission and driveline | 49 | 15.5% | 79,000 | 36,000–109,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 42 | 13.2% | 73,000 | 28,000–106,000 |
| Steering | 37 | 11.7% | 46,000 | 35,000–87,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 29 | 9.1% | 11,000 | 4,000–45,000 |
| Engine | 26 | 8.2% | 85,000 | 55,000–164,000 |
| Airbag system | 21 | 6.6% | 86,000 | 58,000–130,000 |
| Electrical system | 17 | 5.4% | 96,000 | 83,000–153,000 |
| Suspension | 13 | 4.1% | 28,000 | 19,000–88,000 |
| Brakes | 13 | 4.1% | 83,000 | 74,000–113,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 12 | 3.8% | — | — |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Ford Taurus 2008–2009 · 283 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 48% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 82% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 1.1% of reports (3) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
48% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine and its cooling system — median 11,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 36,000–109,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 28,000–106,000 mi
- Steering — middle half 35,000–87,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 55,000–164,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 58,000–130,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Electrical system — middle half 83,000–153,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
67% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Steering — median 46,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 11,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 36,000–109,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 28,000–106,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 55,000–164,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 58,000–130,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 83,000–153,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
82% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Transmission and driveline — median 79,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 73,000 mi
- Steering — median 46,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 11,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Engine — middle half 55,000–164,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 58,000–130,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 83,000–153,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 62,556 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 15.5% of complaints (49 reports, 48 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 79,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 36,000 and 109,000 miles.
Throttle and speed control accounts for 13.2% of complaints (42 reports, 39 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 73,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 28,000 and 106,000 miles.
The steering accounts for 11.7% of complaints (37 reports, 35 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 46,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 35,000 and 87,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 9.1% of complaints (29 reports, 28 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 11,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,000 and 45,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 8.2% of complaints (26 reports, 24 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 85,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 55,000 and 164,000 miles.
The airbag system accounts for 6.6% of complaints (21 reports, 18 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 86,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 58,000 and 130,000 miles.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 1 recall campaign covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 317 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 40 (12.6%)
- Fires
- 12
- Injury reports
- 19
- Fatality reports
- 0
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Transmission (6f50) 2008–2009
Early 6F50 torque-converter and internal solenoid complaints producing harsh shifts and shudder.
Nameplate Boundary Caution 2008–2009
The severe ZF CFT30 CVT failures associated with this body belong to the 2005-2007 Ford Five Hundred, which used the CVT; the Taurus-badged 2008-2009 cars do not have it. Do not attribute CVT failures to this generation.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 240 | 220 |
| 2009 | 77 | 63 |
Recalls (1) — is your car included?
Jun 2016 · 2008 · Air BagsAn improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The defect. 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."
What can happen. An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The free fix. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
What owners reported
the contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 3 MPH the rpms increased and the vehicle would accelerate over 30 MPH. He stated that the failure occurred one week after the vehicle was purchased. The contact stated that he immediately drove the vehicle back to the dealer and the computer was…
2008 · 5 miles · Throttle and speed control
the contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated the vehicle was not moving when it accelerated and shifted into gear with excessive force. The failure also occurred whenever the contact shift from first to second gear. The failure began to occur without warning immediately after the vehicle was purchased. The…
2008 · 100 miles · Transmission and driveline
I bought a 2008 Ford Taurus in sep 2008. Over the last three weeks, i have had three incidences of engine surge while stopped and the brakes applied. The first two incidences occurred when the car was cold, shortly after leaving my house. The surge today occurred when the engine was hot. The engine surges to about…
2008 · 490 miles · Throttle and speed control
Not long after purchase of Ford Taurus, when stopping at light/sign the engine would stay revved up to 3000+ RPM -- only very firm (two foot) braking kept at stop -- moved to neutral to correct. Had dealer check (7/9/08) and they said they could find no problem. Has happen 3-4 times since. Fortunately, have been aware…
2008 · 1,500 miles · Throttle and speed control
Built from 283 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page