Owners of 2008 Ford Taurus vehicles report three distinct categories of airbag failure. Most serious are non-deployment events: at least five owners were in frontal collisions ranging from 15 to 50 mph where front airbags did not deploy. Impacts included rear-end collisions, head-on strikes, and tree collisions. Drivers and passengers struck steering wheels and dashboards, sustaining head trauma, whiplash, fractured bones, neck injuries, and facial lacerations. In one case, a 79-year-old struck by two vehicles at a stop sign reported no airbag deployment; another owner lost consciousness after a head-on impact with an electrical pole and suffered head trauma when airbags failed to cushion the strike.
A second set of complaints involves airbag warning light behavior—illumination, flashing, and intermittent activation starting from very low mileage (200 miles). One owner reported the light correlating with brief engine stalling at highway speeds; another stated the light came on, went off, then stayed on continuously. Dealers attempted repairs twice on one vehicle but could not identify the cause.
One owner reported a recall notice for the driver airbag discovered in 2016, but his dealer claimed no recall authorization had arrived from Ford, preventing repair for three years despite the owner's documented inquiry.
Failure modes owners describe
Front airbag non-deployment in frontal crashes
Driver and passenger airbags failed to deploy in multiple frontal collision events, including impacts at 15–50 mph and head-on collisions. Owners sustained injuries that would likely have been mitigated by proper airbag deployment, including whiplash, head trauma, broken bones, and facial injuries.
When: Mileage range 138,000–142,000; one case at unknown mileage
Symptoms owners cite: Airbags did not deploy during frontal impacts; Occupants struck steering wheel and dashboard; Severe injuries sustained (head trauma, whiplash, fractured nose, neck injuries, facial lacerations, broken ribs) that would typically be reduced by airbag cushioning
Repairs/costs cited: No repairs documented; vehicles were destroyed or no repairs attempted
Airbag warning light illumination and erratic behavior
Airbag warning light illuminated on multiple vehicles, sometimes accompanied by drivability issues. In one case, light came on and remained on; in another, light flashed intermittently and correlated with brief engine stalling on the highway. Dealers unable to diagnose root cause in at least one instance.
When: Low mileage (200 miles, 2,300 miles current) and also higher mileage vehicles; one case 2016–2019 timeframe
Symptoms owners cite: Airbag warning light illuminated or flashing; Airbag system deactivated when passenger seated; Brief engine stalling and loss of power on highway (one case); Light intermittently comes on and goes out; eventually stays on continuously
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer attempted repair twice on one vehicle but could not identify cause; light cleared temporarily after key cycles in one case
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Recall issued for driver frontal airbag (2016); owner unable to obtain service due to dealer claiming no recall notice received from Ford
Passenger seat airbag deactivation fault
Airbag system incorrectly indicated no occupant in front passenger seat, causing airbag to deactivate even when passenger present. Occurred early in vehicle life and repeated despite dealer service attempts.
When: As early as 200 miles on the odometer; recurred at 2,300 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Airbag light illuminated indicating passenger airbag deactivated; Deactivation occurred while passenger seated in vehicle
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer unable to identify cause; repair attempted twice without success
Synthesized from 15 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer
allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.