1999 Jaguar XJ8L Owner Complaints

WAS ON US I-280 NORTHBOUND AT ABOUT 8 P.M., GOING PREVAILING SPEED, GOING TO A SOCIAL MEETING, BUT WITH AN ORGANIZATIONAL DIRECTOR. HEARD LOUD POP AND CAR LURCHED FORWARD ABRUPTLY, THEN ENGINE BEGAN TO RATTLE, SMOKE AND BURNT RUBBER/OIL SMELL BEGAN TO INVADE CABIN. HUSBAND TURNED OFF ENGINE AND COASTED TO SIDE OF HIGHWAY AND UP EXIT RAMP SHOULDER. TOOK THE CAR TO DELONG'S AUTO REPAIR, THE ONLY KNOWN AUTHORIZED JAGUAR SERVICE CENTER FOR AT LEAST 50 MILES IN ANY DIRECTION. OWNER, CHIEF MECHANIC, [XXX] SAID WE HAD AN ORIGINAL DEFECTIVE TEMPERATURE GAUGE THAT GIVES FALSE READINGS AND CAR HAD OVERHEATED WITHOUT SHOWING IT ON GAUGE AND THE HEADGASKET BLEW CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE--ON THE HIGHWAY. WE WERE TOLD THAT JAGUAR HAS A COOLING PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE AND RATHER THAN FIX IT, THEY PUT IN GAUGES THAT DELIBERATELY DECEIVE THE OWNER INTO BELIEVING HIS/HER VEHICLE IS RUNNING AT A NORMAL TEMPERATURE WHEN IT IS NOT. PREVIOUSLY WE'VE HAD REPEATED INCIDENTS OF "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT GOING ON AND TOOK CAR TO JAGUAR AND OTHERS. NOTHING SEEMED OUT OF PLACE, DAMAGED, ETC.--MECHANICS REPEATEDLY TOLD US THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE IT WAS A MALFUNCTIONING INDICATOR LIGHT. "ENGINE COOLANT" LIGHT DID SAME THING. ENGINE COOLANT WAS NEVER LOW WHEN MANUALLY CHECKED. CURRENT MECHANIC SAYS THIS IS ALL TYPICAL OF THE DECEPTIVE GAUGED, THAT THE CAR WAS PROBABLY NEARING OVERHEATING AND FAULTY INDICATOR WAS NOT TELLING US, EXCEPT THROUGH OTHER INDICATORS THAT DIDN'T MATCH THE MANUAL CHECKS WHEN THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. WE WERE LUCKY TO NOT BE HIT BY OTHER CARS AS THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, WITH FEW STREET-LIGHTS DUE TO RAMPANT COPPER THEFTS IN AREA, AND LOCAL BUDGET PROBLEMS. FILING A COMPLAINT, HERE, BECAUSE WE HAD TO SUE JAGUAR FOR THE LAST DEFECT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10546670

Incident

Sep 27, 2013

Mileage

143,000 mi

MY 99 XJ8L JAGUAR WOULDN'T START AND I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC--HE SAID 4 OF MY 8 CYLINDERS STOPPED WORKING AND I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. I DID A VEHICLE SEARCH FOR MY CAR AND FOUND OUT THERE WAS ENGINE PROBLEMS FROM THE MANUFACTURER ITS CALLED THE NIKASIL PROBLEM - DOCUMENT NUMBERS ARE S491V6 OR V5. I NEED TO KNOW IF MY CAR FALL UNDER THIS PROBLEM. I KEPT UP WITH ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE SUGGESTIONS( OIL CHANGE,MILEAGE CHECKUPS)., AND MY ENGINE STILL FAILED AT 87715 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10258371

Incident

Feb 7, 2009

Mileage

87,815 mi

THE REAR VIEW MIRROR WHICH HAS A DIMMING FEATURE FAILED. BLACK FLUID CAME SPILLING OUT ONTO THE CENTER CONSOLE AND THE RADIO CONTROLS. THE MIRROR BE CAME NON FUNCTIONAL, THERE BY HAVING DIFFICULTY IN VIEWING TO THE REAR OF THE CAR. *TR I MADE CONTACT WITH JAGUAR AND THEY HAVE BEEN NON RESPONSIVE.

NHTSA ID

10227219

Incident

May 9, 2008

Mileage

94,000 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS, A NOISE WAS HEARD IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE GEARS SHIFTED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO DETERMINED IF A TRANSMISSION CLEANING DOES NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.

NHTSA ID

10175605

Incident

Dec 7, 2006

Mileage

86,000 mi

I WAS THE THIRD CAR IN A FIVE-CAR ACCIDENT. I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP AND ABOUT 0.5 CAR LENGTH FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHEN CAR NUMBER 2, A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA PICKUP, HIT ME FROM BEHIND. MY CAR, A 1999 XJ8L, SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN THE REAR, BUT ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FRONT SECTION, NO DAMAGE TO BODY SHEET METAL; ONLY ONE BUMPER SHOCK NEEDS REPLACED. THE DRIVER?????S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE DRIVER?????S SEAT COLLAPSE INTO THE REAR BENCH SEAT. THE POSITION OF MY SEAT WHEN I DRIVE IS; THE BACK ADJUSTMENT IS SET AT OR VERY CLOSE TO STRAIGHT UP (90 DEGREES), THE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT IS SET ALMOST ALL THE WAY UP, AND THE SEAT DISTANCE FROM THE PEDALS IS VERY CLOSE TO ALL THE WAY BACK. AS A RESULT OF BEING HIT FROM BEHIND, MY BODY WAS THROWN FORWARD ABOUT 10 DEGREES AND WAS WHIPPED BACKWARDS TO A FULL-RECLINED POSITION (ABOUT 175DEGREES). THE ACCIDENT CAUSED MY SEAT TO COLLAPSE INTO THE BACK REAR BENCH SEAT AND AS A RESULT, I WAS IN A FULLY RECLINED POSITION AFTER THE ACCIDENT. IS THE JAGUAR'S FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT DESIGNED TO COLLAPSE? I DID HAVE MY SHOULDER HARNESS AND LAP BELT ON AND THERE WERE NO PASSANGERS IN MY CAR. *NM

NHTSA ID

10143856

Incident

Nov 3, 2005

Mileage

90,000 mi

WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM 50 TO 60 MPH UP AN ONRAMP MY AMBER LIGHT COMES ON SHOWING "RESTRICTED PERFORMANCE". IT NOW OCCURRS ANY TIME I ACCELERATE TO 65.

NHTSA ID

10123818

Incident

May 23, 2005

Mileage

24,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ,THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER WA ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DROVE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT INSPECTED. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10097160

Incident

Oct 19, 2004

WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMERS SUNROOF AUTOMATICALLY OPENED AND A BURNING SMELL PERMEATED THE COCKPIT. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY CUT THE ENGINE OFF AND PULLED ALL THE FUSES OUT, HOWEVER A FEW MINUTES LATER THE SMOKE TURNED INTO FIRE. IT SHOT OUT FROM UNDER THE SUNROOF BUTTON CLUSTER. THE FORENSIC SPECIALIST SAID THE CAUSE OF FIRE WAS THE SUNROOF CONTROL MODULE. THE CONSUMER INFORMED JAGUAR OF NORTH AMERICA, HOWEVER THEY WERE NOT CONCERNED AND WOULD NOT FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE FAILED MODULE. *CB A FIRE REPORT IS ENCLOSED. ALSO THE RIGHT FOG LAMP WAS REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10019658

Incident

Apr 25, 2003

Mileage

57,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK, INCREASING THE SPEED TO 90 MPH. CONSUMER SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND SHUT OFF ENGINE. DEALER DETERMINED THAT PIN OF METAL CLIP UNDER ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD WEDGED ITSELF INTO THE RUBBER, CAUSING ACCELERATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

8014500

Incident

Jul 12, 2002