2000 Jaguar XJV8 Problems

MY 2000 XJ8 JAGUAR, WITH APPROXIMATELY 36K MILES, BEGAN RUNNING VERY BADLY AND SURGING UNEXPECTEDLY. THE CAR BECAME VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND I NARROWLY AVOIDED HAVING, WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERE ACCIDENTS, ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO TWO JAGUAR DEALERS, WHO COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. ONE KEPT SAYING THE CAR NEEDED A NEW THROTTLE BODY. AFTER THE CAR HAD ITS THIRD THROTTLE BODY, AT MY EXPENSE...AND AFTER GETTING THE NEW JERSEY JAGUAR REPRESENTATIVE INVOLVED, THE DEALERSHIP DECIDED THE PROBLEM PROBABLY WAS NOT THE THROTTLE BODY. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO THREE OTHER MECHANICS, ONE OF THOSE HAS HAD IT THREE TIMES. NONE COULD IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH ALL AGREED THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN SAFELY. THE LAST MECHANIC, WHO HAS HAD THE CAR SINCE NOVEMBER, WAS WORKING ON THE CAR WHEN IT DROPPED A VALVE. TURNS OUT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD APPARENTLY JUMPED TWO TEETH DUE TO WEAR IN THE PLASTIC GUIDES. I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THE JAGUAR FORUMS INDICATE THIS IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND IS WELL KNOW TO JAGUAR. JAGUAR HAS EVEN RECOMMENDED UPGRADING TO THE METAL REPLACEMENT GUIDES, AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE, HOWEVER, THE OWNER'S WERE NEVER NOTIFIED. I AM FACING A VERY EXPENSE REPAIR FOR A KNOWN DEFICIENCY IN THE DESIGN OF THIS ENGINE. FOR SOME REASON, A RECALL HAS NEVER BEEN ISSUED. I FEEL JAGUAR HAS THE MAJORITY OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS REPAIR. I, AND OTHERS, COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, DUE TO THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. DUE TO THIS PROBLEM I WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR 50 MILES THE PAST FOUR YEARS. IT HAS SPENT THE REMAINDER OF THE TIME AT VARIOUS MECHANICS...INCLUDING JAGUAR DEALERSHIPS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME COP-ABILITY ON THE PART OF JAGUAR. *TR

CAR PURCHASED IN JAN 2003 PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED IN AUG 2004 WHILE DRIVING MY NORMAL ROUTE TO WORK. CALLED DEALER AND EXPLAINED THAT A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON "ENGINE COOLANT LOW" . ASKED THEM TO ADVISE ME ON WHAT TO DO. THEY SAID TO BRING IN ASAP. I TOOK CAR IN THE FOLLOWING DAY AND THEY SAID THEY 'TOPPED" IT OFF MEANING THEY ADDED FLUIDS AND THAT WAS ALL I NEEDED. THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 3 YEARS I TOOK MY CAR INTO DEALERSHIP APPROX EVERY 3 MOS FOR A PROBLEM THAT BY THIS TIME THE DEALER SAID IT COULD NOT BE FIXED HOWEVER THAT THERE WAS NO REASON FOR CONCERN AS IT WAS JUST A SENSOR . I STILL OWN THE VEHICLE AND THE LIGHT IS STILL COMING ON. *TR

MY 2000 XJ8 BEGINS TO SURGE AFTER THE VEHICLE RUNS FOR A FEW MINUTES. YOU MUST STAND ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH BOTH FEET TO KEEP FROM SURGING INTO ANOTHER CAR AT A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT. THE DEALER IN TUCSON, AZ REPLACED AN AC COMPONENT, WHICH DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE EL PASO, TX DEALER CLAIMED IT NEEDED THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED. IT WAS REPLACED...NO CHANGE. OWL AUTOMOTIVE CHANGED A SPARK PLUG AND WIRE...NO CHANGE. OWL THOUGHT THE ECU MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM. IT WAS SENT TO TECHNICIANS WHO CHECKED AND UPGRADED THE UNIT...NO CHANGE. ALSO, IT DID NOT INDICATE ANY PROBLEMS. CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO EL PASO DEALER. THEY STATED IT NEEDED ANOTHER THROTTLE BODY. I CONTACTED USA JAGUAR, WHO CONTACTED THE EL PASO DEALER AND INSTRUCTED THEM HOW TO CHECK THE THROTTLE BODY OFF THE CAR. THE DEALER THEN STATED THE PROBLEM WASN'T THE THROTTLE BODY, IT WAS THE ECU. EL PASO JAG WOULD NOT CHECK ANYTHING ELSE UNLESS I SPENT $4K+ TO REPLACE THE ECU, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD JUST BEEN CHECKED AND UPGRADED. THE CAR IS NOW BACK AT OWL AUTOMOTIVE HAVING IGNITION COILS CHANGED. IF THE PROBLEM CONTINUES THE COMMUNICATION CABLE BETWEEN THE ECU AND TRANSMISSION MODULE WILL BE CHANGED. IF THE PROBLEM CONTINUES, THE TRANSMISSION MODULE WILL BE SENT OUT AND CHECKED. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN SHOPS FOR THE PAST 2-3 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN LESS THAN 100 MILES AND HAS BEEN TOWED 3 TIMES. THE CAR HAS 38-39,000 MILES. THE CAR IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AS IS. IT HAS DEPRECIATED APPROXIMATELY $10K WHILE SITTING IN GARAGES HAVING ATTEMPTED REPAIRS. JAGUAR DOES NOT SEEM TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEM NOR FOCUSED ON REPAIRING THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE ONLY INTENT ON REPLACING ALL THE COMPONENTS, HIT OR MISS, UNTIL THEY FINALLY SOLVE THE ISSUE......AT SUBSTANTIAL COST TO ME. I HAD TO PURCHASE ANOTHER CAR TO HAVE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION. THE CAR CANNOT BE SOLD "AS IS", HOWEVER, IT WILL BE MY LAST JAGUAR. *TR

WAS DRIVING MY 2000 JAGUAR XK8 ON INTERSTATE 55 IN ILLINOIS WHEN THERE WAS A "POP" THAT SOUNDED LIKE A SPEAKER GOING OUT. SMOKE RUSHED OUT OF THE DASHBOARD VENTS. A FIRE OCCURRED WITHIN THE DASHBOARD. FLAMING PIECES OF PLASTIC AND PARTS DROPPED TO THE FLOORMAT AND SET FIRE TO THE CARPET. THE VEHICLE CABIN QUICKLY FILLED WITH HEAVY SMOKE. IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST - I WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AND BARELY CLEARED THE CAR BEFORE THE ENTIRE PASSENGER CABIN BURST INTO FLAMES. I CALLED 911 - BY THE TIME FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE POLICE, FIREFIGHTER AND OTHERS SURMISED A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRING HARNESS OR ONE OF THE ONBOARD COMPUTER/FUSE/RELAY SYSTEMS IN THE VEHICLE. THIS CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED - ALL THE RECORDS EXIST TO PROVE IT. TO BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND HAVE YOUR DASHBOARD BURST INTO FLAMES SHOULD BE OF CONCERN. I AM NOT SURE IF THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS OF INCIDENTS LIKE THIS BUT ONE IS TOO MANY. I NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AT 65 MPH AND COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF AND OTHERS DUE TO THE BUILD UP OF SMOKE IN THE CABIN - I COULD BARELY SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD. A FEW CONCERNS HERE - NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. BEYOND THAT, THE FACT THAT THE MATS AND INTERIOR CARPET CAUGHT FIRE SO QUICKLY IS ALSO AN ISSUE. HAD I NOT BEEN ALERT ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE WHAT WAS HAPPENING SO QUICKLY AND ABLE TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION AS SOON AS I DID, THE DEATH BOX BELOW MIGHT HAVE BEEN FILLED IN BY SOMEONE ELSE. *TR

VEHICLE SHAKES AND SHIMMIES ABOVE 38 MPH. IT ALSO VEERS FROM ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO THE OTHER. TIRES AND WHEELS ARE INVOLVED. DEALER COULD NOT FIX PROBLEM. EXTREME SAFETY HAZZARD. CAR IS NOT ABLE TO BE DRIVEN. EXTREME SAFETY HAZZARD!

CAR PURCHASED IN JAN 2003 PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED IN AUG 2004 WHILE DRIVING MY NORMAL ROUTE TO WORK. CALLED DEALER AND EXPLAINED THAT A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON "ENGINE COOLANT LOW" . ASKED THEM TO ADVISE ME ON WHAT TO DO. THEY SAID TO BRING IN ASAP. I TOOK CAR IN THE FOLLOWING DAY AND THEY SAID THEY 'TOPPED" IT OFF MEANING THEY ADDED FLUIDS AND THAT WAS ALL I NEEDED. THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 3 YEARS I TOOK MY CAR INTO DEALERSHIP APPROX EVERY 3 MOS FOR A PROBLEM THAT BY THIS TIME THE DEALER SAID IT COULD NOT BE FIXED HOWEVER THAT THERE WAS NO REASON FOR CONCERN AS IT WAS JUST A SENSOR . I STILL OWN THE VEHICLE AND THE LIGHT IS STILL COMING ON. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 JAGUAR XJV8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A DARK, OILY LIQUID SUBSTANCE COMING OUT OF THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, WHICH DAMAGED THE INTERIOR AND PLASTIC OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRO CHROMATIC REARVIEW MIRROR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,244. MA 10/6 *CN